The Salvation Army X IAM RoadSmart
The Salvation Army is one of the UK’s most recognised church and charities, offering hope and practical support to the most vulnerable in the community.
Salvation Army Trading Company Ltd (SATCoL), is the trading arm of the The Salvation Army helping to raise vital funds for the great work they do across the UK. SATCoL actively encourages the reuse and recycling of donated clothing and other household items through over 250 charity stores, and a network of over 8,000 clothing banks.
To keep their nationwide fleet running smoothly and sustainably, SATCoL turned to our on-road driver training, and so far, we have supported 30 drivers in total.
We sat down with Chris Bentley, Fleet Manager, to learn how the programme has helped their drivers become more skilled, confident, and efficient behind the wheel.
How important is driving training to your business?
“I think it’s very important. We approach driver training through the practical element of using IAM RoadSmart, and we also have an in-house learning platform that hosts learning modules on various topics. This includes driving in winter, accident prevention and speeding, which they go through when they are inducted into the business.”
“Brand awareness is key for us, so by educating our drivers, they know they are representing the red shield, and our brand is perceived positively by local communities. We also introduced dashcams to our fleet in the last 12 months, and our focus is to ensure we continue building trust with the public, engaging when needed through our helpline advertised on our vans.”
What benefits have you seen from offering half-day driver training?
“With the driver training being half a day, it provides a space with someone external where old habits will naturally pop up. Maybe one hand on the wheel or taking a corner too fast.
We are very honest with our drivers about the cost of the programme, so they realise that the training is an investment in them to reset their mindset on how to drive safely when in their work vehicle, and hopefully this will improve their driving habits outside of work too.”
Have you got a message for other businesses thinking of investing in driver training?
“Ultimately, things happen on the road, and I see close calls every day. But if you want to upscale your driver force and protect your business, it’s every bit of due diligence that you can do. Any business that wants to look after its driver force should have a budget for driver training. We do every year, and we utilise that by using IAM RoadSmart to improve our drivers. This is to the extent that now our insurer gives us a risk bursary as well for all the things that we’ve put in place, such as dash cams and driver training.”
