The Victorian Transport Association (VTA) Academy has officially launched the Driver Cadetship Program. The launch was supported by Zurich Insurance, which affirmed it will reduce insurance premiums and restrictions for drivers undergoing the VTA Cadetship. This is a major step forward for the industry as previously higher premiums and excess fees have made it unviable to train younger drivers.
Transport and logistics activities account for close to 15% of economic activity in Australia, and most industries rely on transport and logistics to underpin their own productivity and viability. The ageing of the industry's workforce is of concern. The average age of truck drivers is 45+ years (and older in sectors such as line haul), with almost half of existing truck drivers forecast to be at retirement age by 2026.
The VTA Academy Driver Cadetship has been established to tackle this driver shortage and the ongoing problem of introducing younger people to the role of professional truck drivers.
In launching the cadetship, VTA industry services manager John Gilbert OAM said: "One of the major constraints of employers looking for young drivers [21-24] is insurance coverage. As part of the development of the VTA Academy Driver Cadetship we spoke to all the major insurance providers to the transport industry, and all of these providers have shown support.
"To date, Zurich Insurance is the only one that has come forward and offered total support of the program by waiving its normal $2,500 excess and removing all restrictions on drivers who complete the cadetship. In essence, this means a 21-year-old driver who has completed the cadetship will be treated as a normal driver for insurance purposes," Mr Gilbert said.
The VTA Academy Driver Cadetship involves real training on real equipment. Cadet drivers will be brought into businesses and trained on location through a company mentor and with the approved training provider partner of the VTAAcademy.
The training will involve Chain of Responsibility, fatigue, heavy rigid licence which will include driving at night in the city and on country roads, load restraint, measuring the height of vehicles, all through hands-on training supported by academic study.
"Not only have we provided a solution to the insurance problem, we have developed an industry-leading course standard that will produce the best drivers of this generation," Mr Gilbert declared.
"The VTAAcademy was established to provide a fresh approach to training and labour solutions for the transport and logistics industry. This is not only good for the outlook of the industry, it also promises to help individual businesses reduce their costs, while attracting the best and brightest to an industry that is the backbone of the Victorian and Australian economy," Mr Gilbert said.
