Transport trainers look to tackle terrorism
Transport industry training providers are launching programmes to help commercial vehicle operators and drivers counter the risk of their vehicles being deployed in terrorism, in the wake of increased ‘vehicle as a weapon’ (VAAW) incidents over the last 18 months.
New research carried out by training provider Fleet Source suggests that 87 per cent of CV drivers and operators see terrorism as a potential threat to their vehicles, while over half of drivers said they were shocked by the increase in such attacks.
The research also suggested that 74 per cent of drivers were being offered little or no training to help them prevent their vehicles being taken for use in terror attacks.
Fleet Source’s anonymous survey additionally revealed that 76 per cent of respondents would like to participate in such training, in order to learn about the nature of the threats faced and measures they could take to help mitigate the possibility of vehicles being hijacked or stolen for such purposes.
The training provider, which delivers Driver CPC programmes for Transport for London (TfL), recently launched a Terrorism Risk & Incident Prevention (TRIP) training course for commercial fleet drivers – as well as TRIP policy and procedure packs for operators, with information on topics including terror threat levels, bomb threat procedures, and actions to take in the event of a suspicious device or direct attack.
“Following the recent major VAAW incidents and with the UK being on a severe level of terrorist alert, we wanted to look at the industry’s views and opinions on the subject,” said Nick Caesari, managing director at Fleet Source.
“These incidents are very real, and the industry should be doing all they can to prevent drivers from being involved in these horrific events.”
He continued: “Terrorists are opportunists and operators should consider implementing policies to prevent their drivers from allowing strangers into their cabs. For example, knowing what identification government authorities should be providing to be able to identify whether the individual is legitimate…
“TRIP has been designed so that commercial fleet operators, managers and drivers can be educated on the risks of terrorism, the nature of the threats that they may face and a range of safety precautions they should implement to significantly reduce the possibilities of their vehicle being hijacked or stolen and used in a terrorist incident.”
Fleet Source is the auditing body for the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, FORS – which has also sought to help address the terror risk with a new online training source on security and counter-terrorism.
The new eLearning module – which is being delivered through the FORS Professional training programme and takes around 20 minutes to complete online – aims to raise awareness of drivers’ personal and vehicle security and the potential theft of vehicles for use as weapons.
It also aims to improve driver identification and the reporting of suspicious activity.
Although aimed primarily at van and truck drivers, FORS says it is also encouraging managers and other transport professionals to take the module, which has been produced in conjunction with TfL, the Department for Transport, the Metropolitan Police, High Speed 2 and the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
Wayne Watling of the counter-terror focus desk, Metropolitan Police Road & Transport Policing Command, added: “The threat to the UK from terrorism is high and it is important that drivers and operators report anything suspicious to the police as soon as possible.
“I was keen to be involved in the development of this important security and counter-terrorism eLearning module, as the knowledge gained will help drivers and operators ‘do their bit’.”
