Competition launched to give-away a free driver training course

The training will be delivered by the charity’s training arm, Transport Training Services (TTS) based at Nutts Corner.

The competition can be entered via Transport Training Services’ Facebook page and the winner, who will be chosen after the competition closing date of July 18, will receive a free driver training course of their choice worth more than £1,000 (category C or category C+E truck driving or category D bus driving). All other competition entrants will be eligible for a £100 discount on a driver training course with TTS. The training can be completed, and the trainee fully qualified to drive, within just one week.

The transport sector is currently experiencing a shortfall of qualified drivers, which the Road Haulage Association has estimated could be as high as 100,000 drivers across the UK. While this statistic makes for worrying reading for the industry, it is good news for anyone that is qualified to drive goods vehicles because drivers are in high demand.

Michael Strain, CEO at TTB said: “We have witnessed the challenges that transport operators have faced over the last few years in filling driver vacancies. At the same time, we know there are lots of people out there that really want to get behind the wheel, but the cost of training is often a barrier for them.

“As a charity we are always seeking ways to support the automotive, transport and logistics sectors in Northern Ireland and to respond to what the industry is telling us. This competition has been launched to encourage and support local people to get qualified and to support local haulage businesses.”