Driver training
Assisting with driver training and fuel protection
in Africa
TWO YORKSHIRE-BASED COMPANIES HAVE BEEN BUSY WORKING IN AFRICA RECENTLY. HELPING TO KEEP TANKER DRIVERS
AND FUEL CONTENTS SAFE DURING TRANSPORTATION, THE MISSIONS UNDERTAKEN BY HUDDERSFIELD-BASED HOYER UK
AND LEEDS-BASED MECHTRONIC HAVE CERTAINLY MADE AN IMPACT
A high demand for
dangerous goods
training
In November Chris Hill, HOYER UK’s senior
driver trainer, was in Africa for his sixth trip as
part of the company’s ongoing support of
Transaid, working with trainers who currently
deliver HGV training at the National Institute
of Transport (NIT) in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Road deaths are the third biggest killer
following HIV/AIDS and malaria in sub-
Saharan Africa with official statistics from
the World Health Organisation claiming a
staggering 24.7 people per 100,000 head of
population are losing their lives in road traffic
crashes.
There has been a particularly high
demand for dangerous goods training since
an incident involving a tanker crash, and
subsequent explosion, killed more than 100
people in Morogoro, Tanzania.
During his 10 days of training, Chris Hill
provided dangerous goods training for 15
trainers, with a mix of theory and practical
work.
“I have found my five previous trips
to work with instructors on HGV training
inspiring,” said Chris.
“I go with the aim of ensuring the team
I work with are then able to pass on high-
quality training to other drivers, to ensure that
Transaid is continually increasing the number
of qualified drivers on the road.”
Visiting in 2018, Chris said he noticed a
significant increase in traffic on Tanzania’s
roads since his first trip in 2014.
“The dense traffic we experienced on
the roads also brought to life how many
hazards there are, and the potentially serious
consequences if conditions are not taken into
account. Blindspots are an issue for HGV drivers
no matter where you are in the world so it’s
something I always focus on.”
“We are grateful to HOYER for seconding
Chris Hill to us over the past nine years,” said
Florence Bearman, head of fundraising for
Transaid.
Senior driver trainer, Chris Hill who provided 10 days of dangerous goods
training, says his trips to Africa have been inspiring
“Over this time his training of trainers will
have resulted in the training of over 500 HGV
drivers and impacted the training of over 2,000
PSV drivers and the measure of his contribution
to road safety in these countries cannot be
underestimated.”
“Safety is at the very core of our work and
we are committed to achieving the highest
standards of safety and continue to invest
in equipment and in the training needed
to uphold this commitment,” added Allan
Davison, HOYER Petrolog operations director.
“Helping Transaid to deliver this same
high-quality dangerous goods training in Africa
is very much in step with this ethos and we are
proud of the superb work that Chris Hill has
done in contributing to improving road safety
and saving lives.”
Helping to prevent fuel
discrepancies
When the Kenya Port Authority (KPA) was
facing a real issue with fuel discrepancy, they
invested in MechTronic’s VisiLevel gauging
system to prevent pilfering.
“Siphoning by drivers at KPA is chronic,
affecting transporters and construction
companies,” said KPA.
For instance, nearly 40% of fuel is lost;
this technology is expected to help address this
problem.”
“The system has been in place just a
couple of months, but we’ve already seen a
reduction in fuel discrepancy; the impact on
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Fuel Oil News | January 2020 19