Bulgarian HGV Driver Goes Backwards up M6

If you were to receive your HGV training in Staffordshire, one manoeuver you would never be practicing is reversing up the M6 west of Lichfield. Yet an HGV driver from Bulgaria was observed doing just that late last week. According to the Lichfield Mercury, the driver managed to go about a mile before being stopped.

No one knows for sure why the man chose to do what he did, but the Central Motorway Police Group was actively investigating when the story first ran the morning of February 7. The reverse manoeuver was apparently observed at about two a clock in the morning between J6 and J7. One suggestion is that the driver did not understand what he was doing due to a language barrier. That being said, is that not what CPC regulations are for?

The Certificate of Professional Competency (CPC) scheme is a programme initiated throughout the European Union to make sure all commercial HGV and PCV drivers are competent in every discipline of safe and efficient driving. It would seem that language proficiency would be included in competency requirements. After all, if a driver cannot read road signs and follow instructions, he or she is not very competent in the area in which they are operating.

Of course, we are assuming the driver’s difficulty was one of language. However, it could have been something else. Police officials say he was attempting to drive south even though he was in the northbound lanes; perhaps his reverse manoeuver was an attempt to return to an exit he had already passed. Yet any reverse manoeuver on a major motorway speaks loudly of incompetence, regardless of the reasons behind it.

We will have to wait and see the outcome of the police investigation to find out exactly what was in the driver’s head at the time of his dangerous manoeuver. Until then, we would like to remind HGV drivers of the looming deadline for CPC certification.

Train with Us

The HGV Training Centre offers affordable training to help you meet the CPC regulations. Upon completion of your training, you will be issued a CPC certificate, which you’ll need to carry with you whenever you’re working. Your certificate will be good only for five years, so you’ll need to undergo further training as you near the end of that five-year period. CPC training consists of 35 hours of instruction at a qualified training centre like ours.

In addition to CPC classes, we offer HGV training in Staffordshire, Cambridgeshire, Yorkshire, and all across the UK. Moreover, with more than 45 training facilities, we are one of the biggest companies offering commercial driver training in England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

All of our training classes are designed to teach you the knowledge and skills necessary to be a safe and successful commercial driver. Our fast-paced and intense training approach achieves great results, including a 92% first-time pass rate for the PCV theory test. For all of your commercial driving needs, we are your training centre of choice.

Sources:

1. Lichfield Mercury – http://www.lichfieldmercury.co.uk/Language-barrier-Shock-Bulgarian-lorry-driver/story-20582626-detail/story.html