Are all RAF/DFS Firefighters being asked to complete a test drive by their MT Sections for each type of vehicle they are required to drive? If I went to any dealership to buy a car, or to a hire car firm to hire one, I wouldn't be asked to complete a test drive. So as long as we are legally qualiified to drive (by virtue of our license) why should MT Sections require it?
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MT Check Drives!
- Thread starter firechief
- Start date
I'd say it was to give you time to familiarise yourself with the vehicle under the tuition of an instructor.
Hire companies only want you're money, they arent bothered about whether you can figure out how to drive it or not, as long as you're legal, thats all they care about.
If you crash or trash it, you pay for it, so they win either way.
The RAF cant afford to lose one of the big fire trucks because the guy driving didnt know how!
Care of duty and all that....
Hire companies only want you're money, they arent bothered about whether you can figure out how to drive it or not, as long as you're legal, thats all they care about.
If you crash or trash it, you pay for it, so they win either way.
The RAF cant afford to lose one of the big fire trucks because the guy driving didnt know how!
Care of duty and all that....
M
monobrow
Guest
You'll prolly find that it lowers the cost of insurance saying that all drivers of that vehicle has has vehicle specific instruction. Same with DI's.... who the f*ck would check the oil level on an 07 plate car daily.
On every unit I have served on, the fire section has a white card holder, normaly a SNCO who, once a fireman has passed his relevant driving test at Leconfield, will familiarise each of his drivers on the specialist fire vehicles. He will decide when the driver is competent on the vehicle. In addition to this each fireman must attend an EFAD course at Manston prior to driving any emergency vehicle in anger so to speak. Any MT Trade trainer is required to be not only current but familiar on any vehicle he caries out a check drive in. I do not know many MT Drivers who are current on MFV, RFV etc. One of the main reasons for the white card holder system as I understand it, is to ensure that the person carrying out the training and check driving is fully qualified on the vehicle, not just a holder of the relevent DVLA licence. The amount/ standard of training has no bearing on the insurance as the MoD has a blanket third party insurance which covers any driver regardless of training and also regardless of any points/ endorsements/ convictions on their licence although guidelines are laid down for MTOs in relation to that subject.
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Sounds like an old idea being rehashed. Back in the dim and distant days of the mid 70s, we had to be authorised to drive each type of vehicle, right down to the section Mini, (a real test of skill, not !!!). Oddly enough, people without a full licence could be given a permit to drive MOD vehicles on the public highway! (A and C class drivers??). 
DT_Xtremez_09:
DT_Xtremez_09:
GD on Wheels
Sergeant
- 912
- 27
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Even in my day as an MTD we also had to be passed out on a new vehicle.
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Sounds like an old idea being rehashed. Back in the dim and distant days of the mid 70s, we had to be authorised to drive each type of vehicle, right down to the section Mini, (a real test of skill, not !!!). Oddly enough, people without a full licence could be given a permit to drive MOD vehicles on the public highway! (A and C class drivers??).
pan wash not another ex fmn by chance?
Nothing wrong with the old Mk 6's! They would get us anywhere we needed to go lol (I never actually did a Mk 6 driving course, but had the odd "Unofficial" drive in it. Just in case anything ever happened to the driver and I had to take over, you understand!)
As far as I understand it the requirement for a check drive is to ensure that you are fully familiar with all the nuances of a particular vehicle type.
This falls under the RAF's 'duty of care' and, as has already been mentioned, is normally carried out by MT. However certain vehicles such as fire vehicles are not routinely driven by anyone other than their normal crews, therefore it would be innapropriate for an MTD to carry out the check drive.
In this case a SNCO is issued a whitecard allowing him, once he has been checked, to check on other drivers.
This falls under the RAF's 'duty of care' and, as has already been mentioned, is normally carried out by MT. However certain vehicles such as fire vehicles are not routinely driven by anyone other than their normal crews, therefore it would be innapropriate for an MTD to carry out the check drive.
In this case a SNCO is issued a whitecard allowing him, once he has been checked, to check on other drivers.
G
grumpyoldb
Guest
Theres an echo in here,lol
John
Yes there is, however I am not sure where you are coming from.
Therefore I thought it best to answer the thread from the viewpoint of a currently serving RAF firefighter, rather than from memory or an 'out of trade' POV. This is after all the fire service forum.
You are of course correct, this is the fire service forum, but if someone asks an MT related question you will get answers from MTD`s. My comment about the echo was tongue in cheek hence the lol, as you virtually repeated exactly what I had posted previously. As for "where I am coming from" well 20 years as an MTD in uniform followed by the last 14 years as a civilian driver the last 3 years in trade training and licencing carrying out check drives and issuing the white cards we are talking about here.
If you dont want other trades coming on YOUR forum I suggest you dont ask questions relating to other trades.
John