Off Road Training Qualifications Explained
Looking for driver training for yourself or your 4×4 fleet? Look no further:
Training Directory
And in case all of the different qualifications confuse you - here’s a simple guide.
What do all the qualifications mean?
LANTRA and BORDA are the two main bodies whose qualifications cover off-road driving in the UK. The DSA are the governement body who regulate car training - if your 4×4 is a car then your instructor must be DSA approved.
If you use (or provide for use) a 4×4 in the course of your business - you must ensure that all users are trained in their use under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (PUWER - H&S guide) 1998. Health and Safety regulations mean that the employer is now liable for misuse of the equipment they provide (or even equipment they don’t provide, as long as it is used for the purposes of the business). So the legal requirement is there.
On the plus side - having well trained operators can save you a fortune in mechanical repairs and costs - vehicle sympathy is a big element of the professional 4×4 courses, and simply by training your employees you could save more than the cost of the training in the first year alone.
Training costs range from around £250 for a 1 day refresher course per person, up to around £1000 to train 3 people over 2 days, depending on the provider.
LANTRA:
Are “The Sector Skills Council for the Environment and the Land-based Sector”, and oversee providers of a huge range of qualifications relevant to the countryside industries. The LANTRA professional qualification is recognised by the Health and Safety executive.
LANTRA qualifications are ideal for companies who need their drivers to drive off road, or use off road vehicles. Conforming to all Health and Safety and Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations.
We recommend professional users take the Professional Users Certificate - either as a 2 day course for those with a little experience, or as a 1 day refresher for those who have done the course previously, or can provide suitable certification from another source. The Winching courses are also essential for those who need to fulfil PUWER regs for winching apparatus, or for those users who need to recover vehicles using winching equipment.
LANTRA instructors, their courses and the sites they work on are regularly assessed and re-appraised. All training fulfils HSAW, PUWER and LOLER regulations.
LANTRA Homepage: With information and News from the whole of LANTRA
LANTRA Awards: Training, qualifications and providers
LANTRA 4×4 Training: The off road training section
BORDA:
Are the British Off Road Driving Association, who provide off road experience and guidance for recreational 4×4 and ATV (quad bike etc) users.
BORDA Homepage: With an introduction to the organisation and links to providers.
Though we aknowledge the expertise built up within the BORDA association, and we welcome their practitioners in our directory we do not recommend BORDA courses to professional users.
DSA:
This is the Driving Standards Agency - the people who regulate Driving Instructors.
Driving Instructors are the only people who can legally train anyone to drive a car or car based 4×4. When organising training for you or your company then decide whether you need any element of the training to be undertaken in a 4×4 car (rather than van or pick-up with less than 4 seats). If it does - you MUST ensure that the training provider is a DSA Approved Driving Instructor. Any training provider who asks for payment for car driver training who isn’t a DSA ADI is breaking the law.
DSA ADIs can also be Fleet Registered, meaning they have had extra training in how to deal with full licence holders and company drivers - with expert knowledge of risk assessment and company law.
DSA Fleet training is essential so that companies conform to Health and Safety regulations while driving on road on work related business either in a personal or company car. Most Fleet Training providers have little or no experience of 4×4 vehicles, so can only provide limited driver training for 4×4 users.
Very few off-road trainers are also DSA registered.
At Beyond Driving we are both DSA ADI, Fleet and LANTRA registered.
If you want any help working out what training is the most suitable for yourselves - feel free to contact us:
info@beyonddriving.co.uk
We can help you find the best training for you or your company in your area.
All content © Tim Manwaring