Training requirments

Fleet logistics and
defensive driver
training

4x4 defensive driving

AARTO for fleet managers

AARTO for professional drivers

Anti-hijacking techniques

Dangerous goods by road

Diesel locomotive shunting

Economic driving

Expat RSA roads orientation

Gravel roads defensive driving

Heavy vehicle defensive driving - essential skills

Heavy vehicle defensive driving - full skills training

Light delivery vehicles

Lowbed securement

Maintaining customer relations

Motorcycle defensive driving

Professional driver evaluations

Rigid heavy vehicles

Side tipper trucks

Vehicle combinations

Crane operations

Lift trucks

Lifting operations

Earthmoving plant

Construction plant

Scaffolding

Construction site safety

Health and safety

Working at heights

ISO standards

Dangerous goods

Tools & powertools

Landscaping tools

Included in this mutimedia training programme

Basic skills can have an outsized impact when it comes to defensive driving in heavy vehicles. HRETD's "Heavy Vehicle Defensive Driving - Essential Skills" course focuses on imparting core competencies that are vital for the safe operation of large vehicles. With an emphasis on foundational principles like speed management and braking techniques, the course uses multimedia tools like quizzes and videos to facilitate effective learning.

Lay a Strong Foundation. This course is tailored to offer a concise yet comprehensive overview of essential defensive driving techniques for heavy vehicles. Through practical exercises and real-world examples, participants will learn the basics of hazard perception, proper lane positioning, and safe reversing procedures, setting the groundwork for more advanced skills.

Elevate Your Proficiency. This course serves as an ideal starting point for new drivers or as a refresher for seasoned operators, contributing to safer roadways and reduced operational risks.

Entry requirements

A currently valid heavy vehicle national driver’s license with the appropriate code for the class of vehicle being used for practical coaching and exercises.

Advanced driver training

Heavy vehicle defensive driving - essential skills training

Freight delivery vehicles

Course content

Theory presentation

This presentation is tailored to fit a two-hours session, focusing on the essentials of defensive driving principles and anti-hijacking techniques, particularly for heavy vehicle operators in South Africa - we'll explore the critical principles of defensive driving tailored for heavy vehicle operators, emphasizing the unique challenges and techniques required for safety and efficiency.

We'll cover the core principles that lead to reduced accident rates, improved fuel efficiency, and enhanced driver awareness. We'll discuss their size, weight, braking distance, and blind spots, explaining how these factors influence defensive driving techniques. Specific defensive driving techniques for heavy vehicles will be explored, such as managing speed, space, and safely navigating complex environments. We'll also delve into adapting these techniques for adverse weather and road conditions. Proper vehicle maintenance and inspection are vital. We'll highlight how these contribute to safe operation. Additionally, we'll emphasize the significance of driver fitness and fatigue management, sharing strategies for staying alert and focused on the road. We'll provide strategies for safely sharing the road with various road users, promoting clear communication and visibility. Furthermore, we'll address the alarming issue of hijacking and lawlessness on South African roads, offering heavy vehicle operators key anti-hijacking techniques, and guiding on cooperation with law enforcement.

In this two-hour session, we'll equip you with the essential tools and knowledge required for responsible heavy vehicle operation, ensuring that you're well-prepared to navigate the diverse and often challenging road conditions, while maintaining safety, efficiency, and adherence to the law.

Practical coaching

Since time is limited, it's important to focus on specific, achievable objectives that allow students to experience real progress:

Objectives and safety protocols; practice starting, stopping, and simple turns, focusing on control and understanding of the vehicle's characteristics; safe following distance; speed and space management; braking strategies; quick drills to practice recognizing potential threats and basic evasive manoeuvres; a quick review of the session's key takeaways and brief personalized feedback.

The segmented approach ensures that key areas are covered without overwhelming students, while the focus on practical skills offers valuable real-world insights. By the end of the session, students will have a deeper understanding of heavy vehicle defensive driving, improving both their confidence and competence on the road.

Assessment methods

We conduct a formative theoretical assessment at the beginning of the course to gauge the learner’s initial understanding (novices only). At the end of the training, a summative theoretical and practical application assessment is conducted, to find if the learner is competent; if not, additional developmental areas are identified and suggested.


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Training programme accreditation

This training programme considered supplementary to, and forms part of Transport Education Training Authority (TETA) unit standards 123253 (Operate a Rigid heavy vehicle), 123254 (Operate a vehicle combination), and other national roads user driver competency training standards.

HRETD certification policy

Provided that the entry requirements have been met, and the learner found competent, the candidate will be issued with a certificate of competence.

Fleet logistics and
defensive driver
training
4x4 defensive driving
AARTO for fleet managers
AARTO for professional drivers
Anti-hijacking techniques
Dangerous goods by road
Diesel locomotive shunting
Economic driving
Expat RSA roads orientation
Gravel roads defensive driving
Heavy vehicle defensive driving
- essential skills
Heavy vehicle defensive driving
- full skills training
Light delivery vehicles
Lowbed securement
Maintaining customer relations
Motorcycle defensive driving
Professional driver evaluations
Rigid heavy vehicles
Side tipper trucks
Vehicle combinations

Crane operations
Heavy cranes
Marine loader cranes
Mobile cranes
Mobilifts
Overhead cranes (Cabin)
Overhead cranes (Pendant)
Single girder hoists
Telescopic materials handlers
Truck mounted cranes
Tower cranes

Lift trucks
Advanced defined purpose
Counterbalanced lift trucks
Defined purpose lift trucks
Side loader lift trucks
Rough terrain lift trucks
Tow Tractors

HRETD offers training programmes, from short skills courses to train the trainer courses. We specialise in legal compliance training that is accredited with the TETA and CETA when it comes to technical training, operator training, in service training and onsite training. Our assessors and facilitator trainers responsible for assessment, recertification and certification offer effective training that is Cost effective, competitively priced and affordable in the SADC region including Namibia. We also offer course development. For the transport and logistics industry we offer driver training, advanced driver training and Dangerous goods by road training, as well as diesel locomotive shunting and Fuel bowser training. Rigid heavy vehicle, tip truck, vehicle combination and Water cart training are also offered. When it comes to crane operations training, the lifting machines we specialise in are Heavy cranes and Mobile cranes, as well as Mobilifts, Cabin Overhead cranes, Pendant Overhead cranes and Single girder hoists. We also do Telescopic materials handler, sometimes called Telehandlers and Truck mounted cranes, sometimes called HIAB and Tower cranes. We train on a variety of lift trucks and forklift including counterbalanced lift truck, Advanced defined purpose lift trucks, defined purpose lift trucks and Side loader lift trucks. We also do rough terrain lift trucks, Reach trucks and Pedestrian stackers. Besides these, we also train on order pickers, Side loaders, Very narrow aisle lift trucks and Rail mounted stackers. We give a variety of lifting equipment and lifting operations training including Basic rigging, Banksman and Lifting equipment inspection. We also offer Safe lifting practise training. When it comes to earthmoving plant, we do articulated dump trucks, Concrete dumpers, Excavators and Face shovels. Also offered is Front end loaders, Graders and Rigid dump trucks. We specialise in training for Scrapers, Skid steer loaders and TLBs. Other earthmoving training includes Track type dozers, Tractors and Wheeled dozers (bulldozers). Tractor loader backhoe and dumpers are also offered. Our construction plant training courses includes Asphalt pavers, MEWP (also called cherry picker or mobile elevating works platform), rock breaker and jackhammer, rollers (road rollers) and Tyre handler attachments. When it comes to scaffolding training, we give scaffolding erecting and scaffold inspection – basically scaffolding safety which complies with SANS 10085 – 2004. Our health and safety training includes Construction Regulations 2014 overview or in depth, Construction site flagman and Excavation safety inspection. We also do Ladder inspection, Site safety awareness and Working at heights (also referred to as heights safety or fall arrest as well as Accident/incident investigation and Confined space entry. We offer accredited Fire fighting level 1 and Fire fighting level 2, as well as accredited First aid level 1 and First aid level 2 training. Other safety training we offer is General housekeeping, Handling HAZMAT and Health and safety rep (also called SHE rep and SHEQ), permissions training such as Hot work permissions, Lockout and isolation (also called Lockout Tagout training) We cover the OHS in depth and we have an overview course. We provide Stacking and storing and Stacking and storing HAZMAT (Hazardous materials) training. We train in powertools safety (correctly written power tools) such as Angle grinders, Boilermaking techniques (and welding and arc cutting), Cut-off saws and general Workshop safety including hand tools. When it comes to landscaping (both horticulture and agricultural), we offer Brush cutters, Chainsaws and Lawnmower training. John, a construction team supervisor, was keen on implementing quality principles on his construction site. One day, a scaffold erecting and dismantling supervisor named Sarah joined the team. They had a quick meeting on planned task observations, as they aimed to apply quality control meticulously. The supervisory skills John had acquired in his training courses proved effective as he managed the team smoothly. An incident occurred when they started to operate pan compactors and trench compactors. Safety was their top priority, and they had a fire and evacuation marshal named Tim, as well as a fall protection planner named Emily. Both had gone through rigorous task observation training and were adept at safety monitoring. Suddenly, a fall arrest situation happened. A worker named Jack was dangling from the scaffold. Emily, the fall protection planner, initiated the protocols while Tim, the fire and evacuation marshal, cleared the area. Another team member, trained as a fall arrest rescue technician, sprung into action and rescued Jack efficiently. The next day, the management decided to elevate the role of the fire and evacuation marshal and the fall protection planner, to include teaching supervisory skills and management skills to all staff. It was crucial to maintain standards, including those for scaffold erection, soil compaction, and machinery operation. In the end, John felt proud of his team's swift actions and appreciated how every member's training in areas like conflict resolution, construction safety, and task safety played a role in averting a crisis. The management, impressed by the team's performance, decided to engage Sarah, the scaffold supervisor, to oversee scaffold dismantling as well. Sarah had significant scaffolding skills and had completed courses in leadership training and employee supervision. She was an expert at operating heavy machinery, including the trench compactors. John's team was also responsible for off-road 4x4 driving techniques, heavy vehicle defensive driving, and AARTO system regulations. Given the mix of terrains they had to navigate to reach different construction sites, these skills were essential. They even had courses for light delivery vehicles and motorcycle defensive driving for delivery staff. With AARTO system training, they made sure that professional drivers understood the legal obligations and safety requirements, particularly for fleet managers. To address the challenge of securing heavy machinery for transport, they had a specialized training session on lowbed securement best practices. A team member, Mark, was excellent at maintaining customer relations, a skill he acquired through specific training programs. As the team expanded, pre-employment professional driver evaluations were introduced. This helped in assessing the driving skills of new recruits, which was crucial for maintaining construction site safety. Economic driving skills were taught to make the best use of fuel, reducing operational costs. Their training programs also catered to expats, offering RSA roads orientation, anti-hijacking techniques, and risk mitigation. They even included a unique program focusing on defensive driving for gravel roads. The last addition to their training curriculum was a special course on economic driving skills and techniques to help save fuel and reduce emissions. One day, they received a big project that required additional skilled workers. Luckily, John had undergone supervisory training, enabling him to manage even larger teams effectively. The project was a big success, and it was all thanks to their diverse skill set, continuous training, and excellent supervisory skills. The team felt a sense of accomplishment, knowing their comprehensive training—from 4x4 driving techniques to construction equipment operation—made them versatile and effective in their roles.
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