Undertaking training and development not only benefits the driver but also the entire transport sector, according to Taupō-based log truck driver Raymond ‘Razor’ Bradshaw.

Raymond, who started driving at the age of 18 for a logging contractor has driving in his blood.

“I was brought up by my grandfather, who was a truck driver. So, when I left school, I went to work in the yard at the company he drove trucks for,” he says.

He now owns and operates R & K Bradshaw Logging, carting out of central North Island forests.

Raymond started doing formal training with MITO two years ago and says learning new tips and tricks of the trade has solidified his experience in the transport sector.

“The training was great to learn a few different things about your driving and knowledge base that you’re probably not quite doing,” he says.

“The trainer we had was a very experienced, professional operator, so it was good to have someone like that give you a few extra tips. If you can learn anything from a guy like that, you know you are bettering yourself, and in turn, bettering the industry.”

Raymond says he learned many things through the New Zealand Certificate in Commercial Road Transport (Specialist Driver) – Level 4 – Transportation of Logs programme that perfectly relate to his job as a transport operator.

“Things like safety, treating your gear a bit better, driving practices, how you can save fuel, prevent wear on tyres … a lot of things you probably don’t even think about on a day-to-day level.”

Raymond says undergoing training while working full-time wasn’t difficult.

“MITO make things really easy, really straightforward. The training isn’t time-consuming; they try to give you as little paperwork as possible,” he says.

Raymond says training is important for the transport industry to flourish and grow.

“Some kids didn’t get to grow up around the industry or around trucks and learn stuff from their fathers and grandfathers.

“ So, training could be a bonus to what they learn on the job. And for those of us who have been in the industry for a while, having these qualifications is a bonus.

“Even if you’ve been driving for a long time, there is always something new to learn. I’ve been driving logging trucks for 27 years, and you might think you’ve got it pretty sussed by then, but then someone shows you something or you learn something, and you think, ‘Far out, why didn’t I think of that? Why wasn’t I doing that 20 years ago?’

“Sometimes you get stuck in your ways a bit, but you’re never too old to learn something new.”