The role of a transport manager involves a great deal more than assigning drivers to vehicles and sending them on their way with the wave of a clipboard. As a transport manager, the responsibility for driver safety, route planning, budgeting and costs, legal compliance, road safety, training, and fleet management all sit with you, making this a highly diverse and varied yet challenging role.
It combines the practicalities of maintaining a vehicle fleet with the realities of managing a team of drivers, all with their own specific needs and preferences, and requires organisation as well as a basic understanding of all corners of the transport sector.
But while taking on a transport manager role means no two days will be the same, the qualification requirements remain regimented, and the processes you need to follow are fixed. In this blog, we’re identifying the things they don’t tell you about the transport manager CPC road haulage qualification, and what it takes to become a reputable and respected transport manager.
1. You have to select and complete the right CPC qualification for your chosen sector
The first thing that doesn’t become obvious until you start looking into booking your CPC training and examination as a prospective transport manager is that there are two different courses and subsequent exams you need to take.
One is for the road haulage sector, and one is for passenger transport, and, crucially, they cannot be interchanged. If you are looking to become a transport manager for road haulage, overseeing the safe and legal transportation of goods, you need to make sure that you book onto the relevant course.
2. Exams are designed to equip you with practical, tangible skills for the job
Provided you do select the correct exam for the qualification you want to hold and the job role you want to end up in, you’ll find that the course and exam itself is designed to equip you with a lot more than just a qualification and certificate at the end.
The course content is purpose-built to help new transport managers to understand and establish working processes within their transport hub, optimising compliance and efficiency, and protecting the needs of drivers.
Just some of the crucial areas covered as part of this course include financial management and reporting, health and safety, operator licences, driver hours regulations, record keeping, vehicle budgeting, and how to manage all the documentation required for hazardous and dangerous loads.
Following completion of the course and relevant exam, transport managers get to enter the sector fully equipped with the insight and understanding that they need to thrive in the role.
3. Once qualified, you can work nationally and internationally
Finally, did you know that once you’re a qualified transport manager, your CPC covers both national and international haulage? As one of the most diverse sectors in terms of the location of your team and your operations at any given time, most candidates are surprised to learn just how far a course based in Essex could take them.
To find out more about booking your transport manager training and exam, get in touch with us today.
