Bridgestone Trains Tyre Techs For Work at Roadside

More than 100 roadside tyre technicians have been trained in safety best practice associated with working on busy roads, thanks to courses run by Bridgestone Tyres.

The course, set to the National Highways Sector Scheme 17, was introduced as part of the National Roadside Recovery Scheme (NRRS) to help regulate and improve the qualifications of roadside technicians, in response to growing concern over the qualifications of those contracted to carry out work on the roadside. Bridgestone responded to the introduction of the scheme, by working alongside the Institute of Vehicle Recovery (IVR), improving its training programme to ensure it covers all the areas outlined in the NRRS. This includes VR1 health and safety, VR2 customer service and VR3 assessing the roadside situation.

Bridgestone’s course also adheres to best practice guidelines set by the BSI. On completion of all the modules, the trainee will become registered as a qualified vehicle roadside technician on the IVR database. Once qualified, the roadside technician also receives an ID card, which they may be required to show to a Highways Agency Traffic Officer (HATO) when attending a breakdown.

Phil Thirsk, training manager at Bridgestone UK, commented: “Health and safety and customer service are two areas that most companies are looking to excel in and at Bridgestone we have been working hard to ensure that our training offers the complete package. We are currently working alongside a number of businesses including Bridgestone’s First Stop network and Truck Point Dealers to ensure employees have the highest standard of training and can continue to improve their businesses.”