driver training

[slowlux]

is driver training worth the $400??? or is it just better to join a club and get the training included in the club membership?

cheers,

[baby_troupe]

I went for the Club Training & so far have come out OK.
The other benefit of doing it thru the club (free when you pay membership) is being able to do the course more than once. It is amazing how much you pick up the second time.

[slowlux]

how thorough is the club training? or is there different standards for different states?

As far as i am aware, all trainers have to be accredited if they are passing themselves off as trainers. So i guess they have to be of an acceptable competence to be accredited. I have done a certified course, but in trucks, i'm looking forward to doing one with my current fourby ;D

[baby_troupe]

The driver training we did was pretty basic (IMO) but went thru most of what you need to know b4 you take your 4be offroad.
There are more advanced courses thru membership of other clubs (eg Landcruiser Club of Oz) & I think the training they provide is paid for & certification is also done (I am not fully sure, but I have heard this)
With ours, to get further knowledge, we recommend going on trips with people who have more knowledge & you will learn as you go. We have a few "comp" guys as well who can take you thru the more hardcore stuff too if you want.

[zook37]

A couple of months ago I asked a similair question on this very forum. On the advice of people here I affiliated myself with a club. Well I learned more in two weekends just tagging along with and talking to these guys than I did in the three years prior going off road with a couple of other amatuer drivers. There is a wealth of information to be found in some of these clubs, and the people are more than willing to teach enthusiastic young drivers such as myself. :)

Thats why i am looking forward to joining our local club (Upper Hunter 4WD & Recreation Club) and get out with folks that have been around....... should be fun! ;D

[desertfox]

G'day Hi Lux

I immigrated to Oz just a few month ago. To get in touch with the 4WD community I joined the Hornsby Kuring-Gai 4WD Club. www.HK4WD.com.au
Part of their rules (like many other clubs) is to participate in a 2 day training before you are allowed on club trips. These makes sense because it ensures that all participants have a reasonable idea what they are doing.
Despite the fact that I have been driving 4x4 for 15 years I learned quite a lot. The main reason for that is that it was the first time I have done a training in a structured way rather learning by doing. The whole course is based on a training manual from the Australian National 4WD Council and all the trainers are accredited by the very same organisation.
The Aussies are very fortunate to have a professionally organised training option and as mentioned by others...beside of club fees, it's free. And of course you meet people with similar interests as a bonus.

Highly recommended even for experianced drivers without "formal " training

Desertfox

The thing about doing some kind of "formal" training after having done something for years (and i mean all things, not just fourby'n) you will often find there are bad habits there that you weren't aware of and you can then be re-trained to do it the right way. I have been driving a car of some description for over 25 years, and as good as i like to think i am at times, i KNOW i have lots of bad habits on the road. Same goes for 4WDing. I attended an accredited chainsaw course last year, and out of the 18 or so people doing the course, the majority of them were long time users and property owners, and they were the hardest to train because it's difficult to get the bad habits out of them. The very same can be applied to people in fourbys :)

I have mixed opinions - I did formal training (albeit a long time ago) and recently joined a club. The club is enthusiastic and all, but I sometimes wonder...

I intend on doing a formal course sometime this year, and being a club member as well, I think, covers the ground nicely. Money is of course relative - but $400 these days is not all that much really, as % of the cost of 4 wheeling it's, what 1 - 3% of the yearly cost of owning your truck, and you get to have some fun and meet other people, what have you got to lose?

[zooming bravo]

As this is my first 4wd my wife and I did the Basic Training course with Getabout Adventures at Lithgow over a weekend had a great time and have recomended it to other newies. :) 8)

[geoffkay]

having done several formal 4wd trainig courses with proper trainers, i can say that the first thing anyone should do when they buy a 4x4, is do a course. it will save you heaps in the long run. ie, not as many dinged panels etc. our local 4wd club has awareness training only, as they are not accredited trainers, only people with some practical experience. some have developed bad habits over the years, which can lead to accidents. it's not just the 4wheeling, it's good seating and posture, pivot points, visibility etc, not just stall reciveries.

having done several formal 4wd trainig courses with proper trainers, i can say that the first thing anyone should do when they buy a 4x4, is do a course. it will save you heaps in the long run. ie, not as many dinged panels etc. our local 4wd club has awareness training only, as they are not accredited trainers, only people with some practical experience. some have developed bad habits over the years, which can lead to accidents. it's not just the 4wheeling, it's good seating and posture, pivot points, visibility etc, not just stall reciveries.


Thats the good thing with our club, we have an accredited trainer and all our training courses are certiified :) We have a basic and advanced driver training course on in the next couple of months, i intend on doing the advanced training having already done basic.

[FJ60]

We get driver training by OOT4wd at our club

[Serika]

I highly recommend doing driver training with a club quite simply because it's ongoing.
The best trick I ever learnt?
Using post-it notes on the front of your fourbie so you can actually see where your front wheels are located.
Helps heaps when learning about tyre placement.

[donkablu]

JOIN THE CLUB !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Cheap drt more trips with more people did i mention the lurks and perks.

[DoctorI]

Hi all
I'd love to do some accredited 4wd driver training, problem is I live outback. So if any accredited trainer (private or club level) is prepared to drive a few hours up the Stuart Highway when I have days rostered off work let me know.
ps no beaches here but plenty of power sapping bulldust, finding a hill can be difficult but plenty of rocks. Water and bogholes are also difficult to find until it rains when they become dificult to avoid.
Now that I think about it having a 4wd out here is a practicality not just a fun thing.

our clubs training is good it covers everything you need to know, it consists of a theory night, then a whole day out of practical training, we call it driver awareness for legal reasons, rather than driver training that requires the teacher to be accredited

[luxa]

Plenty of Knowledge to be gained in the books and magazine around the place these days.

Be aware of some of the "accredited" trainers as not all have the experience in 4x4, just the qualification to teach/train!!!
:o :o :o


Having done some training (4x4's and 4x4 trucks) you see "students" develop skills to a certain level. Then 6 months later they havn't ever been in a situation to use these skills, they can't remember them or have lost confidence & you wonder why you wasted you time!!!!!!

Its fine to do the training - get out there and apply skills to use afterwards!!!!!!!

[cpt-mud]

Club training can be fine, but with an accredited training course, you get proper training, and the certificate you get at the end can be used on your resume, especially usefull if you want to go for a job that requires you to use a 4wd

[cpt-mud]

came accross a club on a driver awareness trip on the weekend in wahala, just outside of the township, they had 4wd rolled about 150 meters down the gully. common sense will always prevail as this was on a main road. Luckly both driver a passanger where alive, and taken to hospital

[GUJohnno]

came accross a club on a driver awareness trip on the weekend in wahala, just outside of the township, they had 4wd rolled about 150 meters down the gully. common sense will always prevail as this was on a main road. Luckly both driver a passanger where alive, and taken to hospital


This was on my trip. We were doing a proficiency training weekend. The accident was something that could happen anywhere, unfortunately it happened with a great drop off to the side. We were travelling at 30kms/hr on the dirt, the driver took his eyes of the road for a few seconds, got too close to the edge, hit a tree and rolled it numerous times 100m down the embankment. Amazingly they were both aok. It's interesting how well the cargo barrier held the roof up. This, and the fact they both had their seatbelts on saved their lives.

This is not a reflection on club training that this accident happened. There's a lesson for all of us to make sure we pay attention, not only while doing the hard stuff, but all the time we're driving. Always keep your selt belt on. Make sure you have a cargo barrier and that there are no heavy objects in the cabin that could fly around if things go upside down.

[GUJohnno]

Most accidents that I have seen or heard about have been on the 2WD dirt roads. Going too fast, going wide on the corners, head ons, roll overs, trees hit etc....

[cpt-mud]

good to here that they are ok, driver training should be carried out in a controled enviroment, sometimes this is not possible, and accidents will happen

[GUJohnno]

good to here that they are ok, driver training should be carried out in a controled enviroment, sometimes this is not possible, and accidents will happen



This sort of accident can happen anywhere. It was just a normal 2wd road.

[arfaname]

The group of us in Victoria from these boards are having a discussion on 4wd training at the moment and how to go about it. Without having to join a club who could we see to do some training?

[GUJohnno]

If you have seen the lastest Aus 4WD Monthly, there's an article on driver training. More so a horror story on a particular training trip.
There are some very good ones out there but there are also some very dodgy ones.

I would suggest to contact Four Wheel Drive Victoria and enquire about their driver training. They are very organised and will soon be a certificate 4 training orgainisation. They have a training facility that they use to very good effect.

The group of us in Victoria from these boards are having a discussion on 4wd training at the moment and how to go about it. Without having to join a club who could we see to do some training?




Clubs are way cheaper and judging from this months Mag, equally reliable, or at least, no worse than some.

[GUJohnno]

Click on the links below for my club or FWDVics website. Both do driver training.
Also the FWDVics site has a complete club listing.

[HJ75]

Clubs, private companies and gov agencies all use the same VTAB basic 16hr driver training course,some add extras to suit there needs.The course was origanally 4wd association course.Except Forestry I think,they just get stuck into it from the start.The military course is not reconised(allthough it could be now) but that is only admin stuff.

[mulesa]

yeh, i wouldnt mind do some courses, and well, y not do the ones with clubs, cos itd just be a bonus, and besides, if u really want more advanced trainin, u can always go n do anotha course, its no big deal

i'm gonna join a club sometime soon....i just need to find the clubs that are in queensland...well round the brissy bit neway, and it'd have to be one that wud suit my car/type of drivin id wanna do...cos i no my car couldnt handle the really really ruff stuff atm

Have done 2 courses; 1 with a private provider & other with the club I am a member of. TBH, learnt far more from the private provider. Some techniques I learnt from the private trainer had not been heard of from the club. BTW, this is no way meant to be criticism, but if you are new to 4wding, spend the money & do both. IMO, you never can learn enough.

Cheers
Allan Mac

[Mick.]

Have done 2 courses; 1 with a private provider & other with the club I am a member of. TBH, learnt far more from the private provider. Some techniques I learnt from the private trainer had not been heard of from the club. BTW, this is no way meant to be criticism, but if you are new to 4wding, spend the money & do both. IMO, you never can learn enough.

Cheers
Allan Mac

This is just my opinion but maybe they should make these courses compolsary for everyone who drives 4wds. It would solve a few problems and help new owners of 4wds understand there 4wd a lot more.

[luxa]

came accross a club on a driver awareness trip on the weekend in wahala, just outside of the township, they had 4wd rolled about 150 meters down the gully. common sense will always prevail as this was on a main road. Luckly both driver a passanger where alive, and taken to hospital


This was on my trip. We were doing a proficiency training weekend. The accident was something that could happen anywhere, unfortunately it happened with a great drop off to the side. We were travelling at 30kms/hr on the dirt, the driver took his eyes of the road for a few seconds, got too close to the edge, hit a tree and rolled it numerous times 100m down the embankment. Amazingly they were both aok. It's interesting how well the cargo barrier held the roof up. This, and the fact they both had their seatbelts on saved their lives.

This is not a reflection on club training that this accident happened. There's a lesson for all of us to make sure we pay attention, not only while doing the hard stuff, but all the time we're driving. Always keep your selt belt on. Make sure you have a cargo barrier and that there are no heavy objects in the cabin that could fly around if things go upside down.


My collegue in the fire brigade responded to this incident.
Very lucky people.

[the doc]

Have done 2 courses; 1 with a private provider & other with the club I am a member of. TBH, learnt far more from the private provider. Some techniques I learnt from the private trainer had not been heard of from the club. BTW, this is no way meant to be criticism, but if you are new to 4wding, spend the money & do both. IMO, you never can learn enough.

Cheers
Allan Mac

Hi could you tell who the private provider is i am looking to do a course soon

doc

Doc, Safetrek is the name. Jim Kennedy is the instuctor, member of the Range Rover club, former vice president of 4wd Vic & a regular on the 97.4 4wd radio show in Melbourne. Runs his courses at Toolangi along with advanced programs in the high country & sand trips to Robe etc. Has a website;

www.safetrek.com.au

Cheers
Allan Mac