Continuous learning is a pre-requisite of trainers. Police personnel needs to be multitasking and driving trucks is a big part of the job, which must be done with situational awareness.

Established and officiated in 1991, the Maktab Teknik PDRM Bakri, Muar, Johor (Technical Colleage), is a combination of several study centres. Previously, these study centres have been scattered around the country. With the establishment of the centre in Muar, these were combined to be in one location as a centre of excellence. Today, the Muar unit houses the centre for research and development, IT, electric and electronic studies as well as offering driver training. The training offered is for all ranks and covers all disciplines in a holistic manner. Maktab Teknik PDRM Bakri collaborates with other government departments, such as the prison department, as well as corporations, where PETRONAS is a prominent one to mention.

To further enhance their skills as driver trainers, Sharizal Bin Mohamadiah (Melaka) and Muhammad Azahari Bin Sabri (Kuala Lumpur) have recently completed specialist driver training with Volvo Malaysia to add to their resources. Sharizal has recently undergone a reskilling programme whereby he enhanced his knowledge from being a trainer for drivers of cars and motorbikes to a truck driver trainer. “My daily routine includes the review, updating and filing of paperwork in connection with the training as well as administering the actual training,” he explained.

His colleague, Azahari, has stepped up his training via upskilling and is now conducting the advanced training modules, whereby Sharizal focuses on the basic module. “The training offered by Volvo has been a new experience for me. It has been very beneficial to me,” Azahari said. As the vehicles Volvo used during the training are newer than the unit available to them at the college, both got to enhance their knowledge about the latest technology build into trucks. According to Sharizal, the safety features in modern trucks were of particular importance and interest to them. “In order to fully use them, you need to understand how they work first.”

At the heart of the matter of training is to enhance the skills of drivers. When asked about the most important skill a driver in the police force can possess, both concur that it is observation skills that are crucial. “Having a surround vision, noticing what is happening around your vehicle is what is most important, no matter how big the vehicle,” Azahari stated. First and foremost, this is to ensure the safety of passengers, other participants in traffic and the driver itself. Memorable moments are when drivers go through the training courses and pass the tests, signifying that the driver trainers have done a good job.

Instilling a safe driving culture in their students is a main task for the two trainers. “What we notice is that others, driving cars, do not have the understanding of how trucks work and therefore behave in unsafe manners sometimes. We will need to teach truck drivers to factor this in when they are operating their vehicle on roads with mixed vehicle populations,” Sharizal said. The safe operation of trucks on Malaysian roads is a key mission for the technical college, therefore, courses for companies are also being conducted. Kontena National and PETRONAS’ drivers are among those that have been trained at the Muar compound.

Always looking to apply their skills, both drivers enjoy driving through urban environments where they need to focus all their attention on the road. To further enhance their own skills, they hope to be able to conduct more driver training offered by truck manufacturers in order to fully comprehend the dynamics of modern vehicles. “The training offered by Volvo has certainly be a highlight for these two driver trainers. We hope to be able to secure funding to also upgrade our vehicle as we need to keep up with the developments if we want to ensure our training is most effective,” Sharizal concluded.