We are pleased to announce that training for the first cohort of Copart’s newly launched Driver Academy is now underway.
We proudly launched the Driver Academy Programme in January 2022 in partnership with HGVC, the leading provider of commercial licence acquisition training courses in the UK, to secure the future supply of highly skilled Copart drivers.
The programme aims deliver 100 new fully trained drivers in the first year as part of our wider expansion plans to continually enhance our vehicle collection and delivery capabilities across the UK.
The first cohort of students has now commenced the first stage of their training programme, which involves buddying up with an experienced Copart Driver who will act as their mentor. 
They will spend the first few weeks of the programme on theory, shadowing their Driver mentor and observing their daily duties, including safely loading and unloading vehicles from our multi-car transporters.
By pairing our students with a knowledgeable and long-serving Copart Driver, they will gain access to their extensive and invaluable experience. This is vital, given that the role becomes more highly skilled every year as the range of services we provide to our customers continues to diversify and grow.
Observing how our existing drivers interact with customers is also a very important aspect of this mentoring phase of the programme, as our drivers are often the first and only point of contact a policy holder has with Copart.
The presence of our Copart liveried vehicles and uniformed drivers provides consistency and reassurance to policy holders during what can be a difficult time following an accident, so it is important that our drivers have the necessary skills and confidence to communicate professionally, concisely, and empathetically.
For the practical elements of the course, in association with HGVC, the candidates will continue to train in Copart transporters and will receive off-site tests and assessments.
With the full course expected to be delivered over a 3-month period, we anticipate this first cohort of students to be fully trained by the summer.
In addition to external candidates, we’re delighted to have recruited internally with existing Copart teammates from a variety of roles and locations joining the programme, including Customer Service Representatives and Yard Operatives.
Not only is having internal candidates who already have extensive experience of Copart’s operations a huge advantage, but it also enables us to provide even more personal development opportunities to our teammates.
Jane Pocock, Managing Director of Copart UK & Ireland, said:
“I’m delighted that training is now underway for the first cohort of our Copart Driver Academy, ensuring that we continue to provide highly skilled and quality assured drivers across our fleet and representing a significant investment into our transport and logistics capabilities. Our Driver Academy is also an important aspect of our Copart Cares commitment to caring about our teammates, which includes providing a range of training and development opportunities for them to learn new skills, gain industry recognised qualifications, and receive progression opportunities within our business.”