Donated trucks arrive in Zambia to deliver driver training

Five weeks after they first departed from the UK, the two vehicles donated by two UK transport companies have arrived in Zambia. The MAN TGX, donated by Samworth Brothers Supply Chain, and Volvo FM12, donated by The Malcolm Group, will begin a new life as training vehicles for the Industrial Training Centre (ITC), in Lusaka.

Since 2008, the ITC has been delivering driver training to internationally recognised standards in partnership with Transaid. The trucks will be used to deliver professional driver training, which will help make roads safer in Zambia and beyond.

Road crashes kill 1.35 million people and injure up to another 50 million people each year worldwide. Even as we respond to the challenges of COVID-19, we are determined to not lose sight of the ever-pressing need to make the world’s roads safer. Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic across all aspects of life, the need for safe transport and logistics remains, as drivers continue to keep shelves stocked and deliver vital supplies.

Whilst the ITC has suspended practical training for now, the team is still hard at work. We are prioritising the health and well-being of everyone involved in our programmes, but we are also exploring new avenues, such as distance learning and using this time to review training materials. The arrival of the trucks means that when the ITC is able to continue practical training again, they can do so with increased capacity.

Expressing his gratitude for the donated vehicles, Lloyd Mbasela, Executive Director for the ITC, said: “The Industrial Training Centre Board, Management and Staff are very grateful for the donation of the two trucks that have added significant value to the Institution.”

Lloyd emphasised that the vehicles would bring a number of benefits to the ITC, most significantly allowing for students to gain more valuable experience on the road: “The equipment will improve the quality of training on articulated trucks. Now the training will include long-distance (inter town) driving, which will give learners real experience on the road.”

Lloyd added that the donations would also enable students to gain experience with both Automatic and Manual trucks, which would better prepare them for employment as the country sees a growing number of automatic trucks on its roads.

Buying reliable trucks in Zambia is extremely expensive, making the search for training vehicles challenging. The ITC has benefitted from Transaid’s close collaboration with the UK transport and logistics industry, which has facilitated vehicle donations from UK companies to the training centre. This marks the second time that both the Malcolm Group and Samworth Brothers Supply Chain have donated vehicles to our programmes, the former having previously donated a truck to the ITC, and the latter to our Professional Driver Training project in Uganda.

Andrew Malcolm, CEO of the Malcolm Group, explained that seeing the first donated truck in person revealed just how important donated vehicles are to the ITC. “During my visit to the Industrial Training Centre in October 2019, the trainers told me how much they valued the Volvo we had donated the previous year. It was the only vehicle they had at the time that was capable of training students on long distance journeys. This second unit will be able to build their capacity even further, and we are delighted to have been able to help in this way.”

Paul Bennell, Managing Director for Samworth Brothers Supply Chain, also commented: “We are delighted that the “Samworth cream” has made it to Africa, and that we were able to support Transaid in this way once again.”

Learn more about how Transaid is transforming driver training in Zambia in partnership with the ITC here.