Daniel Fiase: Professional Driver Trainer

4th October 2024

Transaid’s Professional Driver Training (PDT) programme in Ghana began in 2021 with funding from the Puma Energy Foundation. The project aimed to improve road safety by raising training standards for professional drivers, and concluded in July 2024 with the launch of a new national heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver training standard. Developed by Transaid with input from more than 30 stakeholders, the new standard aims to equip HGV drivers with the knowledge and techniques needed to navigate the roads safely.

Daniel Fiase is a driver trainer who has been driving HGVs for four years. Although Daniel could drive an HGV after two months of training, it was a year before he felt completely confident in his abilities. Whereas many HGV drivers in Ghana learn ‘on the job’, Daniel learned through a professional driver training programme, and later became a driver trainer himself. On hearing about Transaid’s ‘train the trainer’ programme, Daniel was put forward by his employer and joined the training in November 2021.

When asked why he wanted to train with Transaid, Daniel says:

“There is always more for me to learn. The more the message travels, the more it changes on the way, so by attending the training myself, I knew I was going to get the message directly. I learned other things just by doing them, but with Transaid I could understand the consequences and benefits of doing it a certain way, and that is how I want to learn.”

As a driver trainer, Daniel faces challenges when training older and more experienced HGV drivers. Daniel explains: “They have an old style already and it can be difficult to change this.

“Most of them will want to prove that they know better. I put the test down, they take it and they fail. Then I will tell them the right way. I ask them to look at the two answers. Which one would you choose? Which one is better?”

For Daniel, Transaid’s ‘train the trainer’ approach has improved his knowledge of both road safety and HGV driving. It has also taught him to share this knowledge. “When people talk about coupling (the process for connecting a tractor unit to a trailer) they ask for me because I am good at that, because I learned it from Transaid.”

Daniel also values the friendships he has with other driver trainers from Ghana and Transaid’s master trainers, who are based in Uganda.

Following a successful grant from the Benefact Group’s Movement for Good Award, Transaid was able to deliver a second refresher ‘training of trainers’ (ToT) training, allowing Daniel to practice his skills and instructional techniques for a third time under the supervision of a master trainer. After each in-person training, Daniel along with the rest of his cohort keep in contact with their trainers over Whatsapp.

With the increasing demand for HGV drivers in Ghana, Daniel stresses that truck driving is a great job for both men and women: “People think that it’s not an industry that they could make money in, even though there are so many avenues and opportunities. We have to educate people about the advantages of truck driving.

“I would encourage more women to enter the industry for these reasons, and to promote a positive competitiveness with men!”

For transport operators, Daniel emphasizes the importance of safe and effective HGV driving techniques in reducing fuel and maintenance costs: “When you invest in training for drivers, they understand the vehicle better and your trucks are driven safely, the lifespan of that truck is also likely to be strengthened. Drivers will also be encouraged to stay in the job if they are treated well. At the same time, the money invested in them may be returned through reduced fuel consumption and servicing.”

Daniel also highlights that meeting the increasing demand for HGV drivers must be done safely. The World Health Organisation’s Global Status Report on Road Safety (2023) estimates that more than 8,000 people lost their lives on Ghana’s roads in 2021. Tragically, Daniel lost his older brother in a car crash. He says: “Why did he die? If drivers are properly trained, this is less likely to happen. My wish is for all drivers to receive formal training.”

Download Daniel’s story as a PDF here.