Transport Ministry to prepare truck drivers for AEC

[Lite Beer]

Transport Ministry to prepare truck drivers for AEC

BANGKOK, 15 Feb 2015, (NNT) - The Transport Ministry has revealed a plan to better prepare truck and bus drivers for the fierce logistic competition ahead of the arrival of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of this year, training them to drive more safely and strictly follow traffic rules.

According to Deputy Director-General of the Department of Land Transport, Wattana Pattarachon, the project consists of 3 short courses focusing on safe driving, basic road accident prevention measures, and advanced road accident prevention measures.

The safe driving course will highlight proper manners on the road, driver’s responsibilities, and lessons on vehicle maintenance.

The basic road accident prevention class is focusing on fatigue management and advanced version of the course would study the real world accidents, their causes and effects.

All classes are being offered in the workshops staffed with experienced local and international instructors.

Interested individuals may call the Department of Land Transport Office or visit its Jatuchak headquarters for more information.

-- NNT 2015-02-15

[angiolo]

why just lorry drivers. Should include cars and motorbikes . I have a translated copy of the rules of the road.. Would you believe that there are many A4 sheets I bet the average cop has never read them.. If you want to know how to get a copy ,let me know.

[MESmith]

So without AEC, The Transport Ministry didn't care about safe driving & accident prevention?

Edited February 15, 2015 by MESmith

[GaryB1263]

Any training for drivers is a good idea. It would be nice to send all drivers to this class.

[clockman]

Good luck with that!

[Seligne2]

And don't forget to teach AEC drivers to drive on the right hand side of the road.

[Tomtomtom69]

And don't forget to teach AEC drivers to drive on the right hand side of the road.

Apart from a few rumours in Myanmar that they will open their country (at least the unrestricted areas) up to foreign motorists, especially those from Thailand at least fairly soon, and another unsubstantiated rumour that Cambodia will move to an official system like Laos, requiring an international transport permit and permitting all permitted vehicle types to enter and exit across all common borders, there is nothing to suggest that the AEC will suddenly force all member countries to open up their territories for foreign registered vehicles. In fact, a poster on another thread suggested that Vietnam will never open up their territory to Thai vehicles.

Says a lot about AEC integration, which is more of a farce than the hyped up reality that Thailand is trying to push.

[Caveat Emptor]

So without AEC, The Transport Ministry didn't care about safe driving & accident prevention?

Exactly, what about here and now ? Just more eye catching talk with no substance.

[NongKhaiKid]

If Thai lorry drivers start crossing international boundaries there's a couple of shocks in store.:

1. For other countries seeing their driving standards, and

2. For the drivers who end up in courts that don't administer simple slaps on the wrist.

Edited February 15, 2015 by NongKhaiKid

[ramrod711]

And don't forget to teach AEC drivers to drive on the right hand side of the road.

Half the time they are on the right hand side of the road. Overtaking on solid lines, blind corners, hills and every other place that no sane person would. A friends brother, already driving truck, wants to get a license so that the company will have to pay him more. Enough said.

[Don Aleman]

Inasmuch as at least 50 % of these accidents occur because of drivers falling asleep why not supply them with the gadget worn like a hearing aid that is silent when the wearer is erect but sounds a deafening alarm when the operator nods his head ? Costs only about $ 10 US dollars and would alert a sleeping rock !

[thaiwreck]

If courses are offered by local and international instructors, hmmm if the local instructors are teaching new drivers how will it improve , all we see now are the dregs of driving insanity , how do they think it will improve their attitude? thainess rules, possibly the international instructors might just might be better equipped,but licensing them will still not be worth the paper its printed on , (you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink), so you can teach them to be better drivers doesn't mean they will be !!!! oh that's right its all about the media portraying they are doing greatness before the asean comes,,,,,,

[Surasak]

I didn't think it was possible to teach old dogs new tricks!

[ratcatcher]

Thai Truck Driver Training.

Most important qualification.The ability to..............

[Kaoboi Bebobp]

Cambodian drivers are not much better and just as reckless. But the Thais, if they're allowed into Vietnam, had definitely better sharpen up because Viet police are not so cuddly. And let's face it, Thai drivers have little or no English and will find all the road signs in Khmer/English or Viet/English another barrier.

[Cuchulainn]

Three SHORT courses?

[colinneil]

Transport ministry are preparing truckers!!!

Bloody joke, the government are not yet prepared for Asean.

[kingalfred]

How about a check on tires and brakes , horrendous tread on many vehicles

[Thongkorn]

Better tests,, Education and a reasonable pay would go along way, and proper policing of the Laws, There should be Ministry check points to check All traffic and vehicles road worthiness.

[bangon04]

If courses are offered by local and international instructors, hmmm if the local instructors are teaching new drivers how will it improve , all we see now are the dregs of driving insanity , how do they think it will improve their attitude? thainess rules, possibly the international instructors might just might be better equipped,but licensing them will still not be worth the paper its printed on , (you can lead a horse to water but you cant make it drink), so you can teach them to be better drivers doesn't mean they will be !!!! oh that's right its all about the media portraying they are doing greatness before the asean comes,,,,,,

"All classes are being offered in the workshops staffed with experienced local and international instructors"

so they are taking advice from foreigners?????

[Suffinator]

The Transport Ministry has revealed a plan to better prepare truck and bus drivers for the fierce logistic competition ahead of the arrival of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) at the end of this year, training them to drive more safely and strictly follow traffic rules.

Logistics = Logic .... I doubt this will fly.

Training them to driver more safely and strictly follow traffic rules is a clear indication they are capable of neither in their own country.

Let's be honest successive governments, including the current clowns, have been banging on about road safety and yet none have ever been able to achieve instilling even basic road sense into their citizens.

You wait until they drive across the border they'll be a lot of happy policemen waiting to fine them ... payback is a bitch.

[wowfactor10]

How about the Tuk tuk drivers? Who is going to prepare them for the AEC ?

[Basil B]

If Thai lorry drivers start crossing international boundaries there's a couple of shocks in store.:

1. For other countries seeing their driving standards, and

2. For the drivers who end up in courts that don't administer simple slaps on the wrist.

3. For police of other countries who do not understand the gratuity of the 20B note.

[Basil B]

How about the Tuk tuk drivers? Who is going to prepare them for the AEC ?

Who's going to prepare the AEC for them?

[GaryB1263]

How about a check on tires and brakes , horrendous tread on many vehicles

Good idea. The highway police should start random inspections with stiff driver and company fines.

[Tomtomtom69]

If Thai lorry drivers start crossing international boundaries there's a couple of shocks in store.:

1. For other countries seeing their driving standards, and

2. For the drivers who end up in courts that don't administer simple slaps on the wrist.

Thai lorry/truck drivers can already cross borders as follows (and I don't think AEC will change anything):

1. to Laos. They can go anywhere in the country and are generally heavily involved in trade between Thailand and China, and Thailand and Vietnam but are not permitted to cross into these two countries, although the Bangkok post in a story from 2-3 years ago claimed that Thai fruit trucks can cross into China and travel as far north as Jinghong, but that has never been confirmed. Also, when I traveled in Sipsongbanna I didn't see even one Thai registered vehicle; I only saw Lao registered vehicles. That suggests to me that China doesn't allow Thai trucks in. Then again China isn't part of the AEC, but whether China will open up more to foreign registered vehicles, including commercial and goods vehicles I think depends entirely on their willingness and bilateral agreements, NOT the AEC though.

2. to Cambodia. Thai trucks can since 2012 enter Cambodia at Aran/Poipet and travel as far as Phnom Penh only. On an unofficial basis, Thai trucks can also enter at 3 more checkpoints and travel within the respective border province.

3. to Myanmar. Thai trucks can only travel from Mae Sot to Myawady during the day (between 5.30am and 8.30pm Thai time), must be back in Thailand before the bridge closes and not further than the transport depot located 12km west of Myawady. Exceptions are Thai trucks involved in the Myawady to Kawkareik road construction project. Thai trucks can also travel across the Mae Sai-Tachilek crossing, but only to within a certain fairly short distance inside Myanmar and only for a period of either 1 day or possibly up to a week or two? I'd have to confirm this. Also, Thai trucks may be permitted to enter Myanmar at Phu Nam Ron/Htee Khee but only be permitted to pick up/drop off goods during the day only. Exceptions are Thai trucks involved in the road construction project to Dawei.

4. to Malaysia. Thai trucks are permitted to go anywhere in peninsular Malaysia (as far as I'm aware) although bilateral agreements probably stipulate on which routes they can travel. Malaysian trucks are also allowed to enter Thailand, but for some reason you'll never see one in Bangkok. Presumably they are limited to a certain radius from the border, or there is an agreement whereby they only go as far as say Hat Yai before goods are switched to Thai registered vehicles.

3 out of 4 of these countries drive on the RIGHT. From what I've seen, Thai truck drivers in these countries generally drive slowly and carefully. Besides, it's not easy for them to drive on the wrong side of the road, with their steering wheels on the right, on what are generally much narrower roads than they are used to in Thailand. Malaysia is the only exception - not only does traffic also flow on the left, but roads are even better than Thai ones.

Edited February 16, 2015 by Tomtomtom69

[Tomtomtom69]

Cambodian drivers are not much better and just as reckless. But the Thais, if they're allowed into Vietnam, had definitely better sharpen up because Viet police are not so cuddly. And let's face it, Thai drivers have little or no English and will find all the road signs in Khmer/English or Viet/English another barrier.

That's if the Viets will ever let them in. PhuketRichard, on a thread in the Cambodia forum that I started thinks that Vietnam will never, or at least not for a long time allow Thai vehicles in. I too have my doubts that AEC will allow for Thai vehicles to enter Vietnam. I even asked customs inspectors at various Thai-Lao checkpoints and the story was always the same: "we have no idea if AEC will mean Vietnamese vehicles can enter Thailand or vice versa". In short, I wouldn't hold my breath.

Cambodia is another story. Since 2012 Thai trucks and buses can already enter Cambodia and they do so daily, but only on the main Bangkok-Poipet-Phnom Penh highway and there is a quota. Three other checkpoints allow Thai trucks in unofficially.

[Tomtomtom69]

Transport ministry are preparing truckers!!!

Bloody joke, the government are not yet prepared for Asean.

Thailand is the only country in the region even talking about AEC. None of the other neighboring countries even know what AEC is. Also, they don't care. AEC won't change anything with regards to taking vehicles across international borders. If it will, please someone show me some article which proves this, because I've found nothing, nothing in English, nothing in Thai. In other words, AEC won't change anything. Individual agreements might though.

[Pimay1]

I'm sure they will be taught the proper "Thai" way to load and unload a backhoe in the bed of a dump truck.