Motorcycle Training centres struck off for selling CBTs
A number of motorcycle training centres have been struck off including some that were selling CBT certificates
THE Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) has had to strike a number of motorcycle training schools from the official register including some that were selling CBTs with no training or assessment taking place.
The report comes after the DVSA removed over 100 instructor training licences and took 18 Advanced Training Bodies (ATBs) from the official register.
To carry out the checks the CBT enforcement team took on board customer complaints and standards and compliance checks that we guess are carried out on a random basis. The team then look at the test centre as a whole, checking things like the condition of the bikes, tax and MOT status, rider equipment, data collection and incident reporting.
After carrying out these checks the DVSA found that some ATBs were simply selling CBT certificates without ever assessing the rider’s ability and knowledge of the bike, the roads or road laws. Other schools have been struck off for carrying out CBT assessments in less time than it takes to properly deliver the program.
Equally worrying is that a number of ATBs lost their licences due to using motorcycles that were not fit for road use, being either SORN, without an MOT and even road tax. The DVSA confirm that these cases saw the bikes being ridden on the road in some of these circumstances. The worst cases mentioned above saw an instant closure of the training centre involved.
Some ATBs were also found to be using pieces of land that had not been approved for use a training site or had fallen to a state where it was no longer fit fir purpose. Catching out some of the ATBs for this offence must have been fairly straightforward, as some of the training centres claimed to be running CBTs while football matches and car boot sales were taking place!
To ensure you don’t fall foul of cowboy motorcycle training centres, check out the MCIA RIDE Industry Approved Motorcycle Training page at: mcia.co.uk/mcia-ride.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
