The visitors saw the driver training facility in full operation, including the fleet of HGV, PSV and forklift truck training vehicles donated by UK firms. This included a 2006 Alexander Dennis single-decker bus supplied by Go-Ahead London earlier this year.
The partners spoke to the ITC team about the road safety challenges they face and how the ITC, with Transaid’s support, is committed to providing high-quality driver training.
Andrew Malcolm, CEO of The Malcolm Group, said: “Ever since we became a corporate member in 2014, I’ve wanted to see Transaid’s projects first-hand – and it was a visit I will never forget.
“Seeing how the Volvo truck we donated has enabled the ITC to start offering long-distance driver training, along with the commitment of the trainers at the ITC and the enthusiasm of the drivers being trained, was humbling. It reinforced why we’re so proud to support everything Transaid does.”
In addition to Andrew Malcolm (pictured), the self-funded trip was also attended by Shane Brennan and Tim Moran from the Cold Chain Federation, Richard Burnett from the Road Haulage Association, Martin Dean from Go-Ahead Group, Kelly Hobson from Ligentia, Roger Turnbull from MAN Truck & Bus UK, Steve Hobson from Motor Transport and Ben Colson, a retired bus operator.
The group also travelled 330 miles by road to Chitambo District to see one of the communities supported by the MAMaZ Against Malaria (MAM) project, which is working to tackle cases of severe malaria in young children.
Florence Bearman, head of fundraising at Transaid, says: “Trips like this are hugely important as they allow supporters to see why we are so committed to transforming lives through safe, available and sustainable transport. We visited just one community while we were in Chitambo District, but the project is now working in 355 communities in total – and the transport and logistics industry has had a huge impact on this.”