SDT Safe Drive Training

05/06/2026

Successfully unsuccessful

Our business partners in the United Arab Emirates thought my response was strange.

They said:
Boss we are not going to win the tender to supply 42 driving simulator software licenses to the Saudi Arabian education department.

I said:
But it is still a good thing, that a nation is looking to install driving simulators into technical colleges can only mean greater potential in the future.

05/06/2026

Driver training is a strange industry

Black Mirror is coming true. Driver trainers who are interested in mastering social media some how think they are super important.

I was born well before and have no interest in earning $ from content. I think better yardsticks are

30 years in business
6500 posts on FB
Well over 100,000 course participants
800 people trained this week
28 countries trained in

If you are reading this, great. If not I am not losing sleep on not getting your attention.

Yours in safe driving.

05/06/2026

Today we met the big guy

No doubt his little boy will benefit from his father have more knowledge and skills about driving safely.

05/06/2026

It must work

Never let a transport department tell you driver training (even on a skid pan) doesn’t work when they send their own personnel to such training.

I have attended so many road safety conferences where transport department or motoring organisations tell anyone who listens that driver training is not beneficial, yet they do such training for their own drivers.

Pictured is the venue in Armidale we use.

No this isn’t a Hot Wheels track… this is how our Traffic Emergency Patroller vans and our Transport Commanders hone their driving skills! 🚐

Working in emergency situations, they’re required to do a lot of driving in varied and sometimes challenging conditions 💦

They head to this track in Armidale where they refresh their skills, driving at speed on a wet and curvy track 🏎️

04/06/2026

When you travel abroad the vehicle horn is used often to warn others and the warning is accepted by the other person.

In Australia, horn use is reserved for aggression and if you dare blow it at someone they often want to berate you for the warning.

Obviously the manner in which the horn is beeped or blasted can have a bearing on its reception.

PS> horn inserted in post production along with voice over in this reel. Scenario is just being used as an example of how a horn is used in many countries.

04/06/2026

Meanwhile in PNG

The first vehicle ever, has crossed the Jimi River in the Jiwaka Province.

Our instructor who is currently in the Eastern Highlands, heard from participants how proud they were of this achievement.

03/06/2026

Upgraded!

The Federated States of Micronesia are about to receive copies of their new driving license documents. This has been a huge project by me over the last 2 years.

Each state now has

✅ a comprehensive 86 page driving manual, replacing the ad-hoc 2-page document that officials had forgotten about and that was rarely issued to new drivers.

✅ a new written test, answer sheet and marking guide for the licensing of drivers, replacing tests that had weirdly worded questions or did not link with the traffic regulations

✅ a new driving assessment form for the police officers to use when examining a new drivers competency. Replacing assessments that were very subjective and open to bias, and in one state reintroducing a testing system since licenses were being issued on a theory test only.

This project was funded by the World Bank and I was a consultant to the CH Group.

03/06/2026

Tyre test

Tread level is almost full and so if advertised online a desperate or budget buyer might go for it

But build date is 48th week of 2022
And treadwear UTQG rating is 540

Both of which make the tyre hard and lower on grip, despite the high tread level. Buyer beware.

Legal doesn’t always mean safe

02/06/2026

NRMA update

My claim has been paid including an ex gratia payment for labour to rectify the trailer.

I cancelled the policy as they don’t cover the trailer for business usage and don’t cover trailers for driving schools.

They refunded me the policy fees, pro rata to its expiry date next March.

But I asked why I didn’t get a full refund of all policy charges since (by their own admission) my trailer was never actually covered.

The complaints department have agreed to refund my entire policy back dated to March 2026, as the insurance did not meet their underwriting guidelines.

SO NOW DOESN’T THIS OPEN THE DOOR TO REFUNDING ALL TRAILER INSURANCE OVER RECENT YEARS, at times on multiple trailers, as I was sold something that didn’t provide any coverage.

02/06/2026

Saving $$$

My wife takes delivery of a new 4WD vehicle this week. And so we have been comparing insurance costs and coverage.

A shout out to Club 4X4 Insurance.

It was $300 less than the best quote we received, which included the discount for having undertaken 4wd training.

Despite the vehicle being rather expensive, the quote was cheaper than all our other vehicles.

Our accessories are included as are personal items if stolen from the vehicle. We added windscreen and glass coverage and we are insured when off-roading.