Training and qualifying professional drivers is the right answer, as far as the Nagel-Group is concerned, to the increasingly alarming shortage of truck drivers. To ensure consistent expansion of its commitment in this area, the food logistics company took over the Baade driving instructor training centre and driving school in Schwerin on 1st June 2018.
The Nagel-Group has been cooperating with the driving school since 2016. The food logistics company has now acquired the officially accredited training provider from its previous owners Baade and Grund to found the Nagel Driving Center GmbH.
“With the Nagel Driving Center we are carrying forward our successful approach: our own professional drivers and our own fleet mean that we can guarantee transport capacity for our customers, particularly in times of driver shortages,” says Björn Schniederkötter, Spokesperson of the Board of Directors and Chief Operating Officer (COO).
The Nagel Driving Center is part of the Nagel Driving Academy which was founded at the beginning of 2018. The aim of the Driving Academy is to coordinate support for professional drivers in the Nagel-Group through all phases of their training. This ranges from the recruitment of new staff, through training and professional development, to support for its own drivers and contract drivers.
“At the Driving Academy, the drivers are the focus of our activities. As far as possible we aim to relieve them of the burden of formalities, so that they can concentrate wholly on driving,” explains Schniederkötter.
The newly formed Nagel Driving Center GmbH employs driving instructors for all classes of vehicle. However, there is a particular emphasis on training truck drivers. The driving school covers around 500 m², including five training rooms equipped with special truck equipment such as refrigeration units. The Nagel Driving Center therefore offers the ideal conditions for all training and professional development activities associated with driving, such as training sessions required by the law on HGV driver qualifications. The training centre has all the necessary licences for driver training, HGV driver training and the training of instructors.
“By integrating the driving school into the Nagel-Group we are gaining additional skills in training and developing truck drivers within the company,” emphasises Raik Spengler who manages the company’s own Driving Academy. “Everyone knows how difficult it has become to find suitable truck drivers. Qualified HGV driving instructors are an even rarer breed, and highly sought-after. We are meeting this ever-greater demand for good instructors with our own driving school, and through other cooperation agreements which we already have throughout Germany,” confirms Raik Spengler.
The Nagel-Group, which specialises in food logistics, operates throughout Europe and has its headquarters in Versmold, Germany. It employs over 12,000 people in more than 130 locations in 16 countries. The company group moves food consignments of all sizes and in all temperature ranges. Recently the company reported annual turnover of EUR 1.9 billion.
