MEET THE TRAINERS

MEET CHRIS COTTON MEET THE TRAINERS

DAF now has Dealer Driver Trainers based across the country to help hand over new and used vehicles and we thought it would be good to get to know some of them a little bit better! In this edition we talk to Chris Cotton, who is DAF Dealer Driver Trainer for Greenhous DAF, which has DAF Truck Sales dealer locations in Wolverhampton and Shrewsbury in the West Midlands.

Chris is married with two sons who keep him on his toes with sports and their other passtimes. He has a passion for anything with wheels; mountain biking, road biking, motorbikes (Chris currently owns a Triumph Tiger 800 )… Chris and his best friend converted a 2014 Vauxhall Movano into a motorhome just before lockdown, which has taken then on family holidays and weekends away ever since . Chris has driven many miles over the years on general haulage & tipper work and has met lots of drivers, many of which he considers to be friends. He appreciates what they do and the sacrifices they make for the job.

Q: When did you first join Greenhous DAF and what was your first job there?

A: I joined Greenhous DAF on 1st May 2018 as a Driver Trainer for Shrewsbury & Wolverhampton.

Q: What did you want to be when you were at school?

A: When I left school, I wanted to be a mechanic and did my first two years YTS. But the money was poor - if you remember YTS pay!

Q: When did you take your HGV licence?

A: I took my HGV test back in 1995, straight to class 1 as it was then.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?

A: I enjoy meeting the drivers and imparting the knowledge I have in the DAF product. It may just be one thing I show them that they didn’t know, which makes the difference.

Q: Do you have a top tip for a driver getting his new DAF?

A: The driver training is well worth taking up even if you’ve had DAF trucks before. Technology and legislation are changing all the time and something that looks the same, may well not be. Also, it sometimes dispels a driver’s perception of what is achievable from the truck and what can make their driving day more efficient and pleasurable.

Q: What car do you currently drive and if money was no object, what would you have?

A: I currently drive a Volkswagen Golf R-line estate. If money was no object, without hesitation, it would be a Porsche 911.

Q: What other responsibilities do you have within your role at Greenhous DAF?

A: My main duties and responsibilities are, first and foremost, driver training. Then making sure the trucks are in the right place with the help of our delivery drivers, whom I liaise with. And making sure they are fit and ready to be handed over to their new owners.

Q: If you weren’t doing this, what would your ideal job be?

A: Mmmmm, hard one that. I love my job but working in a bicycle shop or motorbike shop would be close.

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