MEET THE TRAINERS

MEET STUART KEY

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 Stuart Key the DAF Dealer Driver Trainer for Motus Commercials in Hull.

Q: When did you first join Motus Commercials and what was your first job there?

A: I joined what was then Imperial Commercials in April 2016 as a driver to be trained in the new role as Vehicle Handover Specialist and Dealer Driver Trainer.

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

A: While at school I always aspired to be a pilot in the Fleet Air Arm but didn’t go on to do the necessary A-levels. I decided instead to join the RAF but, at sixteen, I had to go in as an apprentice. On taking my medical I discovered I was colour blind which excluded me from the technical trades and so I was offered the alternative trades of cook, clerk or supplier. I chose cook, and after the one-year apprenticeship went on to complete 24 years in the RAF.

Q: When did you take your HGV licence?

A: I passed my HGV class 3 in 1990, my class 2 later that year and went on to get my C+E in 1996.

Q: What do you enjoy most about your role?

A: I enjoy the whole process, from accepting the new trucks when they are delivered into the dealership from the factory, through the various stages to predelivery inspection right through to delivery to the customer, hand over and driver training.

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

A: Over the years as I have delivered many trucks, I have witnessed various levels of enthusiasm from the drivers who receive them. Most are receptive and appreciate the training we provide. I think it is important to stress to drivers that I am not there to teach them how to drive. Instead I am there to show them how to use the various controls to get the best out of the truck. I have had one experience when all I received was animosity. But then you do get great feedback; as I did from one tanker driver who had been averaging miles per gallon in the low nines, who then improved to the high tens and low elevens.

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

A: I currently drive a one-year-old Dacia Sandero. I’m not materialistic, so if money were no object, I would like a Ford Focus.

Q: What other responsibilities do you have at

Motus Commercials DAF?

A: I receive and sign for the new trucks, deliver them to, and collect them from, the paint shop and signwriters, deliver them to the customer and hand them over. I also do the driver training, so it’s the complete service from start to finish! I only work three days per week and I’m proud of the fact that in 2018 I completed 118 handovers!

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

A: Having trained in the RAF as a chef and doing it for 24 years, once I left, I joined the Territorial Army and carried on in the same trade. I did this for another 17 years, so you’d think my answer would be, ‘Chef’. But, no. During my career I also did a number of day-release courses and one of these was a City & Guilds in breadmaking and confectionery. So, if I had an alternative ideal job, it would be in a small bakery baking bread. Stuart is married to his third wife Gillian. He has five children, four boys and one girl. Two of the boys and his girl are from his first marriage and the other two boys are from his second. All are grown up now and are spread far and wide with three in London one in the Norfolk Broads, and one who married an Australian and emigrated there to be near their family. Stuart is proud of the fact that he did 41 years in the military, doing ten operational tours including in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Northern Ireland completing his career with thirteen medals. Stuart works for Motus Commercials three days-a-week. He used to be a keen scooterist having had Lambrettas most of his adult life, but now he has a more sedate hobby, collecting coins for his grandchildren.