Professional driver trainer information

The  role of the professional driver trainer is to provide an educational experience to learner drivers which promotes the necessary knowledge, attitude, and skills for the efficient and safe operation of a motor vehicle on our public roads. Accredited driver trainers must provide subject matter expertise whilst maintaining a strong focus on safety and quality training and assessment outcomes.

This can be achieved through: 

• building attitudes leading to co-operative and responsible conduct on our road network
• developing habits, knowledge and skills that will enable the learner to become proficient drivers in a variety of changing road environments and weather conditions
• creating awareness so that learner drivers can identify and apply techniques to safely respond to potential hazards
• ensuring the learner driver’s knowledge and understanding of the road rules
• giving learner drivers an understanding of their own capabilities and limitations as a driver so the learner can  make suitable corrections for their own limitations.

To achieve this accredited driver trainers should:

• consider each learner driver as an individual
• be in control but also show empathy 
• be approachable 
• be patient 
• provide appropriate and constructive feedback
• give praise where appropriate
• keep instructions simple
• consider the human factor
• always set a good example.

Controlled Environment Driver Training Guidelines

We have developed Controlled Environment Driver Training Guidelines in Queensland. These guidelines align with good practice for young drivers and to be used in controlled environment driver training. These guidelines assist driver trainers to develop and deliver training sessions for hazard perception training, insight training, resilience training and more.  

Read the Controlled Environment Driver Training Guidelines in Queensland. These guidelines were developed with industry and stakeholder involvement.  

Assessment preliminaries

Prior to the licence candidate undertaking the driving assessment, accredited driver trainers should ensure that all client eligibility requirements have been checked and confirmed.  

All required documentation including evidence of the successful completion of the knowledge test questions, the candidate’s learner licence and log book have been presented and approved.

The assessment vehicle must be of a suitable type and meet assessment requirements for the licence class. Refer to the Q-SAFE Queensland Driver Licence Assessment - Driving Examiner Assessment Procedures Manual.

Pre-assessment checklists

Accredited driver trainers should  complete and retain a pre-assessment checklist verifying that the licence candidate is ready for the practical assessment. This evidence must be kept by the driver trainer as part of their record keeping obligations.

The pre-assessment checklist should include:

• client details—for example name, licence number, date etc.
• client eligibility—for example hold the correct licence/class of licence for the appropriate period
• fitness of applicant—for example drugs/alcohol, medical condition
• administrative tasks—for example fees/forms
• theory test questions—road rules
• pre-drive vehicle safety check (external and internal)
• operating procedures (starting)
• low risk driving behaviours
• vehicle operation—for example steering, braking, clutch, gears, turns, accelerator, road position, observation/scanning, mirrors, signals
• manoeuvres—for example reversing, hill start, turn around, U-turn, reverse park
• vehicle shut down.

The accredited driver trainer must be fully acquainted with information relating to the specific performance criteria as detailed in Q-SAFE.

Q-SAFE is a valuable resource and contains important information relating to the driving tasks to be undertaken by the licence candidate for assessment purposes.

All performance checks detailed in Q-SAFE have a defined performance outcome giving the accredited driver trainer and the learner driver details of what is expected for a specific driving task.