Volvo Opens Truck Driver Safety School in Morocco — 2nd in Africa

The Volvo Group is starting a training program for truck drivers in Morocco  with the goal of increasing traffic safety and reducing the number of fatal road accidents. This is the second driver training school in Africa in which the group has participated.

In Morocco the need for well-trained, certified truck drivers is growing. The country wants to strengthen its position as a regional transport hub. At the same time it has major problems with traffic accidents and deaths on the road.

In order to improve traffic safety and make Morocco’s roads safer, the government has decided to start a school for truck drivers.

The school, which will be located in the capital Casablanca, is a collaboration between the Volvo Group, the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation UNIDO and the American development agency USAID. An official ceremony was recently held to launch the project. The first students are expected to start their training at the beginning of next year.

The plan is to train around 500 professional drivers over the next four years in subjects such as safe and fuel-efficient driving. The Volvo Group is providing vehicles, equipment and teacher training. The group companies Volvo Trucks, Volvo Buses and Renault Trucks are cooperating.

This is the second school for truck drivers that the Volvo Group is involved in. The first driver training program will start in June of this year when a school for around 500 students is opened in Ethiopia.

The Volvo Group has also been running apprenticeships for mechanics in Africa since 2013. There is a major shortage of mechanics in many African countries, while unemployment levels are often high. The first school was started in Ethiopia and several groups of students have now completed the course there. In 2015 a similar school was opened in Zambia and also one in Morocco.