Crew Training
Category: Dragoman | October 7, 2007 By ScottishRoverWas just wondering if anyone knew anything about how the different overland companies train their crew. I’m looking into applying next year and as far as I can see a company like Dragoman gives quite a lot of mechanical and other training before sending you off. Do other companies do this or are you just thrown in at the deep end?
Companies run trips differently depending on environment and type of truck. Tucan for instance have separate drivers and then a crew member to look after the passengers. So two very different tasks. Although the majority of overland companies run with a crew that look after all aspects of the journey. Truck and passengers. From past experience the Drago crew had a very good grasp of the mechanics of their vehicle possibly due to training.
Provided to us by an Experienced “Overlander”
“Training of crew differs from Company to Company. In reality most training takes place on the road. Most send a trainee on a trip with senior crew to train them. In reality this is the best way to train new crew and see if they have what it takes. There is still the belief out there that being overland crew is just like being on permanent holiday - no amount of time in workshop can prepare crew for life on the road. We are on call 24/7, never allowed to have a bad day, answer the same questions time and time again; attend to sick, injured, homesick passengers; ensure all bookings are made; food is bought and cooked to resemble something edible; not to mention being a mediator, counsellor and social worker. When the truck breaks down there is no AA to call and no amount of time in a UK workshop can prepare you for a breakdown in the middle of nowhere”
I disagree with Mods comment.
I work for an overland company and most companies (with the exception of Exodus and Dragoman) employ a seperate driver and a tour guide.
The editor summed up training and life as a crew member perfectly, it is very hard work!
Provide by Kumuka.
It varies from destination to destination. All drivers have to be trained or experienced with qualifications in mechanics. They have on the job driver training with an experienced support driver who works for us and is essentially our standby Driver with over 8 years of experience driving out in the field for Kumuka.
The African crews are self contained and majority have been with us for such a long time it’s like they are a part of the furniture. We have a specific person that deals with training and co-ordination of trucks and maintenance and training of all the crew. Since most of the crew have been the same bunch for over six years they have regular updates on new policies - changes in RT and H&S..
Latin America - the local transport tours are tour leaders only - they receive extensive route and destination training as well as communication skills which is the key to group management- Group management skills are essential as well as social attitude of TL’s and the the ability to recognise group dynamics and individual needs. These are required at the point of application and explored at interviews and implemented as part of their training! In Asia we apply this to only one tour and that’s the Asian Explorer as this tour is the only one in Asia that has a western tour leader.
The rest of Asia is all Local Guides provided by our ground partners, these organisations are monitored by the Government and all the employees are trained to the Government standards of the country concerned with our additional input with regards to RT and H&S as well as other requirements that we may have subject to our contract with them.
South America the above applies to the Overland tours with drivers and tour leaders.
Europe we have similarly Driver/Tour leaders all who have been with us for 6 years plus. All experienced crew - with previous experience as well as Kumuka Training regulated and updated every year in line with European laws and guidelines as per Coach Touring.
Dear Wannabe Overlander
I would first of all like to say, “go for it” if you are thinking of becoming an overlander then you are making a good decision, you will meet some great people and visit some amazing places.
When I first started with Guerba Expeditions (a few moons ago) the training was on the job. On the job training is a good way of learning, but there is also a lot to be said for being around those that have done it, while receiving a more formal training in a UK workshop.
You can learn a lot yourself before you start by gaining knowledge of the places people etc, but nothing will ever be as good as experience.
Its important you know what will be required of you and that you meet the challenge of it all.
Give it a go, work hard, have some fun and you will love it I am sure.
By the way if you discover an Overland training centre or an organisation that has students attaining diplomas in Overlanding then let me know.
Happy Overlanding
My training was 3 weeks thrown in at the deep end ! Thank God I hd enough skills before joining the company I work for to see me through.
It could have been a disaster several times in the first few months and I got very little support from the company.
I did meet a new driver here in South America who had been given no training, wasn?t even told he would have to physically repair the truck himself, had no idea of what overlanding involves and was just told to collect the truck in Cusco where it had sat for months and drive to Quito and collect his first pax and meet a guide there.
I see one of the people leaving comments here is his boss, funny how their view of things is so very different from here in the real world.
Dragoman really do look after their pax and crew, there is 24/7 support, I never met a Drago Driver who felt let down but its dead mans boots to get job with them.
I was a tour leader for over 9 years, 5 of which were with Tucan Travel in South and Central America. I agree with the Editors comment from Oct 14 which was provided by an experienced Overlander in that wahtever training you receive before you are on the road and doing it for yourself will only skim the surface of what you need to know.
The training that Tucan Travel provide is mostly on the road but also includes some office based training. It varies depending onthe role and the style of transport the person will be working on.
Mod is right, Tucan Travel have separate drivers and tour leaders on their overland expeditions, whose roles are quite distinct and therefore during the recruitment process we look for distinctly different skills and experience.
Working in travel is so diverse and dynamic and life on the road is fantastic, I would recommend it to anyone. The skills you learn and the stories you have to tell hold you in great stead for whatever else life afterwards has to throw at you.
Live on board and learn on the Road would be my advise. I was not given any training before starting a career in Overlanding. I do feel that new road crew should be given a manual and a mentor and told to get on with it; lets face it the job is not exactly difficult. Being able to learn quickly on the job shows initiative and resourcefulness; if you have not got both those qualities then perhaps Overlanding is not for you. So many try to do this job and fail miserably, as they need too much support. Its overlanding lets remember- support is limited and should only be relied upon in emergencies. Go for your life and work hard.
In referance to Ron Smiths comments…………….All you need to know to work for Overland Club is how to get hammered pissed and have tollerance to all your punters gripes about the company…………….lets face it Ron, the job is not that hard when you don’t have to really care about your clients!!!!!
Hello All, I have just finished a trip to Rio with Kumuka, it was all good until Christmas when they got a new truck and things went downhill from then. The driver had to stay behind to finish working on the truck and then broke his leg. The new truck looked nice but was in much worse condition than the old one and had no insurance, no music, no intercom, no seatbelts and no storage for our stuff.
The new driver from Peru scared us so much and ran over dogs and had crashes every day with trees and things, the old driver had to stay with us to show him the way and how to drive. The new driver was clueless and didn?t speak any english and often vanished with the truck leaving us waiting in hotels and campsites for him to show up.
The tour leader was very stressed because she was having to do all the work of the poor driver except drive (as he had no training and had no experience of driving a truck full of passengers) after the old driver left 3 weeks after braking his leg, she had no experience of the route we were doing, she showed us her notes from Kumuka and there was almost nothing in them to give her information about what she should be doing.
She explained that she had asked for more information but didn?t get any from her managers, the new driver ran out of money in Brazil and we were stuck for 24 hours in a petrol station waiting to get back on the road, we ended up having to sleep in the small overcrouded truck in the rain when we should have been relaxing on the beach.
I always thought I would have tales to tell of my trip but the tales I take with me would put anyone off taking a overland trip in the future, I think only the guides language skills and ability got us through the last 4 weeks ( several times she had to ask bus drivers for directions on behalf of the driver after he got lost ) then when we arrived in Rio we found her sleeping on the floor in the hotel reception area in the small hours of the morning because her boss didn?t provide her with any accomodation, lucky one of us had a spare bed in her room so we had to put her up.
If anyone out there is thinking of becoming a driver or guide I would think twice after seeing how our driver and guide were treated and the things they had to do just to get us where they were going. I did think I could have done it before I came on this tour but I don?t think I could do it now, if you don?t care about people or the condition of your truck & passengers and just want to stay drunk all the time as we seen others do then its probably ok for you, I am just glad we had our two origional crew as if they had been some of the crew from other trucks who were drunk all the time, we would have had a much worse time.
whatever you do mate,DON,T work for ron smith and overland club!!!!
most of these comments are reasonably fair though,but it,s like everything you will ever do,swings and roundabouts!!you get good trips and bad trips,all depends on how you deal with it!!problem is these days you don,t get travellers on overland trips,you get package holiday tourists who expect way too much,but who can blame them,the way these companies market there product,it leaves you quite excited,but reading about these trips in a glossy magazine is far different from the reality on the ground!!
but hey i tried it i had good times and bad times,i learned a hell of a lot in a short space of time,and have absolutely no regrets whatsoever!!
i fully reccomend working for dragoman,even though there trucks are ancient they,re getting new ones and the support they give you is second to none!!in regards to what somebody else said that it is difficult to get a job with them,well that is not true,currently especially in africa tour leaders are dropping like flies,so give it a go mate!!!