Congratulations go out to Mark Tooley and Ian Sherwood, on recently achieving the maximum grade 6 in the ORDIT test.  Two  more of our excellent team of instructor trainers to achieve the top honours.  As an ORDIT registered company with an excellent pass rate in instructor training, Bill Plant Limited is committed to ensuring our instructors, receive the right training and support, to enable them to pass on their skills to potential driving instructors. For more information on becoming an instructor Click Here

As a Bill Plant franchisee first as a PDI qualifying to an ADI with Plant School of Motoring Ltd’s assistance. I have also progressed to becoming a Fleet Instructor and Taxi Trainer at no cost to myself.

Bill Plant is always looking at ways to assist and invert in his franchisee to help them progress as well as the company.

I would hight recommend the Bill Plant Group as a franchise opportunity.

Derek Diamond, London

As an ADI for 7 years, I have been with the Bill Plant School of Motoring Ltd for 3 years. The companies interests lie in making the instructor happy rather than annual profits. It has a really good office structure that provides constant support to all ADI’s and PDI’s alike and is constantly looking to the future i.e; FREE CPD Courses and Free Fleet Courses. I would be more than happy to recommend the Bill Plant School of Motoring to anyone wanting to join the industry.

Andy Boden, Sheffield

I have been qualified as an instructor since 2002 and cannot find enough good things to say about Bill Plant School of Motoring Ltd. I have and am still personally and professionally inspired by them. They have offered me full support, expertise and on-going development from the start and with complete piece of mind.

Just knowing that there is a full team of people behind me always to guide me in my chosen profession is fantastic… A very big thankyou Bill PLANT

Michelle Billing, Hampshire

I started with another driving school but found their franchise too expensive and the support network was not there. I then worked independently for 2 and a half years, but it was a lonely life and I had no back up.

I like being part of a big organisation, part of a team. I’ve been with Bill Plant School of Motoring for 4 months now – I wouldn’t go anywhere else. They encourage you to look forward and are more than willing to help you achieve your goals with a support network – also free CPD courses and an endless supply of pupils as and when you need them. You get such joy from this job, you take on a new pupil and by the time they are ready for their test, they’re the most confident people in the world.

Angela Gardner, Cumbernauld, Scotland

• Leading driving school, Bill Plant orders 600 Hyundai i30s
• All feature diesel and ISG stop-start for lower emissions and fuel consumption
• Replaces fleet of i20s

Hyundai has signed a deal to provide 600 i30s to Bill Plant, one of the UK’s leading driving schools. Bill Plant Ltd is a nationwide driving school and training centre for instructors. Having started their relationship with Hyundai last year with 400 i20s, Bill Plant have grown into the i30 hatchback. Recently voted Britain’s best car to own by Auto Express magazine, instructors and pupils won’t be disappointed.

The contract will see 600 i30 hatchbacks worth more than £7 million delivered over the next 12 months. The cars will make up almost all of Bill Plant’s fleet.

“You’ve got to have the right car for the instructors and pupils,” said Jake Plant, general manager at Bill Plant.

“A city car is the wrong kind of vehicle for learners, it is just too small. You need a family hatch and for us the i30 is the right size. Hyundais are right for us, they are reliable and stylish and an appropriate size for instructors and pupils. It is very important to us that instructors and pupils like the car, and they love the i30.”

Learner drivers can be put at ease by the number of safety features fitted to the i30. Active head restraints to reduce the risk of whiplash injury; passenger, driver and full length curtain airbags, seatbelt reminder system, belt pretensioners and ESP all give added peace of mind for those nervous beginners. Hyundai will deliver the first of the all-diesel fleet this month.

Jake Plant added: “Fuel consumption is important for our instructors which is why we went for the diesel i30 with ISG, Hyundai’s stop-start system.”

Guy Pigounakis, Hyundai sales director, said: “After doing business with them last year for more than 500 i20s we’re delighted that Bill Plant Driving School is renewing its fleet with the i30.”

For more information please contact:

Jodie Davies

01494 428694 Jodie.davies@hyundai-car.co.uk

If only it was as simple for every learner driver.

Leonie Baptise, 21, of Lindley, has passed her driving test on her first attempt without a single fault.

And to reward Miss Baptise her driving instructor Andrew Adams, from The Bill Plant School of motoring, has given her free pass plus lessons.

Leonie, who works for a safety company in Bradley, earned her driving licence on January 26 after four months of lessons.

And with a Vauxhall Corsa, inherited from her grandfather, she hopes to take to the road as soon as her insurance comes through.

Ms Baptise said “I was nervous in the waiting room, but I wasn’t nervous when I was doing it because my instructor prepared me well for the test.

“I was just hoping to pass, but it was a real bonus not to get any errors.

“I was really pleased and my instructor was really pleased.

“I owe a big thanks to him, He put in a lot of effort.

“I’m looking forward to not having to use buses anymore.

The DSA has welcomed the sentence handed to two individuals for trying to cheat a driving test by pretending to be someone else the two males pleaded guilty to two counts of fraud by misrepresentation. 

 The driver pretending to be the learner was given a eight week suspended sentence for 12 months, ordered to do 100 hours community service, disqualified from driving for four months and placed on a 12-month supervision order.

 The learner to tried to get someone else to sit in on his test was given an eight-week suspended prison sentence, ordered to do 120 hours community service and disqualified from driving for 12 months.

 The learner sat his own driving test in November 2008, but failed. He then got his friend to take the test for him on the 11^th of December 2008, which is when the DSA begun there investigation and the pair were arrested.

 The DSA are very committed to prosecuting any offenders in order to preserve public safety on the roads and the integrity of the driving test procedure.

 Andrew Rice, DSA’s Head of Fraud and Integrity, said: “People who impersonate at driving tests present a real risk to all road users, as they provide an entitlement to drive to those who have not been assessed to show that they are competent to do so.

“In addition to obtaining the qualification to drive, many people seek possession of a full UK driving licence to establish proof of identity. Once obtained, that licence may also be used as proof of identity in a variety of other circumstances, such as obtaining state benefits and accommodation, opening bank accounts, obtaining credit cards and even undertaking domestic air travel.”

The DSA investigates all reported cases of fraud surrounding the driving test procedure and works closely with the police and criminal justice agencies to identify offenders and bring them to court.

 Here at Bill Plant we recommend that it is not worth the risk attempting to have someone sit your driving test for you. Instead take your time learning and have as many driving lessons or driving courses as you need and you will be able to pass you test.

At the moment a learner driver can request to have their instructor sit in the back of the car during their practical driving test. If they are learning to drive in their own car they have the option to have a friend or family member accompanying them on their test. There have been recent discussions with Driving Standard Agency (DSA) to make it compulsory for all candidates to have a qualified driver accompanying them on the 40-minute driving test.

 This change was planning to made in October 2010, this was because the DSA carried out a study, which showed having an accompanying driver on the test is very beneficial to the learner.

Learner driver’s may or may not benefit from this approach, many pupils said it will help them if they fail so that their instructor can see what they have done wrong. Others say that it will make them much more nervous having two people watching you on your driving test, which could make you perform worse on the test.

 We can now say that the plan to make this a legal requirement has now been scrapped.

Rosemary Thew the DSA chief executive said:

 “We want to work in partnership with the driver training profession to help candidates get the most from their training and from their practical test experience. We believe that having an observer on test to see the drive at first hand and hear the examiner’s debrief will enhance the candidate’s learning experience, which, in turn, will lead to road safety benefits. Given that we are no longer planning to legislate and that we already encourage this practice, we are looking at how we might progress this approach sooner than October 2010.”

In the future it will be made compulsory for the driving examiner to offer the candidate the opportunity for someone to sit in on their test, it will be then up to the candidate to decide if they would like someone to accompanying.

Rosemary Thew continued to say:

 “In the meantime, our examiners will continue to welcome instructors to sit in on test and encourage them to listen to the debrief. We want candidates to experience driving instructors and driving examiners as professional road safety experts working together to help them to be safe and responsible drivers with the overall aim of improving road safety.”

 We welcome you comments on this to see how you feel about having someone sit in on driving test, which would you choose? Do you think it is a good approach making it mandatory or should it be optional?

 For anymore Driving Lesson tips or Driving School Information check out the Bill Plant Homepage. 

One of the most common questions asked to all driving instructors is ‘How many lessons will I need to pass my driving test?’ Unfortunately this is a very difficult question to answer, especially if you are asking someone before you have even begun to learn to drive.

Every person learns in different way, where one person might take 10 hours to learn to drive another might take 80 hours with the same instructor. There isn’t anyway to determine how many lessons you will need before you begin to learn.

The national average is between 30 and 40 hours practicing before you put in for your test the first time. The current first time pass rate is 43%, therefore over half put it for there test and then fail the first time. This makes it even harder to determine how many lessons you will need before you actually pass your test as you might do the recommended 40, fail and have to do another 10 before your next test.

 Below is a simple to table to display the number of lessons you may need:

Other things you should take into consider is have you had any driving experience before, e.g. driving on private land. Have you had any road use either cycling or on a motorbike. If you already understand road use you might find it easier when you begin your driving lessons.

 When you do begin to learn to drive rather than trying to pass as soon as possible, learn at your own rate and make sure you are ready when you go in for your test. 

The Bill Plant Facebook game was launched today. Players are going to be able to see if they have the skills to pass their driving test whether they are new to driving, currently learning or passed 50 years ago. The game takes players through each maneuver you would encounter on your driving test, including reverse round a corner and tun in the road. Can you complete each maneuver safely and keep the instructor happy. Please checkout the game here: Driving Game

Driving School

Bill Plant has begun advertising on TV. The advert, which can be seen here is now being screened on prime time television on ITV1. Bill Plant is the first Driving School in 25 years to advertise for pupils on Television. The first advert was screened in between Emmerdale Farm on the 16^th of August 2009. 

Due to this advert being screened we are having an increasingly high demand from pupils, therefore we are in need of more instructors. If you or anyone you know are interested in being a driving instructor please check out our franchise offer.

When you have mastered your reverse park and confident with you turn in your road and have successfully passed your driving test, you will now find yourself with the daunting task of finding Insurance.

 Simon Lamble, product director of Confused.com says “Young drivers face a bit of a catch-22 – they’ll struggle to find an insurer that will cover them, and then, when they do, it is very expensive,”. You may often find the insurance you are offered is more than the car you want to drive. This is because when a young drier passes their test insures automatically class them as a high-risk driver, with no thought of how well you did on your test or how many lessons you have had.

 Some Insures will not even insure male drivers under 21 and female drives under 19 due to the risk of frequent, expensive claims. Meanwhile the insurers that do insure these sorts of drivers nearly always quote thousands of pounds. 

 What can you do as a new driver to get the best possible price?

 Some UK insurance companies have started a pay as you go scheme, this might be a good option if can’t afford full premiums or people who don’t use their vehicles that often.

 Pass Plus is one step you could take to reduce the cost of insurance. “Pass Plus offers you a way to be a safer driver, save money on your car insurance and get the confidence that comes from being truly familiar with all road conditions.”

 The biggest factor on saving money on insurance is what car you drive. Insurance companies put all cars into groups to determine the price of the Insurance. To check what group your car is in Click Here. If you are looking to purchase a car at the moment then you need something that is small and has little power such as a Vauxhall Corsa.

 If you are female you already have a huge advantage over males due to statistics showing that young female drivers a less likely to crash than males. If you are going to share a car with your partner then it would save money to put the insurance in the females name and have the male as a named driver. You could also consider adding a parent as a named driver because this often brings your premium down, but could put no claims bonus at risk.

 You can also choose how much excess you are willing to pay if you do have an accident, but make sure you know how much the standard excess is. Only volunteer excess if you know you can afford to pay it at any time. On average voluntary excess brings down premium by 10% of the excess, e.g. £500 voluntary excess would save you £50 on your premium. This shows it could cost much more by having the extra excess and not save you much.

 Finally do not fib to make your premium lower as you Insurance will not be valid, therefore there will no point paying for the insurance.

 If you would like any more information on Driving please visit our Website