Everyday we post photos to our Facebook page of pupils who have passed their tests with a Bill Plant Driving Instructor. We are receiving such a high volume of photographs that we cant fit them all onto Facebook anymore! Here are just a fraction of the passes we’ve had!
If you are one of these pupils then please leave us a comment and let us know your story or if your the instructor who helped one of these lovely people to pass then please leave a comment as well.

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April 2013

We are very excited here at Bill Plant HQ, we can now announce that the Audi Q3′s have finally arrived! We are very proud to be enrolling this vehicle onto our fleet alongside the ever popular Audi A3! If you want to learn in either of these cars then give us a call on 0330 555 2254 and our call centre staff can arrange this with you!

Below you can see our very own Jake Plant handing over a brand new Q3 to one of our longest serving Driving Instructors, Peter Brabin from Leeds.

The Annual Giveaway

The Bill Plant Driving School asked a simple road safety question last year to the tune of ‘what is the speed limit in a street lit area?’

The answer quite clearly is 30mph, and all of the correct answers received through a simple form completion on the Bill Plant Driving School website entered people into the prize draw.

The competition was open for a full year, and was carried on following the success it had in the previous year 2010-2011 with a brand new Hyundai i30 being snapped up by a young girl in Milton Keynes in the May of 2011. The competition for 2011-2012 saw hundreds of thousands of answers submitted, and don’t worry about people speeding through your street-lit town or village as all entries received an email some weeks ago informing them of the correct answer just in case a huge misunderstanding had taken place and people were not correctly informed – but we don’t think anyone didn’t know the answer to this, especially with the amount of free theory information we publish on a frequent basis relating directly to how to drive on the UK roads.
The lucky winner this time around was chosen at random from the complete list of correct answers submitted just like the last time and the time before that.
Our congratulations go out to Winfred Purcell of Birmingham, who sadly couldn’t make the journey up to our head office in Ripon to collect her prize, so instead sent her loving daughter as pictured.

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The competition is now live again, and your answers have been submitted for the last month, with 11 more months of submissions to go before we draw the lucky correct answer in May 2013, but this time for a brand new Audi!

You can submit your answer by visiting our Driving School website and answering our new question: What does a solid amber traffic light mean?
We’re looking forward to receiving the rest of your answers and cannot wait to draw the next winner this time next year!


To all who have entered and to all those that will, we wish you all the very best of luck!
If you need some theory practice in the meantime, visit our Highway Code page for some helpful hints and tips.

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Bill Plant offer more than ever before!

The Bill Plant Driving School, the UK’s 2nd largest ADI only national driving school offering driving lessons to learner drivers in different towns cities and villages throughout the entire length and breadth of the United Kingdom has pushed the boundaries yet again!

This national driving school has long been recognised for having the UK’s best deals offers and promotions for many years now, and has always looked to emphasise their footing in this field by developing its deals and prize draw giveaways as time has progressed.
Nationwide known and trusted deals such as the famous ‘5 for £56‘ offer on their driving lessons, and not forgetting the ‘First Lesson FREE offer, have elevated the driving school to the top of its industry putting it in strong competition with prior industry leaders.
New and more recent promotions from the Bill Plant Driving School, include the Win an iPad and the Win a Audi competitions have seen the driving school reach record levels in engagement of its followers through various social media websites, positioning the driving school as the UK’s favourite driving school.

“Approved Driving Instructors only“

First driving lesson absolutely free with no obligation to take further lessons stands the school out from the crowd in a true ‘try before you buy‘ fashion!
Following in this offers’ footsteps is the first 5 driving lessons for only £56, albeit this offer is made in conjunction with the first lesson being free, this still stands as one of the leading offers amongst similarly sized national driving schools, and of course let us not forget the simple fact that the UK only has two national driving schools whereby ALL of it’s instructors are fully qualified Approved Driving Instructors, the Bill Plant Driving School being one of these. Booking driving lessons with an ADI gives learner drivers more chance to pass first time, and after fewer lessons than if driving lessons had been taken with a Provisional Driving Instructor.
Taking Approved Driving Instructors only is a mark of commitment to its pupils, ensuring that only the highest trained driving instructors are offering lessons under the Bill Plant brand name; a quality check undertaken by few.

Offering More

Currently giving away one car (in 2011 a Hyundai i30 was won by a young girl Milton Keynes, and in 2012 another Hyundai i30 was won by a lady in Birmingham) per year is a great prize that tens of thousands of people enter by answering a road safety question through the Bill Plant website. An Audi is the prize that questions are currently being answered for in a hope to be drawn from all of the correct answers submitted by May 2013.
Facebook followers of the Bill Plant – National Driving School page are also in the draw for giveaways; a brand new iPad2 was given away to a lady in Ripon at the end of October 2011, another to a gent in Birmingham at the end of December 2011, another to a lady in Horsham at the end of February 2012, and more recently a brand new iPad 3rd generation [iPad3] was won by a young college student in Selby at the end of April 2012.

How?

By simply following the Bill Plant Facebook page. All followers are entered into the prize draw every two months, and once the driving school reaches 10,000 followers it intends to increase the giveaway rate of the iPad’s to once per month!
If you want to take advantage of our offers, you can by simply;

• Calling us anytime on 0330 555 2254
• Booking online at www.billplant.co.uk
• Chatting live through our website at www.billplant.co.uk

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Well we just get excited, the air has a buzz to it and the general atmosphere has life and tingles to it. Smiles appear across all faces and that flicker of pure happiness is clear in every persons eyes as they too hear the news of yet another triumphant achievement felt by so very few…

We are of course talking about that little bit of news that flies back to the Bill Plant Driving School head office every time a pupil who has been taking lessons with a Bill Plant Driving School driving instructor has managed to float seemingly effortlessly through their driving test, and has received that statement, “Congratulations, you have passed”, and what is more, with not even a single minor fault at all!

Congratulations to you!

Passing your driving test in the UK without a single minor fault is something to be awed at. Managing this feat of driving skill whilst all-the-while being scrutinised and judged at each and every turn is a serious achievement worthy of applaud from all.
The UK Driving Standards Agency sets these minor driving faults with a cap of 15 minor driving faults resulting in the failed driving test attempt. Minor driving faults can occur from various driving errors that do not constitute a dangerous or plausibly dangerous driving fault. Accidentally missing a gear or failure to check a mirror during a maneouvre may constitute a minor driving fault depending on the specific circumstances at the time. However failure to check over your shoulder and look toward your blind spot when changing lane for example, may result in an instant fail as this will no doubt be classed as a serious fault as it could potentially cause danger to yourself and/or other road users.
More dangerous mistakes during taking your driving test will be classed as a dangerous fault as they may involves actual danger to you, the examiner, the public, or property.
These will always result in an instant test fail.


So, regardless of which driving school you have chosen to take your driving lessons with, managing to maneouvre your way through your test and making no dangerous faults is certainly something to applaud. Going a step further and making no serious faults either, that albeit do not pose an immediate threat of danger to yourself nor the other road users, is again something to applaud. Getting through this somewhat nerve racking scrutinising experience without accumulating any more than 15 minor driving faults that do not pose a threat of danger whatsoever, is a pass, and is to most people the single most important achievement of their early lives.
Getting through the entire UK driving test without making so much as a single mistake, well, this is altogether something else, and is definitely an achievement worth noting and making public!
Today our congratulations go out to this pupil having pulled off this magnificent feat in Hull, Yorkshire, following instruction from Mick Knowles, a Bill Plant Driving Instructor based in Brough, Yorkshire.



Another happy chappy after getting through the driving test without a single minor driver error, with Nigel Smart in Harpenden! Congrtulations!



This young gent has flown through his driving test just the other day in York, North Yorkshire with non other than Mark Deighton, and has done so without getting a single minor fault and also on his first ever test! Congrtulations to you!



We’re going to be putting fresh pictures here every time we get this great news of pupils passing their driving tests with the Bill Plant Driving School, having done so with no minor faults, why, well we just want to shout it out!

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Another day and another Bill Plant Driving School car leaves the yard, with another fully qualified Approved Driving Instructor firmly and confidently at the wheel, taking the nationally known & trusted Bill Plant Driving School offers to their area within the United Kingdom.
We simply could not be more optimistic looking onward knowing that a whole new batch of learner drivers will be taking driving instruction from yet another of Bill Plant’s finest.
…there goes another, and there goes another.
With double figures joining the Bill Plant Driving School flanks each week, the likelihood of a Bill Plant driving instructor being close by is constantly increasing with each passing day, and this means that the chances of not being able to get your hands on our wheels, and sink your teeth into our national deals offered everywhere gets less and less with each passing day too.
As a company, the Bill Plant Driving School covers the vast majority of the UK and this leaves hardly any spots that are not covered by our flanks of driving instructors.
Our national deals are warranted to be those of the best value throughout the UK, and offering the highest level of driving instruction from the very highest level of qualified Approved Driving Instructors in the UK today, it really comes as no surprise that more and more driving instructors join us on a weekly basis.
The instructors joining us today have come from far and wide, from areas including but by no means limited to;

16th March 2012
Aberdeen
Birmingham
Milton Keynes
Gravesend
Dulwich [London]
Ruskington
Benfleet [Essex]
Plymouth

2nd March 2012
Havant
Harlow
Westening
Milton Keynes
Cheshunt
Thames Ditton Surrey
Portsmouth

24th February 2012
Stockport
Eaglesham
Watford
Bacup
Folkstone
Didsbury

3rd February 2012
London
Aberdeen
Manchester
Clackmannashire

27th January 2012

London
Harlow
Glasgow
Kent
Waltham Abbey
Essex
Manchester
Cromer
Leicester
West Drayton
Hemel Hempstead

20th January 2012

Hayes
Birkenhead
Hounslow
Bedford
Ashton Under Lyne
High Wycombe
Gillingham

13th January 2012

Hitchin
Rainham
Newtown
High Wycombe

6th January 2012

London
Edgeware
Hornchurch
Enfield
Wolverhampton
Hitchin

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Don’t worry if your area isn’t listed above, we cover the vast majority of the UK!
Check your postcode for driving lessons in your area on our website at www.billplant.co.uk or call our freephone callcentre on 0330 555 2254.
When you contact us we will give your number to your driving instructor, and they will contact you to arrange a time that best suits you.

Whether you are taking the car out for the first time since passing your theoretical and practical driving test, or you have been driving for some time, there are some practical tips that will keep you and other road users safe.\r\n\r\nCheck your speedometer regularly, especially when coming off high speed roads, modern cars are so powerful and comfortable they give drivers little sensation of their speed, so many drivers find themselves exceeding the speed limit without realising it. Check the speed limits, too many drivers who have been caught speeding, complain that they thought the road had a higher speed limit. A good suggestion would be to use third gear when in a thirty mph limit.\r\n\r\nWhat has been known is that exceeding the speed limit makes little difference to your arrival time. The time it takes to complete a journey is determined much more by your average speed during the whole journey, rather than the maximum speed you achieve for part of it, better to be late “than dead on time”.

Something fresh hits television screens in the UK in September – and, just for a change, it has nothing to do with chefs, home improvements or wannabe celebrities and pop stars.\r\n\r\nAs the UK’s third largest driving school, we’ve decided it’s time to make our mark, launching our 2011 TV advertising campaign, which aims to cement our place in the UK consciousness from September 5th.\r\n\r\nOf course, the Bill Plant brand is already well-established across the nation; every day, thousands of people will see our distinctive red-and-yellow logo emblazoned on our fleet of more than Hyundai i30 cars all over the country.\r\n\r\nHowever, thanks to the way we’ve marketed ourselves in the past, many believe Bill Plant is local to them – that we’re their very own “local national driving school”.\r\n\r\nNow, though, we think it’s time to underline our true position in the market – another no-nonsense, Yorkshire company offering good, old-fashioned value for money in return for a fair and honest service.\r\n\r\nEveryone excels or struggles with different things and we want to be sure we do all we can to ensure each one of our pupils feels their lessons match their ability. There‘s no “one-size-fits-all” approach to learning; it’s very much a personal thing.\r\n\r\nBut we’re not just here for new drivers; road safety is a key part of the Bill Plant ethos and we’re ready and able to help with more advanced driver training, with packages developed for corporate clients, for winter driving and economic motoring.\r\n\r\nYou’ll find more details elsewhere on our website – along with dozens of safe driving tips we hope you’ll find useful but, in the meantime, we hope you enjoy the TV adverts – and feel free to let us know what you think! \r\n

Here at the Bill Plant School of Motoring we have thoroughly enjoyed our relationship with Hyundai.\n\nWe have used their vehicles the last 3 years, giving our students the very best in terms of quality and safety when learning to drive in the UK, and allowing parents to remain at ease knowing that not only are their children catered for by extremely highly qualified and impeccably professional driving instructors, but also safe in the knowledge that the vehicle used to practice the driving skills is voted one of the safest vehicles on our UK roads today!\n\nThe Hyundai i30 1.6 diesel CRDi 90 Classic ISG 5dr is the car used by the majority of the Bill Plant driving instructors today with a few of our instructors using the ix35 to teach their students, both the instructors and ourselves have nothing but praise to offer to Hyundai, their vehicles are fantastic.\n\nThe Bill Plant School of Motoring franchise has over 600 instructors nationwide, offering their specialist training to students up and down the country, and at price deals deemed unbeatable by some.\nThe ”5 for £56” is one of our most popular deals, and has been in circulation since Bill Plant himself began his driving school in 1993.\nThe price was 5 lessons for £56 then, and this price has carried through right up until present day, as such the value only increases as each day passes!\nCurrently the Bill Plant School of Motoring offers a regional offer of ”5 for £25” too, this is for those students in the Blackburn area at present, and this offer will migrate from region to region as time goes on; could this be an offer that stays just like the ”5 for £56” offer?\n\nThese offers coupled with the quality of instruction and vehicles used in the Bill Plant School of Motoring franchise have allowed us to grow and expand, letting us offer our unbeatable services to students up and down the country.\n\nIt gets better…\n\nBill Plant Ltd will be using Hyundai for some time to come, and with the brand new Hyundai i30 looming just around the corner, things really can only get better.\nWhatCar have this to say about Hyundai”s new i30:\n\n\n\n”This is Hyundai”s next i30, previewed in a design rendering ahead of its public debut at the Frankfurt motor show.\n\nThe new Focus-sized hatchback replaces the model introduced in 2007 and brings some of the styling cues that were introduced recently on Hyundai”s i40 Tourer, including a hexagonal front grille and pronounced ”shoulders” over the front wheelarches.\n\nHyundai has yet to release technical details, but we”d expect further efficiency gains over the current model, including a lean diesel variant that takes CO2 emissions under 100g/km.\n\nA hybrid or full electric i30 is unlikely in the near future, though; Hyundai has been trialling those technologies in other countries, but has concerns about customer demand for them in the UK.\n\nThe new i30 is due on sale early next year and is the first in a range of revamped models for Hyundai over the next 18 months.\n\nThe styling of the line-up – which also includes a new Santa Fe and i20, plus the Veloster coupe – is designed to be more ”emotional”, according to Hyundai Europe”s president Chang Kyung Han. ”The new generation is a real leap,” he said. ”The model line-up is moving forward emotionally and technically.”“\n\nTo the Bill Plant School of Motoring this is great news, not only will our students be learning their driving skills in one of the most stylish looking vehicles on the roads, but they will be safe, secure, environmentally friendly, and as always, in the very best of hands.\n\nFor more information or to ask us absolutely anything driving related, please do not hesitate to contact us;\n\nFREEPHONE number: 0330 555 2254\nEmail: info@billplant.co.uk

Reports are coming in thick and fast regarding the absolutely awful weather we”re having here in parts of the UK, and the flooding that is resulting up and down the country is causing problems for all, let alone the drivers. So far there are 30 flood warnings and 14 flood alerts throughout the UK.\r\nBBC reports that some areas have had in the last 24 hour period more rain than they have ever had in a similar time period – since records began!\r\n\r\nCheck your tyres, check your oil, your wipers, your lights, and everything else you want to check before heading out and about in your vehicle.\r\n\r\nAt the Bill Plant School of Motoring, all of our courses cover driving in wet conditions, led by professional instruction from highly qualified instructors, you can be sure that a spot of wet weather will not leave you panicked and not knowing how to handle the conditions thrust upon you.\r\n\r\nIf you want to brush up on your driving skills with one of our instructors, or even start your lessons with our amazing 5 lessons for £56 deal, please visit the website at www.billplant.co.uk\r\nAlternatively, call us on our FREEPHONE number 0330 555 2254

The Bill Plant School of Motoring has pledged its continued commitment to road safety, despite concern that financial pressures could lead to a rise in risks on the road.\r\n\r\nThere were 1,857 people killed in road accidents last year – 16 per cent fewer than in 2009 and the lowest since records began in 1992, according to provisional government figures released yesterday.\r\n\r\nSome analysts fear government spending cuts could reduce the number of accident reduction initiatives implemented by local authorities and other public bodies, and figures could rise.\r\n\r\nHowever, Bill Plant – the country’s third largest driving school – has vowed to maintain all current initiatives developed to train drivers to the highest possible standards, both before and after their test.\r\n\r\nThe company has already discontinued the enrolment of PDI’s (provisional driving instructors) and has confirmed that by winter 2011, all of its PDI’s will be expected to have passed exams to become fully-fledged approved driving instructors (ADIs), offering pupils the best possible training.\r\n\r\nIn addition, the company has also promised:\r\n\r\n• ADIs are offered continuing professional development (CPD) free of charge, to ensure the quality of instruction they offer remains of the highest possible standard.\r\n\r\n• Bill Plant – which trains a vast proportion of its own instructors and then offers each the opportunity to pass their knowledge down to learner drivers – will continue to equip ADIs with a handbook for each student, allowing them to keep a written reference of each one’s individual progress, ensuring they’re only put forward for tests when they’re ready.\r\n\r\n• The company’s fleet of Hyundai i30s – and, more recently, iX35s – are maintained to the highest level, covered by a manufacturers’ warranty, and are serviced every 20,000 miles.\r\n\r\n• Bill Plant will continue to offer training for all drivers in techniques used in poor weather such as snow, ice and fog. The sister-company, Corporate Driving Management Ltd works with the corporate sector, offering coaching to company vehicle drivers, enhancing road safety awareness and reducing company insurance premiums.\r\n\r\n• The company will continue to seek ways of working with council road safety teams to deliver road safety seminars to schools and youth groups, using the company’s own Billy Bee literature and merchandise.\r\n\r\n• The company remains committed to its road safety road show, touring towns and cities around the UK to promote the Bill Plant road safety initiatives. Upcoming venues for 2011 include Cornhill, Lincoln on the 9th August, Bolton on the 11th August, Great Yarmouth on the 13th August, and Kidderminster Market on the 18th August.\r\n\r\n“Obviously, we can’t maintain the good work alone – it has to be a partnership with other agencies,” said Bill Plant spokesman, ‘Robert Pallister’ “We hope that with our high-quality training, and by offering a helping hand to cash-strapped local authorities, we can do our bit to make the UK’s roads that bit safer”.\r\n\r\nMore information about driver training and road safety initiatives offered by the Bill Plant School of Motoring can be found online at www.billplant.co.uk or by calling our FREEPHONE number 0330 555 2254.\r\n

Radio 1’s Newsbeat has had quite a lot to say about driving schools over the last couple of weeks.\n\n \n\nFirst, the programme ran a story about the push to have only approved driving instructors take students out on the roads; today, the headlines are about a 19% decline in young learners since 2005 – the result of the higher costs of learning to drive and then running a car.\n\n \n\nWe’re pleased we’re a little ahead of the game on both counts at the Bill Plant School of Motoring.\n\n \n\nFor example, the company has announced just last month that it will only be recruiting ADIs in future, asking the company’s existing probationary instructors to step up to the mark and complete their training as soon as possible.\n\n \n\nMeanwhile, lessons with a Bill Plant instructor remain among the most competitively priced in the UK – a policy which has helped us grow since 1993 to become the UK’s third largest driving school with a reputation for going that extra mile.\n\n \n\nWe think five lessons for £56 is pretty fair but we don’t just offer cost-effective training that will help you shed your L plates as soon as possible. Our website includes free hazard perception training, an online theory test, tips on learning the highway code and how to prepare for your test, enhancing your chances of cutting your costs by passing first time.\n\n \n\nHowever, we’re committed to road safety and the long game and we hope students who pass their test with us will be back for coaching in how to cope with bad weather such as ice, snow and fog. After all, the quicker you persuade your insurer you’re safe on the roads, the quicker your insurance premiums will fall.\n\n \n\nWe can also teach even experienced motorists how to drive economically; we can’t do much about the cost of petrol and diesel, but the less you use the better – both in economical and environmental terms.\n\n \n\nIf you can’t afford a new car, you could always try our online road safety competition. Answer one simple question and you’re in with a chance of following in the footsteps of 17-year-old waitress Gemma Bellfield from Milton Keynes, who won a brand new Hyundai i30 in our draw in June.\n\n \n\nIn summary, Newsbeat’s story on the decline in young drivers is no surprise in the current economic climate – but, before you give up and resign yourself to endless commutes on the bus and the train, give us a call. We’d love to help if we can.\n\n 

A TEXT which cost a teenage waitress Gemma Bellfield a few pence has netted her a brand new car worth over £11,000 courtesy of the UK’s third largest driving school.\n\n\n\nThe 17-year-old sixth form student learned to drive with the Bill Plant School of Motoring, passing first time after safely negotiating the streets of her home town, Milton Keynes.\n\nBut, as well as teaching the rules of the road, the company has been offering drivers the chance to win a brand new Hyundai i3o Blue hatchback – if they could answer a simple road safety question.\n\nGemma entered after hearing about the competition from her Bill Plant instructor – but, when the call came to let her know of her success, she didn’t believe her luck.\n\n“I was at work at the time so I thought it was someone winding me up,” she said. “I rang my mum and asked her to ring them back so I didn’t find out it was all true until I finished my shift. \n\n“It was fantastic news and I think there may have been a bit of screaming – but a brand new car is going to make such a difference. I was going to have my mum’s old one but she’ll be able to sell that and make a bit of money.\n\n“The new car also means I can work longer shifts as I don’t have to worry about walking home in the dark anymore – so I’ll be better off as well. My friends are really jealous and keep telling me they wish they had won but they’ll have to settle for a few lifts.”\n\nBill Plant ……………………… Jake Plant joined Hyundai’s UK sales and operations director, Guy Pigounakis, to hand Gemma the keys to her new pride and joy at the Milton Keynes Hyundai dealership on Watling Street.\n\n“We like to offer our students that little bit more – and we’re delighted the car has ended up going to someone like Gemma who will really benefit from it,” said Mr Plant.\n\n“It’s great to really make a difference in someone’s life – so there’s every chance we’ll be running another competition with Hyundai in future.”\n\nMr Pigounakis was also delighted the car was going to a new driver who otherwise may have found the cost of a new vehicle prohibitive.\n\n“The competion helps to highlight the fantastic relationship we enjoy with the Bill Plant Driving School but I’m really pleased for Gemma and delighted the car is going to a good home.\n\nThere is a now a new competition which you can enter for free online CLICK HERE\n

Fleet decision-makers were today advised that if they haven’t already done everything they can to manage driver risk, now is the time. This follows the announcement of the UK’s first ever criminal conviction and fine for corporate manslaughter.\r\n\r\nCotswold Geotechnical Holdings has just been convicted of the death of 27-year-old geologist Alex Wright, who died in September 2008 when a trench in which he was working collapsed. As a result his employer has been fined £385,000 – less than suggested by the Sentencing Guidelines Council but still a huge sum for a small company.\r\n\r\nAccording to Essential Risk Consultancy (ERC), this is exactly the wake-up call that some organisations need.\r\n\r\nDavid Faithful, lawyer for ERC, comments: “Despite years of warnings, many companies are still woefully under-protected when it comes to managing driver risk. As this case demonstrates, failure to do everything possible to keep employees safe can lead to appalling publicity and a massive fine.\r\n\r\n“Every organisation with employees who drive for work needs to carry out a comprehensive risk assessment and do whatever they can to reduce risk. Otherwise the next conviction we read about may well be for the unlawful death of a business driver.”\r\n\r\nJeremy Hay, managing director of Essential Risk Consultancy, adds: “Managing fleet risk should be top of the agenda. It reduces costs, means drivers spend less time off the road and satisfies the organisation’s duty of care to its employees.\r\n\r\n“The Alex Wright case makes for shocking reading. According to the Crown Prosecution Service, Mr Wright’s death ‘would never have happened if Cotswold Geotechnical Holdings had properly protected him.’ No fleet should risk having the same said about it.”

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.\r\n\r\nBill Plant is always looking at ways to assist and invest in his franchisee to help them progress as well as the company.\r\n\r\nI would highly recommend the Bill Plant Group as a franchise opportunity.\r\n\r\nDerek Diamond, London\r\n\r\nAs 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.\r\n\r\n Andy Boden, Sheffield\r\n\r\nI 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.\r\n\r\nJust 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\r\n\r\n Michelle Billing, Hampshire\r\n\r\nI 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.\r\n\r\nI 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.\r\n\r\n Angela Gardner, Cumbernauld, Scotland

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• Leading driving school, Bill Plant orders 600 Hyundai i30s

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• All feature diesel and ISG stop-start for lower emissions and fuel consumption

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• Replaces fleet of i20s

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\r\nHyundai 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.\r\n\r\nThe 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.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n“You’ve got to have the right car for the instructors and pupils,” said Jake Plant, general manager at Bill Plant.\r\n\r\n“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.”\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n \r\n\r\nLearner 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.\r\n\r\nJake 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.”\r\n\r\nGuy 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.”\r\n\r\nFor more information please contact:\r\n\r\nJodie Davies\r\n\r\n01494 428694 Jodie.davies@hyundai-car.co.uk

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• Leading driving school, Bill Plant orders 600 Hyundai i30s

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• All feature diesel and ISG stop-start for lower emissions and fuel consumption

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• Replaces fleet of i20s

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\nHyundai 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.\n\nThe 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.\n\n“You’ve got to have the right car for the instructors and pupils,” said Jake Plant, general manager at Bill Plant.\n\n“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.”\n\nLearner 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.\n\nJake 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.”\n\nGuy 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.”\n\nFor more information please contact:\n\nJodie Davies\n\n01494 428694 Jodie.davies@hyundai-car.co.uk

There is even more reason to sign up with Bill Plant and become a driving instructor as we”re now offering a free corporate / fleet driver training course worth over £1000.\n

To qualify for the free fleet trainer’s course, you need to have successfully completed parts 1, 2 & 3 of the ADI training and also to have taken on the Bill Plant driving instructor franchise.

\nAs a fleet instructor, you will be involved with going into companies and representing Bill Plant Corporate Driver Management. This means you will be taking company vehicle drivers, ranging from the MD of multi site companies to the person driving the delivery vehicles or staff transport. The job is to ensure that they are able to drive as safely as possible and that they have fulfilled the legal training requirements. This may also involve SAFED training, which is for safe and fuel efficient driving, meaning that companies can save substantial amounts on their annual fuel bills and drastically reduce accident rates.\n\nThe beauty of being a fleet trainer, is that currently less than 5% of the instructors in the UK have this qualification, and whilst it dovetails nicely with instructing learners, it allows you teach on a different level and have additional qualifications.

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

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: \n\n