Owners & Drivers Voluntary Competency Scheme

As part of its objective of ‘preserving our heritage with steam on the road’ the NTET operates a Voluntary ‘Traction Engine Driver Competency Scheme’.

This entirely voluntary scheme requires its particpants to demonstrate, either by examination or by qualifying experience, their ability to safely manage and control an engine, on the road and on the rally field, in a safe and considerate manner. Successful participants are awarded a ‘Certificate of Competency’.

Participants may choose either of two principal options to gain a ‘Certificate of Competency’.

Option 1 – Qualify by Examination

This option examines the skills of individual drivers/operators of portable and road going steam powered vehicles against a benchmark score. A ‘Certificate of Competency’ is awarded to those drivers/operators scoring above the benchmark.
Where a driver/operator attains points above a second, higher, threshold and these are combined with good communicating skills and an eye for detail then the individual could be invited to take the assessors’ examination.

Click on the link here for more details on the Examination Route to the ‘Certificate of Competency’.

Option 2 – Qualify by Experience
This option is open to drivers/operators who can demonstrate more than 750hrs experience in raising steam and managing and driving an engine under widely varying conditions and who do not wish to be subjected to an examination.

Two sponsors are required to vouch-safe the application and 3 officials of events attended by more than 1,000 members of the public are required to provide a clean safety record.

Click on the link here to view or download Competency Scheme Outline leaflet.  This pdf document contains more information and an application form.

More Information?

For more details of either route view the ‘Competency Scheme Outline’ or to request hard copies of the information send a message to the Administrator, competency@ntet.co.uk