August 2, 2022
Each month in MOT Juice CPD training, we build your training material around questions submitted by our Tribe. These are real-world scenario-based questions and problems identified by other testers on the job. Peer-to-peer training and industry community building have proven to help create a well-rounded training experience, particularly when it comes to CPD.
Some of these CPD questions come from ambiguity in the DVSA guidelines. Often a community effort to reach a majority verdict on how best to interpret these can be helpful. Where appropriate, we feed this information to DVSA to request further clarification on any particularly tricky topics.
Our CPD offering is a fantastic way to leverage peer-to-peer learning and connect with a larger testing community. We feel this well-rounded training is essential to build testers’ confidence on the job and in preparation for the DVSA-required annual assessment. We sometimes include a survey in our CPD offering, to gauge how effective the training is.
Surveys we include in CPD include polls of opinions on how to interpret a controversial point, to discover how valuable a particular training is or to gauge a base level of understanding the testing community has on a specific subject. These surveys provide us with valuable data to help us continue providing top-notch training specifically relevant to your needs as testers.
Here is a recent survey we posted to motorbike testers on ‘headlamp aiming screens.’ The question, submitted by a very experienced member of our testing community was:
“I have been a tester for about 22 years, and I have never noticed that there is a thing called ‘a headlamp aiming screen’.
In the training, just in case we get questions about this in the annual exam, we asked our training audience to take a moment to read the provided guidance for using ‘a headlamp aiming screen.’
We then asked them to answer any of the answers which seemed to fit with their testing process, assuring them there were no wrong answers and requested that if anyone uses a headlamp aiming screen to please send in a photo of it.
More than half of respondents, 58%, had never heard of this bit of kit, preferring to use the more modern beam setter equipment to calibrate motorcycle headlamps.
Just over 40% of respondents still used the old school headlamp aiming screen, although only 1 in 5 of them did so because they found it more efficient. The remaining 4 in 5 of them preferred using it for reasons undisclosed.
Thankfully, no-one had never heard of the more popular beam setter equipment.
No-one voted for joke answer no 2, ‘My grandad used to use one’. We included this to highlight just how old skool the ‘headlamp aiming screen’ has become within the industry.
What was interesting from this survey was just how many of you guys are still using a ‘headlamp aiming screen’ by choice, but for reasons other than you find it quicker. We love to know more about what your reasons are for this. Leave us a comment below.
The first person to send us in a photo of a ‘headlamp aiming screen’ will get a free limited edition MOT Juice Tribe ‘22 T-shirt.
Have you heard of or used a ‘headlamp aiming screen’ when calibrating a motorcycle headlamp?
Is there a case for old skool equipment being fully retired from the testing process when a newer bit of kit takes its place in the MOT bay?
We would love to hear your thoughts on all of this. Leave us your comments below.
All the best. Team MOT Juice.
