Driver trainer: Heavy machinery licensing system is 'horribly broken'

Newshub recently revealed how some of the people responsible for testing heavy machinery drivers were also helping those drivers cheat in the tests.

A driver trainer with years of experience has come forward, putting his career at risk to blow the whistle.

Lee Hurley, 66, describes the system as "horribly broken", and says he quit one organisation after being instructed to sign blank certificates.

"I was personally asked to sign blank certificates for a company in the South Island.

"Their excuse was in case there's a mishap or something we can reissue it."

He complained about blank certificates and cheating, including giving students the answers, in a letter to New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) but says nothing happened.

In another example, he says a group sitting a truck licence was assessed in a car because a truck wasn't available.

And he's seen truck assessments done without any load, so, without a trailer.

"You get somebody out there in a class five truck weighing 44 tonnes and he doesn't know how to drive it, I don't want to be coming the other way, do you?"

Mr Hurley approached Newshub after it was revealed 22 providers failed audits in the past two years.

The revelations follow a review by KPMG last year which found serious problems with NZTA's licensing system.

Mr Hurley says even a test on how to transport dangerous goods has flawed, contradictory questions and answers.

He reckons the audit system is partly to blame because they are not done regularly enough.

But Transport Minister Simon Bridges says he doesn't accept that the system is "a joke".

"What I do accept is that there were some pretty serious problems there."

Mr Hurley says the minister is "wrong".

"His system is broken and he needs to address it."

Mr Bridges says NZTA has assured him there will be changes.

"In this particular area they'll be sharpening up their act substantially."

NZTA confirmed it did receive complaints from Mr Hurley about two different course providers.

It says they were followed up and the agency did find what it described as a number of "minor issues" with each provider.

But it says it didn't share the details of what it found because of privacy issues.

Both operators complained about are still in business and still issuing certificates.

NZTA says it's taking the issues found in the audits "extremely seriously" and will be introducing spot audits as a way to crackdown on substandard operators.

If you have any information you wish to pass on, contact Michael Morrah at michaelmorrah@mediaworks.co.nz.

Newshub.