PDTU & FAQ

Professional Driver Training Uganda (PDTU), a project under Safe Way Right Way is working towards bridging the gender inequality gap and to encourage women to sign up for Heavy Goods Vehicle Driver Training. Safe Way Right Way has as such offered the training of women drivers for free but this is only for a limited period of time. This has attracted very passionate and committed women like Annet Tuhirirwe.

Annet Tuhirirwe is a 38-year-old mother of one. She is very passionate about transport and also very adventurous; always ready to try something new whenever the chance presents itself. “Whatever comes along I will always give it a try and so I thought why not give professional driving a try” Annet has worked in various jobs over the years and she describes herself as a versatile person always ready to take up a new challenge.

“I found out about PDTU from my brother who had completed his training at the facility. When he got to know of the offer that was being given to women, and he asked if I would be interested”, Annet says her family was very supportive when she informed them of her decision to start the training. She then visited the driver training center in Mukono where she was assessed and enrolled to begin her training in driving Heavy Good Vehicles in April 2019.

During the four weeks training course, Annet learnt so much about safe driving which she had not learnt in her initial driver training. She says “it was a fresh experience for me. I managed to learn more about driving, the instructors were very professional and friendly. They always highlighted the possible outcomes of any error done while driving. They taught with a lot of passion, often sharing their personal experiences since they have been in the industry longer”.

Annet now holds a CM driving permit and is looking for jobs where she can drive CM trucks. She says she is patient and she knows that the job will eventually come through.

Annet says Safe Way Right Way’s initiative of giving women free training is a good one and she hopes that other women can take her example and join the training because it will upgrade their driving skills and boost their chances for gaining better employment. She however says that women fail to join the training because they are afraid of big trucks and most of them consider professional driving as a job for men. Annet says that companies should also look at competence and stop focusing on the gender as this reduces the chances of women getting Jobs.

Safe Way Right Way is committed to improving road a safety in Uganda and driver training is one of the ways that this will be achieved therefore would like to encourage men and women who may be interested to drive Heavy Good Vehicles to sign up for this training which is based on the Standardised EAC curriculum.