100 new HGV drivers to be trained by Bedford business - plus 42 jobs up for grabs

With the HGV driver shortage continuing to bite, one Bedford company has decided to take matters into its own hands - by launching an academy to train 100 new drivers.

Copart is poised to launch its Driver Academy in partnership with HGVC, which will see the 100 drivers trained over the next 12 months.

And if that wasn't enough the company is also recruiting for 42 vacancies across Wootton, Franklin Court on the Priory Business Park in Bedford, and its Operation Centre in Sandy.

There are also plans to expand the Sandy Operation Centre next year - which is its fourth largest in the country and currently employs around 80 people.

Unless you've had the misfortune of being involved in a car accident, you might not be familiar with Copart.

The company, which operates in 11 centres worldwide, recovers around 400,000 vehicles a year and primarily works for the motor insurance sector.

It currently counts 21 of the top 25 motor insurers among its customers.

Some of the recovered cars are sold in an online auction, while others are disposed of through means such as crushing, or recycling.

Paula Varley, Account Director, has been working for Copart for 30 years.

She explained: "In terms of careers it could be anything from working in the operations centres picking up vehicles or out in the yard receiving them, through to the office side of things whether that's back office or customer-facing.

"It's very much about making sure we have got people in our business that care about the customers. We're very proud of that fact. It's very much 'customer first'.

"It's a great place to work. The culture of the business is great and there are a lot of career paths here."

Richard Howe,Head of Central Operations, added: "A lot of our customers are somewhat vulnerable. It's quite distressing to be without your car and have had an accident. Very few people have had the misfortune of having written their vehicle off so we have to support them through that. It's a very confusing time so we do what we can to make it simpler for our customers.

"We have 17-year-olds on apprenticeships to 72-year-olds - we have a fantastic diversity in terms of our team, which is lovely."

Roles currently available at Copart are:

Franklin Court, Priory Business Park, Bedford

Claims Settlement Advisors

Claims Settlement Team Leader

Wootton, Bedford

Accounts Receivable Credit Controllers x2

Banking Analyst Assistant

Buyer

Senior Marketing Manager

Marketing Executive x 2 (Digital and B2B)

Events Manager

Member Complaints Coordinator

Complaints Resolution Supervisor

Member Services Administrators x9

Account Manager, East Anglia (Regional Sales)

Trainer

Administrator

Sandy Operation Centre

Customer Service Advisors x2

Yard Operatives x2

HGV/LGV Drivers x5