Frequently asked
The questions we are actually asked
Every answer is on this page. If your question is not answered below, send it — we would rather answer it once here than twenty times on the phone.
Accredited Driving Training Centres
- What is an ADTC?
- An Accredited Driving Training Centre (ADTC) is a training centre accredited by the State Transport Authority under Rules 31B to 31J of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which came into effect on 1 July 2021. An ADTC is held to a higher standard of infrastructure, curriculum and instructor qualification than an ordinary driving school, and is authorised to conduct the driving-skill test on its own premises.
- How does an ADTC differ from an ordinary driving school?
- An ordinary driving school established under Rule 24 issues Form 5 on completion, which does not exempt the holder from the driving test at the RTO. An ADTC issues Form 5B under Rule 31E, which does exempt the holder from the driving test prescribed under the proviso to Rule 15(2). An ADTC is also required to operate a driving simulator and an automated test track, neither of which an ordinary driving school needs.
- Do I still need to visit the RTO after completing the course?
- Not for the driving test. The driving-skill test is conducted at our centre and the result is recorded against your application. The driving licence itself continues to be issued by the licensing authority, as it must be by law.
- What documents are required to enrol?
- A valid Learner's Licence for the class of vehicle, an Aadhaar card, two passport-size photographs, and a medical fitness certificate in Form 1A. For the HMV programme, applicants must also meet the driving-experience requirement set by the licensing authority.
Courses, duration and fees
- How long is the LMV programme?
- The Light Motor Vehicle programme runs for 29 hours across 4 weeks: 8 hours of classroom instruction and 21 hours of in-vehicle and simulator instruction, concluding in a driving-skill test on the automated test track.
- How long is the HMV programme?
- The Heavy Motor Vehicle programme runs for 38 hours across 6 weeks: 16 hours of classroom instruction and 22 hours of in-vehicle and simulator instruction, covering heavy vehicle dynamics, load securing and highway driving.
- What are the course fees?
- For the nine courses an accredited centre runs, the State Transport Authority set a ceiling by notification in 2023, inclusive of GST — ₹6,000 for LMV, ₹10,000 for HMV, and between ₹500 and ₹10,000 for the rest. No centre in Uttar Pradesh may ask for more than that, ours included, and the whole table is printed on the ADTC page so you can check. An individual learner pays what is in the table. A batch is quoted against its size, its locations and its dates, and can come in under the ceiling — against a purchase order or as a tender bid. The dangerous goods and industrial safety courses at Varanasi run under a different licence and are not in that schedule at all; those we quote on enquiry, per head for a fleet batch and according to whether it runs at our centre or at your site.
- What is included in the fee?
- Included: classroom instruction, simulator sessions, use of the test track, the driving-skill test, and issue of the certificate. Not included: the statutory fees payable to the licensing authority for the learner’s licence, the driving licence and the endorsement, which you pay directly to that authority; the Form 1A medical certificate from a registered practitioner; and travel or accommodation. We add nothing to the agreed fee once you are enrolled. A re-test, if one is needed, is priced and told to you before it is scheduled.
HAZMAT training
- Who is required to complete this training?
- Under Rule 9 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, a driver engaged in the carriage of hazardous or dangerous goods must have successfully completed a course connected with the transport of such goods. This applies to drivers of petroleum, LPG, chemical, corrosive and other regulated consignments, whether they are employed by a fleet, driving for a transporter, or operating independently.
- How long is the course?
- The initial training course — 3 Days Training Program for Drivers Carrying Hazardous Goods and Substances — runs over three consecutive days at our Varanasi centre. Four shorter courses run there too: Safety Training for Tanker Truck Driver and Helper, Defensive Driving and Road Safety, Fire Safety and Emergency Response, and First Aid and CPR.
- Does every course at Varanasi put an endorsement on my licence?
- No. Only the three-day Rule 9 course does. It concludes in the certificate on which the licensing authority places the hazardous goods endorsement, and no other course at the centre puts anything on a driving licence. The four shorter courses exist for a different reason: they are built by our own trainers against the Central Motor Vehicles Rules and the Oil Industry Safety Directorate's standards, each for a particular skill the work asks for — handling a tanker, reading a road, fighting a fire, keeping somebody alive until the ambulance arrives. They conclude in this centre's certificate, which is what an employer, a contractor and a safety audit need. One course exists because the law requires it; the other four because the job does.
- What does the certificate allow me to do?
- The training certificate is the basis on which the State Transport Department endorses the carriage of hazardous goods on your driving licence. The endorsement, not the certificate alone, is what authorises you to drive a goods carriage carrying dangerous goods. The driver applies for it in writing to the licensing authority where he resides, under Rule 9(2) and 9(3).
- Can the course be conducted at our own premises?
- Yes. Any course in our catalogue can be delivered on site at a refinery, depot, terminal or office for a full batch of drivers and helpers. Contact us to discuss batch size and scheduling.
- Do you train drivers from outside Uttar Pradesh?
- Yes. Drivers and transporters from across India attend the Varanasi programmes, as do drivers and operators from Nepal.
Certification and licences
- Is Form 5B recognised outside Uttar Pradesh?
- Form 5B is prescribed under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, which apply nationally. It is issued by centres accredited under those rules and is recognised on that basis.
- How long does the licence take to arrive?
- Once the driving-skill test has been passed and the result recorded, processing and dispatch of the licence rests with the licensing authority and typically takes 7 to 15 working days, depending on that authority's workload.
- How is the hazardous goods endorsement renewed?
- The Central Motor Vehicles Rules prescribe the course and the endorsement under Rule 9 but do not themselves fix a validity for it — renewal follows the driving licence the endorsement is placed on, and is processed through the concerned State Transport Department. Tell us when the licence is due and we will advise on what is required.
General
- How do I check that a certificate is genuine?
- Three ways, and all three reach the same record. Every certificate we issue carries a QR code — scanning it opens the verification page for that certificate. If you are reading a paper copy, go to app.saferoad.in/a/verify and enter the certificate number, with its prefix, and the holder's date of birth exactly as it appears on the driving licence. The date of birth is asked for so that nobody can work through certificate numbers and collect the names against them. If you would rather have it in writing — a transporter or an employer keeping it on file, for instance — write to verify@saferoad.in with the certificate number and we will confirm it by reply.
- Where are your centres?
- Our head office and dangerous goods training centre is at Varanasi. Our Accredited Driving Training Centres at Sonbhadra and Bhadohi are operational. Three more are under construction across three districts of Uttar Pradesh and will open in due course.
- What are your working hours?
- Monday to Saturday, 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM IST. We are closed on government holidays. Training is scheduled in morning and afternoon batches.
- How do I enrol?
- Send us an enquiry through the contact form, or call or message us on WhatsApp. We will confirm the next batch date, the fee, and the documents to bring.
Still not answered? Ask, even if you are not buying.
We get asked what the rules require far more often than we get asked for a quotation, and we answer both the same way. If we cannot help, we will say who can.