UK Driving School Goes Electric with DAF Trucks

Portsmouth-based 2 Start Training has become the first UK commercial vehicle driving school to add battery-electric tractors, two DAF XD 350 FT Electrics.

For most learner HGV drivers, the first lessons come with a soundtrack: a diesel engine, an instructor raising his voice over it, and a lot of nerves. At 2 Start Training, the soundtrack has gone. The Portsmouth-based multi-discipline logistics training provider took delivery of two DAF XD 350 FT 4×2 Electric tractors in May 2026, one in Jamaica Blue and one in Flame Red, and became the first UK driving school to put plug-in tractors into its training fleet. They joined a fleet of 36 DAFs across the company’s depots.

After several months of lessons, the company says the choice works on more than one level.

“We ran the figures, and it made sense. Not only the headline figure, but the reduced running costs too.”

Said Paul Moon, Managing Director of 2 Start Training.

Quieter cabs, faster starts at the roundabout

The arguments that matter in a driving school are not the ones a haulier would list first. Noise is one.

“It’s so much nicer for both pupil and instructor to not battle to be heard over a diesel engine. Especially in those early sessions where confidence isn’t as strong.”

Explained Moon.

For learners, a quieter cab means clearer communication with instructors, making the first lessons less stressful and helping build confidence behind the wheel.

“One of the biggest failure points in the Class 1 test is blocking roundabouts because it takes so long to build up speed, so being able to get going more quickly really does matter,”

Added Moon.

With instant torque from the electric driveline, learners can pull away from a junction more decisively, which helps exactly at the point where many fail.

525 kWh, charged overnight from a 3-phase socket

The XD 350 FT Electric delivers 350 kW from 525 kWh of battery packs, for a range of up to 300 miles between charges. It accepts up to 325 kW, enough to take the batteries from 20 to 80% in under an hour. 2 Start Training does not need that speed: it charges overnight with a PACCAR PacMobile portable charger plugged into its existing 3-phase supply. The PACCAR EX-D2 power unit uses twin electric motors, which also act as retarder and regenerative brake, with a fully automated three-speed gearbox.

There was a learning curve, Moon admits, but it was short. The school also sees a recruitment angle.

“They’re different, attract interest in 2 Start Training and help to incentivise trucking to a new generation.”

Said Moon.

For an industry short of drivers, training them on the trucks they are likely to drive in the future may prove as useful as any marketing campaign. The company is under no pressure to replace the rest of its fleet yet, but Moon expects more electric DAFs to follow as the range develops.

UK Driving School Goes Electric with DAF Trucks published on The HeavyQuip Magazine.