What does the industry think?
Page 20
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Chris Roe Managing director Alert HGV Training Leicester Roe says he hopes the new rules will go some way to improving standards among transport managers in general. In his training capacity, he sees evidence that many inexperienced managers, with little or no knowledge of what it’s like to sit behind the wheel of a truck, are putting too much pressure on drivers to get jobs done.
“They are being put under so much pressure that accidents do occur,” he says. “A lot of drivers are not getting the rest they are entitled to. Many managers don’t really know what it’s like to drive these vehicles. Some are very good operators because they actually sat behind the wheel, but I would say about 80 % don’t have a clue, and some of them will be working under someone else’s CPC.
“OK, they can call on their help when they need to, but the rest of the time they just do what the computer tells them to do.” The international register, Roe adds, is long overdue.
“Let’s say a Polish driver gets his licence taken away by the police here; when he gets back home he can just claim he lost it and get a replacement. A week later he’s back in the UK because there is no central database for authorities to check.” Ed Pargeter Director EP Training Leatherhead, Surrey Pargeter believes the part-time crackdown to be “a good thing”.
“I remember one tribunal where the guy was from Essex and was in charge of trucks belonging to someone in Yorkshire,” he says. “He was asked to explain how he could ensure compliance for a fleet that was so far away.” Pargeter’s concern is how firms can keep an accurate record of hours worked per centre and how these will be policed, other than coming up at a tribunal.