1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172 
d T M im uc e h p h i a r s eo b t e iv e e n w Th r i itt si e s n o a o b t out t u h t e tb d 0 00m- D lad it e i n s Working
Page 52
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
trying to make something positive come out of it.
Without any doubt, the already serious shortage of drivers is going to become chronic, driving up actual wages while in many cases reducing vehicle productivity, unless positive steps are taken.
The survivors and winners from this European nonsense will be those operators who, to an unprecedented extent, can get together with both their customers and their drivers to find ways of counteracting the negative effects of the Directive. With customers there will be a unique need to rethink loading and unloading times, delivery schedules, depot locations and anything which could add to the productivity of every minute that a truck spends working.
With drivers, there is an equally fundamental need to rethink the whole approach to making theirjob a more attractive proposition, not only in terms of financial reward but also—and perhaps even more significantly—in terms ofjob satisfaction across a range of factors.
These will embrace the vehicle itself, the environment in which it is operated, and the organisation of the work it is required to do and also the status of the driver, his responsibilities, level of authority and future prospects and security.
All too obviously, the key to this will be training, but of whom? No marks for guessing that it will be the driver, but first and foremost it will necessitate a sea-change in the attitude and approach of employers.
One can read today of numerous cases of enlightened employers with positive Human Resource policies which they can demonstrate have very beneficial results, both for themselves and their drivers.
But these are in the minority, and only if their example is followed by everyone will this huge problem be overcome.
Realistically, the underlying question employers are asking is what it will cost them. Looked at negatively, the ultimate cost of doing nothing could well be going out of business—and sadly, a number of hauliers already regard this as their eventual fate.
More positively, there are in fact potential cost benefits from training. These can be obtained in two ways: benefits from training the driver to drive more skilfully; and benefits from training the driver to understand the business in which he/she is working and how his/her input can improve business performance.
Training drivers in these ways can genuinely make your profits grow. According to our cost calculations, fuel typically takes 30% of your revenue. Good driving can save 5-10% on fuel, an increase in your profit of 2%. Repairs and tyres typically take another 15% of revenue. A similar improvement in driving techniques could yield you another 1% of profit.
Insurance premiums have seen the biggest rise in rates of any cost over recent years and are now typically 5% of revenue. Good driving results in a better claims experience and lower premium of anything up to 20%. That's another 1% of profit!
You can help your employees understand your business in several ways. The key to success is productivity, or utilisation of your vehicles and their drivers.
Every day extra on the road earning revenue will save you 11 for every other day of the vehicle's earning time. Your driver can help this to happen, if he understands what is at stake.
Quite apart from gaining the loyalty of skillful drivers and achieving the profit improvements they can deliver, you are likely to be able to obtain some funding for the necessary training. For further details on training and funding, contact the Road Transport and Distribution Training Council , on 01908 313360.