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In search of the professionals
Page 17
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CM's new series brings you alternative views from experts who are allied to road transport. This week Maxine Raphael, of Maxine Raphael Specialist Transport, ponders the problems of finding truly professional drivers.
Based in the South of England we've had major problems recruiting decent drivers. Recently one interviewee told us he had 'problems with map reading', but assured me he'd buy a sat-nay aid so it wouldn't be a problem. He told me he'd been a professional driver for 24 years so we took him on.
It left me wondering how anyone could rely on sat-nay to pass themselves off as a "professional driver" when they have little or no experience or basic navigational skills.
Unfortunately, he wasn't a one-off. We've experienced a huge turnover in the past 18 months with drivers damaging vehicles, using tachographs incorrectly, being unable to complete simple paperwork. and driving in bus lanes.
So I've compiled a company handbook giving guidelines on everything from payloads to professional conduct. I'm thinking of marketing it to other companies to provide some protection against morons masquerading as professional drivers. It could become a best-seller.