Adam Purshall Head of engineering and compliance TM Logistics
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Martley, Worcestershire After a lot of initial anxiety, says Purshall, the road haulage industry appeared to adapt to the new working time restrictions with remarkable ease.
But only after it forked out a sizeable tranche of money training drivers, informing customers and gearing up administration systems to cope with the new regulations, In the end, he says, the flexibility provided by POAs means the 48-hour week has had little or no real impact on the Industry as whole.
That, and the fact that nobody appears to be policing compliance, makes something of a mockery of the whole thing.
"Initially, VOSA said it was taking a softtouch approach and that It was looking to educate hauliers, rather than actively enforce the regulations.
"But five years on, I am not aware of any case law involving prosecutions for working time offences.
"It might be more meaningful if they did actually enforce them. The regulations are here to stay, so if anything they should be enforced more widely so there is more of a level playing fled.
"For example, if the legislation is genuinely safety-driven, then it should apply equally to all drivers, including the self-employed."