Nine-hour days for drivers
Page 34
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SINCE the introduction of the eight-hour driving day, drivers and vehicles, thanks to low haulage rates, are being overstretched in an attempt to obtain the necessary daily earnings to survive in this very competitive industry.
The result is that fuel consumption and wear and tear on vehicles are much greater, shortening the lives of both driver and vehicle. Drivers and employers are becoming more and more irritated week by week.
The present 11-hour duty time is ample and should remain. However, it would take the pressure off all concerned if the daily driving time was extended to nine hours per day, bearing in mind there are many, throughout the country, paying scant attention to the driving hours regulations.
Most hauliers are finding great difficulty financing the purchase of new replacement trucks. Many are totally dependent on the second-hand market, hence the quality of trucks, espeically in the tipping industry, is deteriorating. Hauliers, large and small, should highlight the need for a nine-hour driving day.
The present rates in our industry can best be described as deplorable.
Hauliers if they intend staying in business would be well advised to exchange their begging bowls for an oldfashioned ready reckoner. Commonsense and discussion with customers would go a long way to help remedy the present situation.
JOHN HUTCHISON John Hutchison & Son (Haulage) Dunfermline