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John Bell Transport manager Huntapac Produce Preston, Lancs No fan
Page 30
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of the working time rules, John Bell sides with those who believe ownerdrivers should remain exempt from them, "The problem is who is going to monitor the hours they put in? In addition, for a lot of owner-drivers, their main job may not be driving at all, but other types of work that may not even be related to transport" Bell's point is that if you run your own
truck, there's a large grey area between what counts as work and what doesn't, Would going to a commercial vehicle show, for example, be classed as business or pleasure? He adds: "A lot of drivers go to those sorts of things in their own time. But if you're an owner-driver, does that count as working time?"
And Bell also fears that if the goal of the regulations is to crack down on tired and unsafe drivers, it's something of a sledgehammer to crack a nut.
"Some owner-drivers do take the mickey, but they are few and far between."