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Stephen Moffat Driver Cockermouth Lake District Owner-drivers should remain outside
Page 31
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of the regulations and be free to choose what hours they work, as long as they still comply with drivers' hours and tachograph regulations, says Stephen Moffat.
He would like to see the whole thing scrapped for all drivers whether they are employed or self-employed.
"This is meant to be a free country, and if somebody wants to work 70 hours a week, that should be up to them," he says.
Moffat believes owner-drivers need the flexibility to work longer hours because the rates they get working for big firms rarely makes a 48-hour week commercially viable.
Worse still, forcing them to comply would speed up the rate at which older, experienced drivers are abandoning the industry depriving road transport of a wealth of training talent.
"I've been in this job for 24 years. When I learned to drive, it was from older, more experienced drivers. But the people teaching young drivers these days are not up to the job the standard of driving I see is appalling."