Give Drivers a Square Deal
Page 24
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By Edward Thorpe -An Operator, who was Formerly a Driver, Gives His Views on the Important Questions of Catering and .AceOminodation Particularly for Men on Long-distance Work
THERE was a letter in " The Commercial„ Motor' for February 13, signed "Fairplay," in which stress was laid on the accommodation provided for drivers and operators of road transport.
As a driver-operator covering a period from 1910, when I started as .a trailer lad on steam wagons, to the present day, I feel that this is a subject that wants a great deal of airing, in fact, it wants more than that, it wants reconstructing altogether..
Now that most • of the associations are gathered together to work for the betterment of the industry, I think that they will be strong enough to do quite a lot collectively, and might I suggest that they could do a bit to make the employee's lot better while he is away from home-.
To begin with, a start should be made with the licensed houses; many of the landlords of these premises seem to think that these houses have been placed in a favourable position merely to make profits out of the sale of drinks, and to have lost sight of the fundamental fact that the licences were granted for the convenience of the travelling public. In hundreds of cases breweries have bought up licences and done away with the accommodation for rest by putting up fancy roadhouses with ballrooms, etc., so that no room is left for fulfilling their original purpose, that of providing accommodation for the traveller.
Now, sir, these associations of ours have enough paid solicitors among them to see that this point is not lost sight of when plans are placed before the licensing justices for alteration. They could jog the above gentlemen's minds, so that suitable accommodation will be provided.
All his life my late father was a 'strong advocate for alterations to be made to better the driver's lot, and never lost an opportunity of trying to push this home, either at meetings in London or elsewhere.
Satisfactory Rest Houses Are Few and Far Between Again, take the so-called roadhouse that our employees are forced, and I mean that word, to use. I myself have been in hundreds; some are all right,
but they are few and far between. Certain publichouses still provide good beds and food, •but they also are few, and I know for a fact that many drivers run miles out of their way to stay at these places. They even send letters and telegrams days beforehand to reserve beds when they know that they will be in the vicinity of good rest houses.
Your correspondent is quite correct in his remarks about the charges, they are a racket, and I would like to know the percentage of illness that is caused among drivers by having to drink tea that is not fit for consumption, badly cooked and served food, in filthy surroundings, because there is nowhere else to go.
Consider beds; honestly, Mr. Editor, I could, like many others, make your hair curl, by giving details of A22 those pieces of furniture on which we are supposed to take our rest; heaven only knows when they are cleaned or the so-called linen changed, and one shudders to think who occupied them last, or what they may have su,,ffered from. Many of the people who own these places must think, if they are at all capable of such a simple effort, that the majority of transport operators must live in pigsties at home; in fact, in some areas, the sanitary authorities would not allow you to keep pigs under such conditions. I am not exaggerating the position in any shape or form ; I feel that this matter is so bad that 'drastic measures will have to be taken to get it remedied.
Transport Managers Should Jnvestigate Conditions on the Spot
Now as to the operators and owners of the vehicles. I run my own, and, I say that there are hundreds of managers in the industry who have never taken the trouble to put on a suit of overalls and gone out with their men to see and study conditions for themselves, to find out what their drivers and mates have to put up with, perhaps for a week or more at a time. After all, these managers have to rely on their employees to carry out their orders, and bring in the revenue, and a man when he leaves the yard, knowing full well the particular conditions on that particular run, does not go away with the light heart that many of the newspaper-article writers would have us believe. it may he reasonably good on a regular run, but dodge about a bit and then see.
Here is my suggestion. When things are once more settled, the associations should get together and try to hammer out a scheme Might I suggest the following: They could buy suitable land and premises out of the funds, and run them like the Trust Houses, by subscribing to a company formed among all the members, with area managers to see that the premises are run in a proper manner for transport men only. At these houses a man will know that he can be provided for properly, with clean and, what is most important, wellaired beds, good meals at prices fixed to meet the allowance we all have to make, the profits to go, after suitable reserves, to improve the hostels.
These places should be situated on the main roads at points most suitable for running into the bigger towns and dock areas, on long main routes, and at intersections or at reasonable distances from these. There should be at least one where men are likely to be stormbound. Rules could be made and strictly kept, whereby an employee who did not keep himself or his accommodation like a respectable being, could he reported to his employer direct.
This is only a rough scheme, but perhaps others can pick holes in it, and improve it, if so all the better, 'but for heaven's sake, let us get something done, and make the driver and his mate more gatisfied and comfortable in their jobs.