Snow-go thaws hours
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• Hauliers whose schedules have been devastated by the Arctic weather conditions are welcoming the temporary relaxation of the HGV and PSV drivers' hours regulations — but many say that the Department of Transport has acted too late.
It was only last Friday, after two days of chaos on the roads, that the DTp announced a 30-day emergency plan designed to help hauliers to complete their journeys. Until the roads are clear again, drivers will be able to go on driving at the end of their nine or 10hour daily shifts.
Tachograph records will have to be kept as usual, however, and the 41/2-hour rule still applies. The DTp stresses that the move should not be seen as a precedent for future cold snaps.
When asked by CM if the relaxation means that a driver could drive indefinitely taking only his rest breaks, a DTp spokesman agreed that in theory this is the case. But he stressed that "obviously we wouldn't advise it".
Operators criticising the DTp for reacting slowly include Lowfield Distribution, the grocery distribution division of Tibbett & Britten. On Thursday it was double-manning trucks on long runs to ensure that they could complete their runs without breaking the hours rules. This cost could have been avoided if the DTp had acted quicker, says chairman John Toyne.
Daventry-based Lowfield has managed to operate relatively normally by re-scheduling the more difficult journeys until the roads improved: "As long as you keep customers informed they are usually very understanding," says Toyne.
Most of Lowfield's 1,600 staff turned up at its 11 depots during the bad weather — in fact absenteeism was lower than normal. To help get staff in Lowfield hired four-wheeldrive vehicles to use as personnel carriers.
Uttoxeter-based Till & Company was not so lucky — it cut back about a third of its business during the snow because of bad conditions. Half of its 18 vehicles were stranded on the Stafford to Uttoxeter and Stoke to Lichfield roads — and they were only freed by Till's staff. Managing director Peter Till blames the local authority for filling to clear the roads adequately. He believes this function should be handed over to a private company.
Denis Bishop of Norfolkbased removals firm Abeis agrees that snow clearance needs to be looked at: "The changes are very obvious when you travel from one area to another," he says. Some authorities are much more effective than others. Snow clearing needs to be co-ordinated on a national basis."
In January the RHA and vrA both called for a central register of winter maintenance equipment in a bid to avoid a repeat of last December's chaos when drivers were stranded for up to 30 hours. The DTP has not yet replied to this request.
Huntingdon-based Huntsharn Meats praised the Cambridgeshire authorities for keeping the roads clear. It was able to send out all 16 of its trucks during the snow; they all returned unscathed.