1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156 
WORKING TIME FIASCO
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
What do I think of the Working Time Directive? I have never seen so much rubbish coming out of Europe! How is any abnormal-load haulier supposed to live with this? It is totally impossible.
Here's an example of the problems we will have to face: a journey from Newhouse near Motherwell, Scotland to Southampton Docks, involving a heavy wide load in excess of 120 tonnes and 18ft x 16ft high, is ready to leave at 5pm.
The police inform the driver that he will be picked up after the rush hour at around 6.30pm. However, the hour comes and no police arrive. The driver phones them and is told that they are held up and will be with him shortly, eventually arriving at apm.
This scenario is repeated throughout the week until the truck eventually arrives at Southampton on Friday. In total, the driver has spent 60 hours on duty since leaving the yard on Monday to load, until unloading on Friday evening, driving a total of 25 hours with 35 hours waiting time.
Then he will have to book off Saturday and Sunday and leave on Monday morning for a return load back home. This is a standard example of what we and other heavy hauliers get, and often it is worse!
So if our driver's regular working week is at least 60 hours over the 17-week reference period, this would amount to 1,020 hours-204 hours over the legal maximum of 816 hours (48x17).
Given that our 60-hour weeks are unlikely to vary, it would mean that a driver would use up his working time after around 13 weeks. What are we supposed to do with him for the remaining four?
These vehicles and trailers are all specially-built and only very experienced men can operate them. We already have a shortage of these drivers, so where are we supposed to find more?
Doctors and hospital staff work in excess of 70 hours per week and we have a two-year wafting list at present. If we reduced that to 48 hours you could add another year on to the waiting list. The NHS has the same problem as the haulage industry—no extra skilled staff available and, with WID regulations, it will possibly mean more trucks on the road, not less, which will add to traffic problems.
I feel that the whole haulage industry should come out and reject the WTD as unworkable and not in the interests of the British public and industry (what little we have left)...
In the past, I wouldn't have believed I would see the day when our government would try to stop people and businesses operating. We have all got to stand up to this and take action to get exemption if our industry IS to survive.
Jim Macauley, Cadrow Heavy Haulage, Blantyre.
• Editor's reply To find out how to stop drivers' waiting time being working time, see our industry analysis page 14 in CM 8-14 May.