Case study: Clipper Logistics
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Clipper Logistics, which distributes goods for clothes retailer New Look, has 28 depots and runs a fleet of 650 vehicles. “There are a lot of unscrupulous firms that put drivers in a very vulnerable position because managers are in a position of power,” says Northern transport manager Charlie Anderson. “We try to build trust with our drivers so that if they have a problem, they will tell us as early as possible,” she adds. “For instance, one of our trunk routes is from Stoke-on-Trent to Blandford in Dorset. This normally takes 4.5 hours so the driver can take a rest break on arrival. If they get held up, we tell them to take their break earlier.”
She says the firm will pick up a driver who runs out of hours close to home. “We had a driver who was not prepared to wait for a relief crew, so we had to sack him on the spot. Driving over permitted hours is not only a health and safety threat, it also tarnishes our good name and could mean we lose our O-licence,” she says.
Many rogue operators are prepared to take the risk of being caught out, or even being involved in a serious accident, because running legally is more expensive.
However, the Department for Transport and the HSE are taking an interest in a system operating in Australia and New Zealand. This allows firms that introduce an approved fatigue risk management system to drive longer hours than companies that do not.