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w.TruckNetUK.c • m
Page 22
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Rikki Chequer, community manager of TruckNet UK, reports on some of the latest topics to be discussed by professional drivers...
Franchise hauling comes under discussion by owner-drivers this week. Most owner-drivers operating under these schemes and posting on TruckNet UK are considering pulling out, citing extremely low rates rises.
One says: "I had a rise of about 3% in August 2006 and then this current 'adjustment — to call it a rise would be wrong under the Trade Descriptions Act." Another states: "I'm seriously thinking of pulling the plug at this time. The only thing holding me back is maybe being unable to find a buyer for the Renault artic and Kel-Berg tipper, plus putting my decent, reliable, steady, earlyrising driver out of a job." It is a struggle to find a comment from a franchised hauler who is happy with his lot at the moment.
LGV instructors are discussing in the New and Wannabe Drivers forum the quandary of having a trainee going for his test whom they feel should not be driving a large vehicle. The thinking is that the test is not adequate, requiring a trainee to drive only to a unrealistic standard for an hour in a scenario that has no relation to their needs once passed. Some instructors freely admit they have sat in the test centre hoping, for the sake of other road users, that the trainee fails. The instructors say their hands are tied, as they are unable to cancel a test once the trainee has paid up. If the trainee insists on taking it, there is little they can do.
Some companies, telling their drivers when to take a reduced nine-hour daily rest period, come under fire from drivers. Most drivers are adamant that if they feel they need more than the reduced rest, they would tell their planners "where to go". Other drivers point out, though, that pressure can be applied to the driver to take a reduced break even if they don't feel sufficiently rested. Replies to the topic are varied, and some point out that if a driver feels too tired to drive they have a responsi bil ity to refuse.