Greedy drivers?
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T n reply to the article by 1 Tony Wigley, I can understand his comments, being a member of the URTC executive committee, but the headline in your article should have read: "The greedy operator and driver".
I do not really see a problem with the 15-hour day but let's make it clear it is not a 15-hour driving day, as the article states.
A professional driver would be aware that he has to rest during the 13/15-hour spreadover. It is all about responsibility. Most, like Mr Wigley, think that changes in drivers' work patterns are only there to make their life difficult. They forget about the little word that provides their job: the customer.
It is not about greedy operators, it about meeting the needs of the manufacturing base of the UK within a legal framework. Goods inwards cannot cope with delivery times set by their own booking office who always want the lowest rate for the job. Yes, the mobile phone and Band Three are aids to the traffic office and yes, they do make mistakes, but they are a valuable help to the professional driver doing his job.
I believe a rate increase of some 17.5% would be needed to cure the operators ills. In these ills I include drivers' wages, etc. However, I have found no members of the public prepared to pay more for goods in the shops in order to finance this!
R Sartiel,
Llanelli, Dyfed Commercial Motor welcomes readers' letters, which can be phoned loon 0181-6523689 (24-hour service) or faxed on 0181-6528969. They may be edited for length and do not necessarily represent the views of the editor.