wner-drivers do it for survival
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AVNER-DRIVERS have ound their own way round he problems of empty runling with the formation of heir own freight offices serring not only drivers from the urrounding areas but others Is well.
The first owner-drivers' reight office was established in -lull last year and has now built tsel into a formidable trading iosi ion.
It is such a position that anther haulier from the area ommented"The owner Irivers have got Hull sewn up."
Operations of the network of reight offices that have been pringing up all over the counry, especially over the past six nonths, are done strictly on a eciprocal basis.
This arrangement allows iwrier-drivers to backload from nost main areas of industry and ; thought by many drivers to lave saved much time and noney.
The system operates under he auspices of the Ownerlrivers Association formed cross the country and ssociated with the British )wrer-Drivers' Association.
Members carry identification ards and can go to offices run iy local associations other than heir own and ask for a back ac, but the freight office nanagers like North Humberide Owner-Drivers Associition's Owner Drivers reight Services executive irector Barry Hardy are making p-actice of asking fo, :iephone call 24 hours' earlier, efo-e the driver arrives.
Nearly all owner-drivers look on empty running as one of the evils of the business. If there is no load aboard then the vehicle is costing the man at the wheel — the owner — money.
At Hull the freight office gives at least half its work to members and the rest goes as back loads to drivers who have delivered at the docks or elsewhere.
But where there is no organisation for the owner-driver, back loading is still very much a hit-and-miss affair, with drivers being forced to tout for business if they are to avoid the expensive way home.
There are still some drivers who look at back-loading as a bonus, but for many it is a matter of survival_ "If you don't back load then you are going to be out of business before you know it,commented one owner-driver.