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Things could be much worse
Page 66
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Sandy Bruce had a pretty rough week — but then the 7 July atrocity put things back into perspective.
I'm about to celebrate 23 years in the business and when I first started I quickly realised just how tough it can be. My business has changed in many ways over the past 23 years but it certainly hasn't become any easier :in fact it's become much tougher.
In the early days, as an ownerdriver operating a fleet of one, I was up early in the mornings, working all day and finishing late in the evenings.This was hard physical work and the only support! had was from my wife Bertha. who looked after all the administration and linance from home in between caring for our three young children.
Now we have moved on and I rarely load, drive or unload a truck. But I have never been able to shake off the early starts and late finishes. Take the past 24 hours. I'm writing this on the eve of the GS conference at Gleneagles. I left home near Aberdeen at 6:30am, drove to Glasgow, met with some important customers, returned home for a quick shower and a clean shirt and was straight off to Aberdeen airport to meet a colleague.
Then I flew to London Gatwick,jumped on a train to Arundel and arrived at 10.30pm, ready for a meeting next day in West Sussex with another important custorner.What ever happened to shorter days?
Immediate problems
This morning I arrived at our West Sussex office and was immediately faced with problems relating to the closure of the M25 following an accident involving a petrol tanker and the closure of several roads in the Auchterarder area because of the GS Conference demonstrations.
With today's joyous news that diesel is at its highest point ever, the only protests we see are from anarchists accusing us of being money-grabbing capitalists and trying to stop us going about our lawful daily business. It makes me seriously question who would choose to be a haulier. • All that was written before the events of 7.htly. I should like to make my feelings on the horror and wickedness of this act quite clear There will he colleagues in our industry and, indeed, in all walks of life, whose lives have been changed beyond recognition for all time.
My thoughts are very much with all of them at this time. It certainly puts my moans and groans about working long hours and traffic congestion into perspective.