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Are fine league tables on the cards for HGV drivers?
Page 19
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I READ PAT Hagan's article 'Roadside reckoning' (CM 30 April) and was interested in the views from the operators' panel. There seems to be an underlying concern that UK drivers would accept any fixed penalty to avoid the bother of contesting it, and that 130 wasn't sufficient to deter them from offending. Interestingly, none of the panel seemed to realise the real reason that this might happen.
Contrary to popular belief, there are plenty of traffic offices and, indeed, transport managers out there, many hiding behind well-respected company names, that at best encourage, and at worst demand, tachograph infringements simply by setting unrealistic schedules. In some cases, they may be possible with an analogue tacho, but you've got no chance with a digital tacho. In the present climate, drivers are pressured into accepting the situation.
In the same issue, CM's cover story quotes the ETA's James Hookham saying: "Insolvency in logistics has doubled in the past year and the number of HCiV drivers looking for work has almost quadrupled."
A driver with a family to support could be excused for thinking it is better to pay the penalty rather than refuse to break the rules and be told to clear your cab when you get back to the yard. This type of instruction is given verbally, and drivers, many who don't have the same employment contract or human rights protections enforcement agency employees do, have little or no recourse.
Panel member Nick Matthews is probably much closer to the mark when he says he wouldn't be surprised if there was some form of league table to monitor fines, and if things run true to course, the softest touch — the UK HGV driver — will be targeted the most.
M Davies Waterlooville, Hants