A Driver's Views on By A. J. Parris
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Transport Problems
A Plea for ,Co-op2ration Between All Engaged in Road Transport and More Freedom for Drivers
TgiiiISSE words of R. L. Stevenson, 1 " T.o know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying ' Amen ' to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your sonl alive," are, to my way of thinking, • applicable to our industry to-day. Paraphrased, this could suggest that "To carry on your business as you. Prefer, instead of humbly letting the Government try to run it, is to keep Britain alive."
Individual opposition to a Govern. ment is, of course, quite powerless, hut
• everyone in arfs,association can assist this to gather strength. Therefore, I believe it to be of great importance , that every transport man should belong to an appropriate body. No deepthinking person 'in road transport can belieVe that a strangulated system can function satisfactorily in its primary object Of. serviee to the. Nation, or in its secondary purpose of providing employment and living for so large a part of the community.
Employees Are Not Represented
It is' not usual to Cry after the milk has been spilled, but I do .think that much of thepresent-Aay re&trictiori and humbugging of, our industry by incompetent; min-transport personnel could have been avoided if, many years ago, there had been instituted a power
association for transport men, as apart from concerns. It should have been led by fearless and capable representatives. They could undoubtedly have exercised a big influence on the powers that were. However, it is too late to talk of this now. [Is it?—ED.]
The important thing to do is to aid the industry, not only to prevent. further shackling, but to loosen this and to help us to mind our own businesses. The, more we deal with road haulage in its controlled state, the more we 'realize' the hopelessness of Government to carry on an economic business. ' There are already some men who are fighting hard against strangulation, but -.It is a task in which everybody must as'sist.
Apart, however, • from general control, there are ,Many fetfers7 to . be :broken or their bad effects: rechieed. :Log sheets and the regulation of hours 4re, lb a great extent, good things, at 'least in their conception, but I doubt if the former are of any help in getting things'. done properly, and I am convinced' that they discourage many men from giving their best service, It is a ifact that few -could possibly " tellthe truth" in them,whilst many are far too busily ocCupied with their work to Make entries at frequent periods.
The regulation as to hours, 'although
undoubtedly instituted for .beneficial reasons, is much too rigid for the good of the industry and prevents it functioning to its best ability. Quite often, and More so in these days Of the R.H.G., a driver with any anibition to achieve a task--and most of them are of that type—is obliged to exceed the 11 hours in order to•get any real work done.
An instance of the sort of thing that occurs to-day is .as follows:—A driver , begins at 8 a.m., reports to a Unit Controller at 8.30,, and at 11,he is sent to load up at a place which may either be near or some distance away. There he may find himself in a queue of vehicles loading.,6i unloading, but, in any case, he is almost certain to have to wait with att4i the mid-day _dinner hour. Loading is often a lengthy process, and before it is completed a halt is made for an early tea. Perhaps the load is on at about 4 p.m., and a further half-hour may be occupied in sheeting and roping it, and attending to the formalities that have to be gone through before the wagon, its load and driver can leave. Then comes the journey of, perhaps, over 200 miles, the driver being at once faced with the difficulty of obtaining lodgings; often it is impossible to do so later than 5 p.m. without advance booking. His keenest desire may be to get on with the journey and deliver the goods with the expedition expected of transport by road, a feature upon which all businesses in this line had been founded and maintained until bureaucracy stepped in.
A Problem for Drivers
Two courses, therefore, lie open to the driver. The first is to stop there and then, to Obtain lodgings, without attempting to make a real start on the journey; the other is to proceed on it. To adopt the first course would mean a poor day's effort in every respect. The second involves many, difficulties, . one of the most common being that a considerable distance may have to be covered before a night halt can be reached, for en route in many districtS suitable places are few and far between. To find a " home" giving a 24-hours' service -he may have to " burst " his 11 hours of legal driving, and when at lastacked• up kir the night find that he has done 15 hours or so. The man who adopta. the latter course—and many are to be found doing so—is not' desirous of breaking the law, but of getting work done.and delivering the load safely.
Drivers are often in a better position to know the value and importance_ of their loads and the expedition -with which deliVeries must be effected than are the various controllers, inspectors and others who are not in personal contact with the people at the delivery points. • Sometimes his loads are perishable; orsthey are of value only if they reach the markets before certain times. Finally, instead of being. congratulated on their foresight and praiseworthy efforts -to carry out their-work efficiently,. and particularly to carry supplies to-markets which are short of them, they rrialy experience. criticisra and leCtUres ficause their log sheets are not accurate and because they have worked over the legal hours. Had Aey done their varibus jobs " to regulation " the markets would have been lost, loads might have deteriorated and valuable vehicles would not' have been available so soon for reloading— in fact, the call for rapid turn round would have become a farce.
" Many Stiffer for the Few
It is true that, in the past, there were a-few men who, in unscrupulous ways or by being severe task masters, endeaVoured to heat their competitor..; on 'the other hand, there were hosts of Britons who started and developed their transport businesses, themselves served as workpeoPle, and were as considerate as it was possible to be. As a consequence, some of these restrictions have been imposed upon us through the faults of the few.
No decent-minded employer expects his men to work for Unreasonably long periods, particularly on successive days, but occasions' clo, arise when this must be done,' and mostdrivers appreciate this point.
If our Nation be hindered by transport disorder -and incompetence, it will suffer harm and will not be able to play its part efficiently during the post-war years. Let us ;get rid of redtape and irieffitient control and get on with the job. Carried out well, it can be a grand one I