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There is lots of talk about making conditions better for drivers in this country and your story on drivers who are forced to sleep in their cabs (CM 10-16 October) is one more example.
Bill Morris of the TGWU says that it is unacceptable that drivers are compelled to do this and that we do not expect people to sleep in their offices. But does he really believe anything can be done about it?
Like so many of these issues relating to driver conditions and safety there is a lot of hot air about what should be done but very little action. And the reason there is very little action is straightforward: it would cost money to change things and money is one thing that the industry does not have to spare.
The fact is that the constant emphasis on competition in this country is directly at odds with driver welfare and safety generally. Profit margins are so tight that nobody can afford to spend extra cash. There is no chance of employers paying for hotel rooms for employed drivers and even less of owner drivers spending that money on themselves when they can sleep in the cab.
Yes it would be nice, but no it's not going to happen.
D Fogarty, Liverpool