'Drivers ought then to be on a par with the skilled man on a lathe'
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ICM y local radio station recently ran an item on the opening of
the new 2.65m A5/A49 road which replaces the old A5 constructed in the mid-thirties. Instead of a celebration it turned into a slanging match between a member of the Road Haulage Association and the presenter — with the presenter winning the argument.
What a shame we cannot get our message over. But whose fault is it, and what can we do about it?
When I was at school my teacher once asked what pupils' fathers did for a living. Waiting my turn, I thought of how my father let me ride in his Esso tanker, "He's a lorry driver," I said proudly. "Oh, yes," said my teacher, and left it at that. Then he had a conversation for several minutes with a classmate whose father was in charge of a lathe at a local factory. Little has changed.
It is true that a small minority of drivers let us down by driving too fast, getting too close or intimidating motorists. Motorways are a breeding ground for poor lorry drivers. Let's act like professionals and get a different message across. We need to promote our drivers and raise the standard — to begin with, perhaps a new name? After all, gas fitters and plumbers have become installation engineers.
Then let the outside world know about our drivers and the way they work in one of the most tightly legislated industries in the world, with massive amounts of construction and use and drivers hours regulations and numerous road traffic acts.
There is an unrecognised skill factor in driving a large costly vehicle across the most congested roads in Europe. We need to get this message across, but how? Barbara Castle's revolutionary 1968 Transport Act brought quality to our industry, so do we really need more legislation?
The haulage industry is as important as, say, the National Rivers Authority or British Rail. Look how they've moved on in the public eye with promotions like, "If you've got it, we've moved it." We must understand why we have not improved our image when the time is just right — with Europe opening up and the Channel Tunnel coming. We must use the media in all its forms. Truck manufacturers could help. With people who know how to defend us we can go on the offensive and explain how our industry was the first to face tough EC legislation including the Certificate of Professional Competence and type approval.
We find ourselves increasingly under fire from law enforcement, the media and the "man in the street". But the introduction of speed limiters should help. Drivers ought then to be on a par with the skilled man working a factory lathe. Those early days with my father in his tanker and that short inquiry from my teacher will change so that his job is seen as highly skilled — putting us where we ought to be: on top of the pile.
0 If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane.