Cover out of hours to cost more
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• The Working Time Directive could cause truck dealers major headaches as they frantically juggle shift patterns to maintain their aftersales coverage.
"There will be an increase in our cost base," warns Alistair Robinson, managing director of Volvo distributor Volvo Truck and Bus South. "We'll have to employ more people to cover the hours and we're looking at changing our shift patterns."
Technicians are thin on the ground, however; the legacy of a failure to train by the industry that's only been remedied in recent years.
"Our concern is that the underthe-arches cowboy workshops will disregard the directive and get away with it," Robinson adds.
However, Jim Snape, director and general manager of Renault dealership Renault Trucks Chiltern, believes technicians will be allowed to opt out of the 48-hour weekly limit and work longer hours.
Ron Holmes, managing director of Hatfield, Herts-based Mercedes dealership S&B Commercials agrees: "The last thing they're going to worry about is a piece of ridiculous legislation that isn't aimed at reputable companies. The majority of them will sign the disclaimer and continue working as usual."