Age and pace
Page 32
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Perhaps there is another angle to the problem of the hgv driver shortage raised by a correspondent in your August 21 issue. I think that the incidence of age, pace and legal changes should be considered. Four months ago I quit driving when, had things been more in keeping with my length of service and age, I could have kept going for another four to five years. There are probably other chaps like me. who have had to take this step on reaching 60. I had had 31 years' service with the firm I left, and I'd been feeling the strain of doing two jobs in one—
driving, and unloading bricks, with it: attendant hazards.
The pace had quickened on journey: and then reductions in the legal workin day brought other problems. (Actuall more time is really needed to do a day' work in 1970 than was necessary to corr plete similar tasks in 1960.1
The hgv drivers' licence business doe not affect me until 1972: but there may b other elderlies who, like me, seemed ti be "compelled to run the last quarter of difficult hill, with a bag of spuds on oi backs, after walking steadily up the lowi part and from a lead-way of some distance' And found that we couldn't!
So quite a few of us are out of drivini when we would not have been for a fe' years yet had we carried on at our pm and time—and still yielding jolly good wo results.
It is not to be wondered that young, chaps are not filling the gap. They are against a brick wall before they GE start. What other job calls for them to pt upwards of £10 for medical and oth examinations to get a permit to wonl We older ones had an easier entry 40/E years ago, most graduating from tradesmen horse and motor vans to the big stu. Life was an adventure that spurred us to achievements in work, and both [land life itself were without toda),
restrictive impositions, largely fro interfering busybodies and know know-nothings in the Government sphere, not to mention people who car live and let live, "LEONARD LEYLAND Cranfield, Bedfot