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48 HOURS Are you ready to handle the implications of
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a 48-hour working week? And, just as important, how will your drivers react? To find out, Adam buttonholed some drivers as they
were filling up at the South Mimms BP
Truckstop during the morning rushhour and asked them the following: What do you think of the prospect of a 48-hour week being introduced in the road transport industry? And if hauliers are forced to accept it for employed
Frank Hall 1111 Group
"Forty-eight hours in this business? You'd be parked up by Wednesday... you're not going to be able to work a full week. The boss is going to have to employ twice as many drivers. It won't work in this game, the system's not geared up for it. You average 8o-loo hours a week and some weeks you're not home at all. [fit was imposed on us, then it would have to work. I'd like more time at home; everybody would. Nobody gives us much information; we call it the mushroom syndrome: we're kept in the dark and fed on you-know-what."
Jeff Butler Frans Maas and Argos
"I'd love it, but you need more money. In 1975 I was earning more then than I am now. We're treated like crap, rates have go to up. A lot of firms pay a pittance. Forty-eight hours is welcome for me, and if the money's right you should be okay. I haven't got a mortgage but for people with families it's bloody hard. There's a lot of drivers falling akip at the wheel through no fault of their own. Health and safety wise, it's sensible. But the cowboys won't stick to 48 hours."
Bob McNess Reads European Distribution
"It's a load of crap. It's not going to work, a) because you won't do deliveries on time; b) you're never going to get the wages. I was earning more money 17 years ago. I've been in the industry 32 years and things are getting really hard. The money's not enough now—in 48 hours you'd get £150-Lioo a week. You've got to do the hours to make it pay."
Leyton Dynes Norfolk Line
"It would be nice, wouldn't it? I'm out all week, Go hours a week. If it was averaged out [over 17 weeks! that would be brilliant: you'd have a busy week, then one not so busy. You'd have time to chill out. It's difficult to be an owner-driver. You might not get paid for three months, but you're still putting in lzoo a day."
Martin Bailey Rygor Group Services
"The 48-hour week would suit as long as the hourly rate goes up. I need x amount of money a week to live on. I don't know how our lot would cope with it; by double running, and I can see a rolling week coming in. We'd be all parked up by Wednesday or Thursday. I average 6o-65 hours a week and a lot of ours do more than that—I'm one* of the laziest! At the end of the day I'd like it, but! need basically Go hours plus two nights out a week. I wouldn't be an owner-driver. I worked for my dad as an ownerdriver and it was messing about with the lorry at weekends...I couldn't be doing with that."
John Marshall Forest Freight
"I'd love it. But wages are made up now by bonus and overtime; without that it would be £150 a week. Forty-eight hours is right from the point of view of safety, but it's a big increase in the hourly rate, isn't it? Is it practical? I don't know, but it would shorten the day and I'm not sure the job could actually function like that. Even making owner-drivers exempt...wouldn't that defeat the object? You're still going to have drivers running trucks tired. Drivers will tell you that there are times when, running completely legally, you've nearly finished your hours and you're wide awake and times when you're just starting and you're tired."
Eddie Darby Kinglea Plants
"The 48-hour week? I've never heard of it. I work roughly Go hours a week and it wouldn't affect me because I'm salaried. I couldn't see the governors putting up with that, to be honest. It probably wouldn't work. I think the transport industry has always been run on overtime. It would be nice if you could stay on the same money. It still all comes down to money; pushing everybody into it is all very well so long as it pays. Owner driving has never appealed to me; I've got a mortgage wrapped round my neck—I don't want anything else wrapped round my neck."
PkilpF schmules...
The 48-hour week stems from the European Working Time Directive, an EC health and safety measure. It was Implemented in the UK in October last year under the Working Time Regulations (1998) and gives most workers the legal right to paid holidays, rest periods and breaks—in addition to a working week of no more than 48 hours including overtime.
Although the calculation of the "working week" Is unclear (are lunch breaks included and does being on standby for an employer count?) the 48hour period is based on an average over 17 weeks (known as the "reference period"). In other words, it would be possible to work 55 hours a week for the first nine weeks of the reference period and 40 hours a week for the other eight weeks.
The EC directive allowed some derogations (opt-outs) and the road transport industry has been regarded as one of these special cases, although there is no guarantee that this will continue. Last month's compromise decision by Europe's transport ministers (CM14-20 Oct) may mean that some owner-drivers will be exempt from the regulations, but others will not. The position of employed drivers has not specifically been addressed; this issue could be dealt with by the European transport ministers at their next meeting, in December.
Martyn Hoyle Heathcote Transport
"I'd like it. At the moment I average 6 0-70 hours a week. Everyone will be working the same rather than some people working legally and some people not, which is what's hap. pening at the moment. If they're talking about ownerdrivers being exempt—why do that? I've been r8 years with the company. Don't look old enough, do I?"