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HERE COMES THE

5th July 2001, Page 34
5th July 2001
Page 34
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Page 34, 5th July 2001 — HERE COMES THE
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

finding temporary drivers to operate their trucks. Adam Hill looks at the problems the holiday season can bring. Sometimes you need remindinl of exactly why you are gettini up at 05:3ohrs on a dark, freez ing January morning. For mos of us, the thought of a summt holiday—whether it's a wee camping in the Cotswolds or ; fortnight's lotus eating in Sldathos—provide at least a temporary diversion from di+ rigours of working life. But there is oni group of people for whom the thought o time away from work is a headache rathe: than a tonic. One person's enjoyment i: another person's logistical challenge becauso for traffic planners in haulage companies, fill summer break means just one thing: who': going to drive the wagons?

Continuity of service is probably the Ice issue. Large fleet operators might have tht resources to enable them to handle peaks an troughs relatively easily—it could even be pos sible to train, say, fork-lift operators as part o a rolling plan to cover for holidays.

IAgency boss But small firms don't have that luxury. Ant customers tend not to take kindly to drivel: who screw things up because of inexperience this is particularly true if your work is special ist. "If you have a fleet of TOO vehicles you an

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going to want five extra drivers every week o the year on average for sickness and holidays,' , says one agency boss.

"Holiday cover is getting more difficult a! the driver shortage increases and the trout+ with agency drivers is inconsistency," says on< ' haulier who does not wish to be named. "Anc there is the cost issue with agencies as well.'

Unsurprisingly, Len Gair of driver agenc Omnia Driving does not agree with thi assessment. Omnia is in a different positior from many agencies as it takes on drivers full time and effectively encourages them int( full-time employment with client companie by negotiating long-term contracts.

Gait has great loyalty to his own cus tamers but says that other hauliers do, frorr time to time, act as though staff holiday! have come as a complete surprise: "Then are people who wouldn't touch us with z )arge pole the whole year round who ring /le up at bloody midnight," he says. "It's a :ase of 'yeah, of course I want to magic ;omething up for you when you don't ouch me the rest of the time'." Demands ire often unreasonable, he adds: "A corn)any rang me the other day and said: 'I vant TO drivers next week'." The company lid not, of course—want them the week tfter. Given such last minute demands you )egin to question whether some agencies ;uffer from a poor reputation through their nvn fault or because of their customers.

Still, the driver shortage affects agencies oo. "The stories you hear are not good, I'm (ft:lid," says Jon Reyner, managing director )1Geoffrey Reyner. "You're scraping the )ottom of the barrel going to agencies. We knit use them!"

Instead Reyner takes on drivers in a sort )frolling recruiting drive. "We've had a noblem with driver recruitment," Jon leper admits. But we generally use this ime of year to bring drivers in." From April hrough to September and to the end of the L.'hristmas rush drivers come into the operaim: "We start them as holiday relief; once hey have been on for three months they will probably stay."

Docld's Transport follows a similar route, :aking on more drivers as cover on a semi3ermanent basis. Jim Dodd also avoids igency drivers "because they are not as ;killed as our own people" and even shifts iel licks onto different 0-licences in other 3arts of the country. This has no effect on .nsurance premiums, but as Dodd admits: 'I wouldn't say it makes it cost-effective!"

Requisite skills

Suttons, the Widnes-based tanker operator, las to ensure that enough drivers with the 'equisite skills are on hand to provide holilay relief. Suttons' human resources manArr. Kevin Stray says: "Those employees vlio have school-age kids and are tied to late iuly and August receive a sympathetic ear." Looking after the interests of parents in the Eleet is admirable, but isn't there a danger of thenating the rest of the drivers? "Others, without children, have to be that bit more flexible," Stray agrees. "But I have to say it isn't the problem it used to be. More people now go abroad so catching the sun in Skegness on the couple of days it shines in August is not as crucial as it used to be. The holiday period lasts longer now, with people prepared to take their main holidays in April to May, or September to October."

Hauliers now swap work more than ever before, but Jim Dodd reckons the practice does not increase markedly during the summer holiday period. "Most hauliers now swap business anyway,' he says. "People now are more canny and talk to each other." Dodds is a member of the Transport Association and habitually shares work with other TA companies. "We trust each other," he explains.

The hauliers who spoke to CM indicate that, although it is difficult, the industry has found its own way round the problem of holiday cover. This backs up the official view. "It is not a problem to my knowledge,' says Ruth Potts, head of employment at the Road Haulage Association. "Our members manage it; it is, after all, just another management issue. They're pretty careful on how their staff book holidays; they can only take one or two weeks during the summer and not everyone's off the same fortnight. They manage it just as they do with staff sickness, although holidays can, of course, be better managed."

Suttons has formalised its relationship with what would once have been thought of as relief drivers. Stray says: "We recognised 12 months ago that we needed to recruit and train drivers in order to maintain and improve service levels. Delivering specialist chemicals needs specific skills—we can't just recruit and put people on the road. Safety must always be our first consideration. It takes a minimum of three or four weeks for a new employee, even a fully qualified tanker driver, to complete our in-house training."

So is this going to be a happy summer? Suttons seems happy enough. "The recruitment programme we have implemented is now paying dividends as we approach the main holiday period," says Kevin Stray confidently. "All we need now is the sun."


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