TESTING TIMES
Page 3
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• It's strangely apt that in the same fortnight in which three members of the British Olympic team were sent home for failing drug tests Commercial Motor should report that Wincanton is considering introducing random drink and drug testing for 245 drivers employed on its Texaco contract.
And why not? The last thing we need is someone with a drink or drugs problem behind the wheel of an artic with 36,000 litres of petrol on board.
We're not suggesting for one minute that any of the Wincanton drivers employed on the Texaco contract is either. What Wincanton is doing is making 1 00% sure that its professional drivers are just that. The very best of the very best.
If you want professional drivers then you've got to be prepared to set, and more importantly keep, professional standards. That means checking to see whether your new driver is as good as you think he is. It means asking for, and checking, references. How many hauliers do that?
It means monitoring fuel economy, vehicle abuse and damage to goods. It also means actually looking at tachographs charts and telling those drivers that break the law that their services are no-longer wanted, instead of hanging their discs on a six inch nail and forgetting them.
And it undoubtedly means keeping a sharp lookout for drivers who have a drink or drugs problem. Some people might think Wincanton or Esso guilty of excessive zeal in the pursuit of professional standards. How zealous can you be when its comes to safety?
Having to pilot a 38-tonner safely through Britain's congested town centres isn't a job for the faint hearted. Neither is it a job for a drunk or junkie.