• Dave French, transport manager at Hastings-based R French and
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Son, is not quite as cheery as Baker. The firm runs 21 trucks, including skip lorries, tippers and artics. It also operates a waste transfer station and offers fitting services to other hauliers. R French drivers work a 55 to 60hour week. So what damage will the directive inflict on the business? "This industry has always been overtime-based," argues French. The 48-hour week will change the whole landscape of UK haulage, he believes: "A man who is used to working for 60 hours will want the same income if he only works 48 hours. It's human nature."
French will be caught between a rock and a hard place. Restricted working hours could mean taking on extra staff—easier said than done. He has a mistrust of agency drivers, and employing more staff to cover a few hours here or there could be more hassle than it is worth: "If we took more part-time employees on, say, to work in the yard, it would mean we would have to train them. It would also mean that we would have to employ more administrative staff to look after the extra paperwork." Such employees are to have their hours limited by the main Working Time Directive. He adds: "We will have to restructure; it will be important to pay more attention to
routeing." Restructuring is also impending in the fitting shed; the three fitters each currently work an average of 60 hours per week.
The firm will have to adapt, but French argues that all UK hauliers should be treated the same way. After all, overheads such as VED are the same whatever the size of a company. He firmly believes that owner-drivers should not be exempt from the Working Time Directive. "There should be a level playing field. I am in favour of healthy competition, and we should abide by the same rules."
The Working Time Directive means rough times ahead for UK haulage, says French: "This is going to be the nail in the coffin for many hauliers. When this legislation comes in I can see the whole industry being turned on its head. I suppose at this firm we are used to the old ways, but we must change with the times—reluctantly"