Criteria for External Transport Manager

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Hi all,
my apologies if this post is in the wrong thread as I’m not actually an owner/operator, nor is my query directed exclusively at them/you, but i do suspect your probably the group most likely to have the answers i’m looking for as you would have atleast encountered the topic en-route to becoming owner/operators.

My query centres around the criteria a company that enlists the services of an “external transport manager” has to meet, from the viewpoint of 1 of the company’s drivers, such as how much involvment they are required to have in day to day operations, but MOST IMPORTANTLY, the qualifications, if any, the person the company places in charge of operations during their absence.

incase i’ve made a ■■■■ up above in trying to explain what information i’m after, I’ll give a brief description of my situation as it stands, i’d welcome any general thoughts you have on this btw, i’d be interested to see if they mirror my own.

I work for a window manufacturing company that currently employs 2 HGV Drivers, soon to be 3, and they use the services of an external transport manager to reduce cost, but his involvment basically consists of him visiting our factory ONCE to install software onto a computer aswell as a digi-card reader.

We are then required to put our card in every week and all the data gets sent directly to him, his own computer software then analyses the data and automatically sends a report back to my company detailing any infringments. (pretty standard practice up to now) BUT THATS IT! he has nothing to do with any other aspect of the job, i havn’t actually seen him since completing my CPC Training over 2 years ago. infact, i’m told i’m not even allowed to contact him directly, if i have a problem, i’m to tell my despatch manager, and he’ll contact the ETM, “He works for the company, not for you” i believe was the line used.

That, in itself isn’t the issue though, what REALLY causes problems is the person the company does have incharge of the day to day operations, as there’s only 2 drivers we come under the juristiction of the despatch manager, unfortunately he was chosen for his experience in the warehouse, not behind the wheel.

I’m going to resist the temptation to describe specific incidents as this post is long enough as it is, let me just give you a brief summary of his CV from a transport perspective, your imagination can do the rest.

  1. NEVER even held a full UK car licence

  2. Had provisional licence revoked following drink driving conviction

  3. ZERO driving experience

  4. ZERO knowledge of tacho regulations

  5. ZERO understanding of even basic procedures that SHOULD be in place

  6. Refuses to acknowledge any of the above and believes he knows it all

As i mentioned, i’m not permitted to contact the ETM directly, any problems are to be conveyed through the despatch manager, trouble is, the despatch manager IS the problem.

I’d be astonished if, in such a heavily regulated industry as ours, there was a loophole that legally allowed a person with this CV to hold a position of authority over trained and licensed drivers, if, as i suspect, it isn’t allowed, can anyone PLEASE direct me to the official piece of legislation prohibiting it, so i can raise this issue with the company MD.

Cheers lads.

Stay safe out there.

2

If they’re only delivering their own windows then they don’t need a transport manager at all. What colour’s the disc in the windscreen of your truck?

3

orange

4

There’s no legal requirement to have a transport manager then and although, to the letter of the law, they should be complying with tacho regs, and all the rest, properly the reality is the authorities give restricted operators (those carrying their own stuff) a lot more latitude, unless they’re totally taking the ■■■■, than a hire and reward operator. Mainly because they aren’t cutting corners to take work off other hauliers.

5

was afraid that might be the case, doesn’t sound like a fair system when you put it like that though, sounds more like 1 rule for one, another rule for others.

6

to be fair to you pal, as you seem to get the importance of running the job you should be in charge, the crank who is your current ‘transport manager’ is like a lot of people in this industry, ie full of ■■■■■,
all you need do is download your drivers cards every couple of weeks , you can get a deal cost you about £10 a month , will give you all info you need wtd, infringements etc, make sure the drivers fill in their defect sheet daily (and report any to you), do a licence check every few months, finally get yourself a big wall planner and plot on it all inspections,mot’s tacho calibration , road tax due , driver cpc days,etc that’s pretty much it , if you were running a haulage operation then your tm would need to give the job day/day and a half a week , that’s the traffic commissioners ‘guidelines’. if your Humberside area I could recommend a proper transport consultant who would keep you right , as a thought , show your md this page let him see what us 'pro’s ’ think of your current set up , I , for one , applaud your concern

7

The situation you describe sounds similar to a number of restricted licence holders I’ve worked for.

It is a strange loophole that co.s carrying their own goods don’t need a qualified TM. They still have to follow all the regs of course but they often don’t have anyone on staff who know or keep up to date on what all the regs are.

They can be running any number of vehicles, but if you do anything for hire or reward you need to have a qualified TM.

Best thing is to make sure YOU know the rules that apply to you, do your daily checks and keep a record, keep your tacho clean etc. so if they ever do come to the attention of plod via an accident etc. you know that you have nothing to worry about.

8

All the replies here saying the company doesn’t need an external TM are overlooking one thing. Your company, although not needed, are employing an external TM. If they’re not getting what they’re paying for them they should be reconsidering if they’ve got the right person on the payroll.
Maybe your MD is also a bit naive and you should try and explain your concerns to him too (unless the TM setup is some sort of mate of a mate agreement)