oldsid:
DonutUK:
Absolutely horrific.We had one of ours coming back from Austria overnight, so it caused a bit of concern when the news was first breaking.
This is why i always break the overnight drives into 2.5 hr stints when double manned. No need to macho out 4.5 hrs at a time when there are 2 of you.
In March we have some of ours doing 10 days in Austria, coming back overnight, having 24 hrs in Dover, then going down to Salou, which i think is pretty irresponsible of the company. There are enough of us to cover the work without having to do that.
The problem is that the coach manager has her little favourites who she has given all the European work to this year, despite over half of them having no experience of driving in Europe. One of them was driving bin wagons until 5 months ago…just think it is an accident waiting to happen.Still, if i’m honest, i’m glad i’m not doing the ski runs this year, they really are a major ball ache.
Forgive my scepticism but 2.5 hours driving alternating with another driver still leaves you knackered after youve done it a few times and youve been on shift for 18 or nineteen hours. Its the principle of extending one persons working day by slotting someone else in the middle of it that is the most outrageous concept I think, We as truck drivers have had our spreadover extended over the years and thats bad enough but this especially when conveying people is an absolute travisty, no two ways about it.
Never said it beats all the fatigue, however, what is does do is to break the driving into manageable chunks, with plenty of pitstops to grab a quick coffee etc.
Nothing wrong with the double manning principle providing both drivers are adequately rested prior to starting out. This, imho, is where the problems lies. If you have ever done ski work, you will know that departure day does not mean a day in bed for the drivers. It means getting up, after a normal nights sleep, around 0700, breakfast, loading the coach for departure, then ferrying the group somewhere, then back to the hotel for your 9 hrs rest, before tea and setting out for home around 1900-2000’ish.
So, after having had a nights sleep on the previous night, you are now expected to sleep again after only being up for 2 or 3 hrs? Of course that doesn’t happen. What happens is you might grab a couple of hours in the afternoon, but otherwise you drive back after having been awake for most the day.
You do a 14 hr drive from Austria to Dover, on top of being awake for the previous 12 or 13 hours. And then you might even drive another 3 or 4’s home in the car that your feeder driver came down in…unless you are lucky and your company has booked you a room in Dover for the night. Even then, some drivers prefer to slog on home.
All perfectly legal as it is within the 21 hr spreadover for double manning.
Why would that be ? I have had many a furiously good 4hr sleep in a coach bunk.