Due to my new job I’m trying to learn as much as I can about the trucking industry, worldwide.
Just recently I’ve gotten more interested in how things stand in the UK, and I’ve heard something surprising, that the biggest challenge for UK based trucking companies, especially the small and medium-sized ones, is compliance with laws and regulations?
I had thought that the biggest challenge was, as is in most places in the world, the huge cost of the fuel and the task of getting it down to real levels, minimizing the expensive waste, arm in arm with driver management.
→ Guess my question is, would you agree with the idea that the biggest challenge for small and medium trucking companies from the UK is staying compliant?
Yes I would agree that staying compliant is a major pain for UK hauliers, especially when you have Vosa waiting to issue fines for such trivial things as drivers ■■■■■■■ in cabs or similar.
Given that the cabotage laws are being dropped completely soon, the UK hauliers are in for some serious cheap foreign competition that are not quite as compliant as they could be. With cheaper eastern bloc labour and cheaper diesel things are going to get pretty tough. Having to worry about silly rules such as the Road working time directive is just another costly burden upon our industry, especially when it is a stupid pointless rule that not many adhere to.
How do hauliers manage staying compliant, from what I’ve gathered it’s a pretty complex set of rules and procedures? I know that some at least use consulting agencies to do it for them…
No compliance isn’t the biggest challenge;
The biggest issue is the fact the the British Government and culture… always has been/ is/ and always will be Anti truck.
If you asked most of the British public if they ever wanted to see another truck on their roads the answer would be an overwhelming NO.
Most British people don’t rate trucks and or the road transport industry any higher than bottom of the heap, the industry isn’t respected, and we are viewed as no more than a necessary evil.
It wasn’t until I left Britain, to live and work ( driving trucks ) in various countries round the world where road transport is regarded as profession that I saw what Britain was actually like.
Yes there are laws that govern road transport, and call for mandate regarding usability and the environment in those countries, but the attitude of the people and government towards the road transport industries is totally different.
The biggest challenge is maintaining a contented workforce whilst being able to maximise efficiency and profit…I.e. treating your drivers with respect, dignity and paying them a decent wage.
Jelliot:
No compliance isn’t the biggest challenge;
The biggest issue is the fact the the British Government and culture… always has been/ is/ and always will be Anti truck.
If you asked most of the British public if they ever wanted to see another truck on their roads the answer would be an overwhelming NO.
Most British people don’t rate trucks and or the road transport industry any higher than bottom of the heap, the industry isn’t respected, and we are viewed as no more than a necessary evil.
It wasn’t until I left Britain, to live and work ( driving trucks ) in various countries round the world where road transport is regarded as profession that I saw what Britain was actually like.
Yes there are laws that govern road transport, and call for mandate regarding usability and the environment in those countries, but the attitude of the people and government towards the road transport industries is totally different.
Jeff
Totally and utterly agreed with this statement. Spot on sir.
In the past five years around the milton keynes area the council has either upgaded or put in new road systems. The old roads which had nice sweeping long lay-bys have gone now the new roads have been built. Where are all the trucks meant to go who were using it?. Many new roads have been built with skinny arsed lay-bys suited for the car driver not the weary trucker. No thought gone into giving us decent places to stop. Many of the roundabouts around MK are to small for artics so your forced to mount the curb. Motorist shout and yell and point the all knowing finger at the trucker when its the engerneers fault for making them so bloody small to start with. And, what about the industrial estates. Marked parking bays. Get two trucks in and thats it. But, car drivers can leave there motors in the curb and not get a single ticket. Truck driving in this country is a dirty word.
Iv’e always maintained the british public want the goods in the shops but dont want to hear or see the big bad trucks blocking up the roads and driving at slower speeds. I think before car drivers pass their tests it would be educational if nothing else to dump them in a truck and let them see the abuse we take the second class way were treated, but, mindyou if they did there would be even less new truck drivers on the road.