The Government has launched a pilot scheme to train convicted criminals to drive trucks in a bid to cut the driver shortage.
The ‘re-establishment programme’ will enable prisoners nearing the end of their sentances to take HGV tests on day release. During their final weeks inside they will be allowed to apply for driving jobs.
A prison service spokesman says "We have identified road haulage as a sector with feasable labour opportunities with a purpose. In co-operation with the CBI, the RHA and Skills for logistics we have launched two projects at Springhill and Kirklevington Grange (Prisons). All prisoners will undergo risk assessment.
Peter Lea, commercial director at Widnes-based O’Connor Group, welcomes the move: “it’s a fantastic idea. We would judge each driver on his merits and, as long as they reached the criteria we required, would consider them for a job”.
Martyn Mosely, MD at Olton International Freight, agrees;" We already employ some ex-offenders and have never had any problems with them. It would depend upon the offence that had been committed. For instance we wouldn’t entertain anyone who had been involved in drugs. I would judge the person sitting in front of me at the time. After all, everyone deserves a second chance".
But Barrie Tozer, the driver behind the Truckersmoan website is less enthusiastic; " Why should prisoners get to take theirHGV test for free when law abiding citizens have to fork out over £1000".
Source: Commercial Motor
THIS IS [ZB] DISGUSTING WELL SAID BARRIE.
Who’ll be the first one to ■■■■-up then One with a string of theft convictions will be trained up and end up on for Brinks or someone like that. Sorry, but this country’s government really has lost its marbles big style now.
I know Kirklevington, its on Teesside and its a open prison!
Prisoners must be reintergrated into society. and Truck driving may give them a new life away from crime.
What else do you think these people should do? if you give them nothing they will be back to crime!
And after working in Transport for a quite a while may I suggest they are some truck drivers you would have thought came from there anyway! Tin hat well and truely fixed on!
And remember not all people in Prison are rapists and house burglers! In fact they are quite a few truckers abroad in prison!! my point is sometimes not everything is quite what it seems.
When I changed jobs I had to go through a 5 year criminal record check with a newly formed government agency, (Disclosures Scotland), I had to supply sworn Affadavit from two sources, not family and from a profesional like an accountant or magistrate.
Then it took 3 months to get a pass issued because I had a gap in my employment record.
I also had to prove I wasnt a terrorist. Easier said than done!
That is apart from the fact that people are having to pay for their own training but if you mug a granny you get it free.
Brilliant idea when you think about it, all the insurance companies will be rubbing their hands in delight
When you fill in a Motor insurance quotation it clearly asks for any motoring convictions, it also asks if any of the users have been convicted of theft.
Now anyone with a brain realises that by declaring motor convictions or by declaring criminal convictions, this will give them an excuse to raise the cost of the premium, failure to disclose however, gives them the excuse not to pay out in the event of a claim.
Can you imagine a genuine scenario of Joe Bloggs who had served 3 years for theft, obtaining his C+E licence and successfully finding a job delivering to warehouses etc, he parks up in a lay by and next morning finds his curtains cut and part of his load missing, or his diesel tank emptied etc.
Surely there is going to be a nagging doubt in the TM’s Mind whether Joe Bloggs was responsible or not. At the same time, if Joe found he made a good living from crime before being originally caught, there will always be the temptation to return to crime, and here is the government litterally giving them the keys to a multi thousand pound load
After a month in this game with all we SEEM to put up with, THEY WILL BE EITHER PLEADING TO GO BACK INSIDE, OR WORSE STILL CLIMB OVER THE WALL AND BREAK BACK IN…
I not sure about this one. Part of me thinks that the Government and industry have such a low regard of us drivers that they think we are no better than crooks and the industry has lobbyied the government about the driver shortage and are looking for a way to recruit drivers without fixing the problems in the industry, if these companies want these drivers so much perhaps they should pay some of the training costs.
However I know people who ended up on the wrong side of the law in their younger days, but changed when they grew up a bit and have got on with a decent life, but even they needed a bit of help and if you don’t help to get work and away from the influences that got them in to trouble in the first place when they leave prison they just end up in the same situation.
im against this
well i am if their training is free.
if they want to learn to drive an hgv then make them pay a small contribution out their wages until the debt is paid.
at least they will be used to spending long hours in a cramped enviroment.
Having known a few drivers with criminal records & one driver who gained a criminal record by helping himself to part of the load, I personally have no objections to this, if it stops them re-offending. We pay the cost of them being in jail, why not pay for them to re-train.
Being locked up every night in a cell, would be good training for sleeping in the cab next to the A1
I paid for my own class 1, by doing night call outs in the 70’s. I dont see any good reason why anybody should get theirs for free. Besides, a person thats worked hard to get something tends to appreciate it more. ExCons or not, I dont give a stuff, they should pay for their own.
I can’t see the problem with employing ex-cons (depending on the offence of course) I know quite a few people with criminal records (insert pun re-englebert humpldink/bee gees/carpenters etc etc) but usuallly from somthing they have done in their past but once you have this on your file it is not easy to get a decent job, usually it is only menial jobs open to them.
As for paying for their training I would have thought that would be a lot cheaper than paying for their next visit to jail because they couldn’t get a job and thus staying in the circle of in and out all they life.
To me the only problem would be if these companies that employ them use the fact that they are desparate for a job to keep the wages down in their companies by letting their current drivers know “they can always get sombody else” to do the job which to me makes them the crooks
but usuallly from somthing they have done in their past but once you have this on your file it is not easy to get a decent job, usually it is only menial jobs open to them.
Trust me it isn’t easy to get a decent job, even without a criminal record. Maybe that’s where we’ve been going wrong.
jonboy:
should have let mr bronson out the other day train him up and see how quick he gets tipped at tescos brackmills
jon
excellent idea spent three hours there myself the other day
did you hear about the driver who ran out of hours on the bay there,he refused to move once he was tipped so the shift supervisor called the police.when the police turned up they agreed with driver saying that he is not allowed to move until the morning.
the shift supervisor complained that he needed the loading bay and the copper said tough you should have thought of that while it was taking you 5 hours to unload him.
after the police had left they tried to keep him awake by banging the trailers next to him against the bays,so the driver rang the police this time,when they returned they made tesco clear the 2 bays either side of him and coned them off then put a chalk mark in front of the lorry and said they will be coming back at regular intervals during the night to make sure the driver had not been disturbed anymore
they are not all bad after all
(now I know what drivers are like for rumours but I heard this from 2 different sources in 2 different places,1 at uci tammworth & 1 at the orwell truck stop, so there may be some truth to it)
Same happened to me in ASDA at Newcastle U Lyme Sean, about 6 weeks ago I think. I was there from around 1 till hours ran out. I moved the motor off the bay, but wouldnt leave the yard. The security knocked me up and I told them to fetch the coppers, and if they would throw me off the site fair dues. They didnt, and fetched the manager instead. At this, I got a bit shirty and told them to ■■■■ off and dont knock this door again unless they have the police with them.
They didnt bother me again all night. The following day, Im leaving the place and the security gaffer said to me, “next time you are instructed to leave an ASDA premises, you will do so”. I said, no, I bleeding well wont, as I told your gopher and tha manager last night, the Police will do nowt, but do you lot for trying to make me break the law. I told him they needed to get their act together, then they wouldt have a problem, but they just ranted on.
Personally, I’ll do the same everytime they delay me over my hours, BUT, the next time I stay on the bay, I wont even co-operate, it aint appreciated.
Now that sounds like the correct way to sort out the transport industry. If you do run out of time stick to the rules, use the police if they are on the side of the driver at last and if they dont let you use the toilets or tearoom call the police yourself.
A few years ago we used to deliver to a factory in Kilmarnock and it was always 8am or 2pm delivery, The oil was never ready until late so you had to leave Hull in the early hours to get there. The safety officer refused to let you sleep in the factory and would keep climbing on the step if he thought you were sleeping. It was a 4 or 5 hr tip and you had to sit in the seat with your eyes open or get banned.
One with a string of theft convictions will be trained up and end up on for Brinks or someone like that. Sorry, but this country’s government really has lost its marbles big style now.
