HGV Driver’s Policy

The reasons for a shortage of professional drivers in the logistics industry are wide and diverse and this document will not seek to identify these reasons but to suggest solutions to an industry problem. What is indisputable is that the problem has been discussed for years but very little action has been taken. Now there is no alternative but to take radical and decisive steps to transform the industry. Soft touch initiatives will do nothing to address the skills shortage in this vital industry, we must collectively not just look to how we can recruit new drivers but to change the industry to retain the ones we have and keep the new drivers we seek to recruit.

Driving v working time Without exception, when we have asked drivers, the number one issue is the clash between driving and working time rules. Specifically the six hour working rule. The level of regulation drivers must follow is almost unprecedented. We need to simplify the rules for UK drivers in order to maintain safety whilst applying common sense. Any derogation to rules is nothing more than a loophole. Currently the 10 hour night rule and reduced daily and weekly rest are seen as a target for employers rather than a legal maximum. These derogations need to be at the drivers’ explicit agreement not simply implemented by the operator. We are proposing changes to the way the enforcement of driving and working time rules applies to drivers so that there is one standard rather than two for drivers to fall foul of. This would include the removal of Periods of Availability (POA).

All breaks to be paid. At present some companies pay for the drivers mandatory break of at least 45 minutes but many do not and deduct the 45 minutes off the drivers total hours for that day. It is law that a driver must take a break of 45 minutes after 4.5 hours of driving, it can be broken down into a 15 minute and 30 minute break.

A reduction in the working time is paramount and the Party proposes a 12 hour working day maximum. So if you start at 06.00 am you finish latest by 18.00 pm, no split breaks, no reduction in hours and no POA, this would ensure that the driver would get sufficient rest to carry out their duties for the following shift. Many of the transport companies will cry out loud saying certain jobs will be unachievable, untrue we say. Better planning more satellite hubs for trailer swaps, increase Demurrage at sites that fail to tip on time, Increase your Driving pool.

Transparency of OCRS The current Operator Compliance Risk Score (OCRS) is not public. A system that rates operators’ roadworthiness and traffic violations should be available for drivers. There is no legitimate reason why drivers should not know the conduct and repute of their employer or potential employer. With transparency of the OCRS score customers will also be able to use enforceable data to inform decisions when awarding contracts. This can only drive up standards.

Self Loading and Unloading. We believe it is not the duty of the driver to unload or load their trailer, this is happening around Europe at the moment but it is being kept very quite.

ITOY Colleague Ricardo Carvalho, Portugal’s jury member added: “This is what is happening and no one is talking about this, not even the truck companies. In 2019, an agreement on loading and unloading was signed in which transport and logistics and distribution companies assumed that these tasks were not the responsibility of drivers, albeit with some exceptions. But, because no one was really doing this, government set a new decree-law.

The decree-law that sets new rules on loading and unloading in road transport of goods, but it only comes into force in mid-September. Thus, and in essence, the new rules limit the maximum waiting time for loading or unloading to two hours, the time being counted “from the time previously agreed or scheduled between the shipper, the recipient and the carrier” or , in case there was no appointment, “from the time of registration of the vehicle in the system of the shipper or recipient, except for deliveries to stores”.

In case of delays, carriers, shippers, consignors or consignees are entitled to compensation, payable by the person responsible for the delay.

Loading and unloading operations must be carried out by the shippers or recipients. If they are the responsibility of the carrier, “the carrier must use a worker, other than a driver, who is qualified and trained for the purpose”.

Drivers may only be called to carry out loading and unloading, under the terms of the applicable collective contract, “in the distribution of goods, being understood as such the distribution of goods from the central warehouses to the respective stores, removals and door-to-door” (and even so with the presence of another person) and “for safety reasons, depending on the specific training received and the use of specific equipment, [in the case of] transportation of fuel, bulk and car carriers, without prejudice to specific provisions on goods containing dangerous materials”.

In case of non-compliance with the rules, fines of between €1,250 and €15,000 are foreseen, depending on whether the person is a natural or legal person.”

Ways to make the job more appealing.

improve pay and conditions.

• tackle the lack of diversity in the industry.

• simplify driving hours’ rules.

• make better parking and facilities a priority.

• toughen up sanctions for employers denying drivers access to basic facilities.

• shift the cost of accreditation from drivers to employers.

All these changes take political will and desire, however they are long overdue and the lack of HGV Drivers problem has been kicked into the long grass by successive governments over the last 20 years, all of who have not given the respect or recognition to the industry. Being a HGV Driver is a highly skilled job and should be recognised as that. There are 15 types of trailers without counting the specialists ones, so its not just a truck the driver has to know about its also what he is pulling and all of them are different in some way.