2007 was a bit of a mixed bag really, plenty of downs with very few ups, the first and most annoying of the downs was that every time I passed a fuel station the price of diesel had risen again. The up side to this was that after a phone call to my customers all but one agreed a rate increase to compensate, I do wonder if they would have given me a rate increase had I not phoned them but it pays to be on the ball I guess, as for the customer who refused I no longer do work for them but not for that reason alone.

Whilst on the subject of the price of fuel it’s very annoying to be paying full price at the pumps just to have some thieving travelling community member come around in the middle of the night and relieve my vehicle of a few hundred litres despite having locking fuel caps on, this happened on 2 separate occasions and has probably cost me around £500, the first time the police were informed and turned up within 30 minutes of it being reported but were unable to catch the culprits even though they were still there on the site, which site was this you may ask, Reading Services on the M4 westbound. The second time the vehicle was parked at a customer’s premises in Swansea but due to the lack of interest by the police in the first instance tied to the fact that you cannot claim it back from anywhere I told the driver not to waste his time reporting the theft. Time again to consider fitting anti-siphon devices but I have decided against it again. The image of a pick-axe hole in the tank and the diesel gone is too clear. Or I guess they could just knock the ‘sender’ out!

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with approx 20 years experience

Hi, my name's Denis and I’m an Alc.................... Sorry wrong place!

As an owner driver working in the Agricultural Sector (mainly Livestock with a small amount of Straw and Wool) 2007 was an “interesting” year. Incompetence at the Pirbright Labs released Foot and Mouth into the wild causing severe disruption to Agriculture and the businesses that support it. As usual Hauliers were not on the list of businesses eligible for compensation for the losses suffered. Which reminds me, I must check how the RHA legal case is going.

Fuel price is another thing affecting us all, as I write this I am sitting near a garage forecourt with a sign proclaiming “Diesel 112.9” ! I almost went on a fuel protest back in November, unfortunately a customer rang wanting a couple loads of cows moved that morning so good intentions went out the window in exchange for a boost to my cash flow. At the back of my mind I know protesting will make very little difference , even if the protests were successful and Gordon Brown gave fuel to hauliers, and a free gift with every 1000 litres ,it wouldn't help much as I know most of my customers would be on the phone within minutes wanting a rate reduction . In my opinion the only way forward is to pass the costs onto the customers and talk to them so they realise the true cost of running a truck! Not an easy task, when I've sorted that maybe I can have a go at World Peace!

Driver training is affecting the livestock sector at the moment. Reading CM this week I noticed the MD of Lantra is concerned that people are not aware of the EU rules which mean every driver moving stock on journeys over 65km needs a Certificate of Competence! Speaking to people on the ground, most are aware of the requirement but are just not bothered about doing (or paying for) it !
Having done the theory part of the long distance qualification yesterday, (there are two exams – up to 8 hours and over 8 hours) It seemed to me to be a mix of questions similar to those seen on TV phone in quizzes, ordinary questions and ones where the multi choice answers were so vaguely written any of the answers could be right! Having passed, I'm now awaiting the practical assessment with great interest. Unlike the forthcoming Driver CPC there's no allowance for previous experience. I am 45, grew up on a dairy farm, have handled stock since I was big enough to do so, and have been a full time Livestock haulier for the last seven years but I still need to pass an exam to continue. I must remember to look up the origin of the phrase “teaching your grandmother to suck eggs”.

Denis Fuller is a owner operater based in the south west, running a single truck on livestock and agricutural haulage

David Preston, Managing Director Prestons of Potto

Welcome to my first column. I will apologise in advance but like all hauliers I like to moan about things, so here goes:-

The current situation regarding lead times for new trucks and trailers is certainly making resource planning very difficult. Truck lead times for some manufacturers is now 15-18 months. Considering the latest figures show the lowest heavy truck sales for a decade it is clear demand in the UK does not match that in Europe. However it seems strange that the dealers have allowed this situation to develop by not increasing allocation to the UK. However I understand the eastern Europeans will pay more for a truck so perhaps it suits the manufacturers. The situation with trailers mirrors that of trucks with certain specialised trailer manufacturers quoting lead times of 24 months which is longer than that for an Airbus A380. Considering the short length and volatility of contracts in the transport industry, it certainly takes a lot of confidence to place orders for equipment these days although anybody with a talent for speculation may well be able to profit from this. The delays in obtaining new equipment do not seem to have had any effect on the demand for transport services. The normal Christmas panic did not seem to happen this year.

The other issue that seems to have emerged recently is carbon footprints. Only a few years ago the only carbon footprint I was aware of was that left by the fleet engineers boots on the office carpet. Now everybody is reducing their carbon footprint and aiming to be ‘carbon neutral’. A 44-tonne artic could produce up to 300 tonnes per year of CO2 which could be offset by planting 409 trees, perhaps if the current trend in vehicle lead times continues, if the trees were planted at the time the vehicle was ordered by the time the vehicle was delivered they could be mature. A rough calculation for our company means we should plant 98,000 trees this year and the industry as a whole 185 million. Based on these figures timber haulage should be the best bet for the future. Also as I am sure hauliers will be pleased to know companies are offering a service in planting trees for you at an equivalent cost of approx. £5000 per vehicle per annum, and one of the schemes is endorsed by Bill Oddie for further green ‘street cred’.

Founded over 50 years ago Richard Preston and Son Ltd is one of the most recognised transport companies in the UK. Better known as Preston's of Potto it is a multi faceted transport company operating over 220 vehicles. Preston's has 4 depots throughout the UK serving most sectors of the industry. Preston's offers a large amount of warehousing and also provides total management solutions for its varied clients.

The problems of parking and tachograph infringements, are on my mind a lot since working more in the UK. It’s a sad fact that the busiest motorway in the country (M25) has only 3 service areas along it’s entirety. If you’re heading west from the Dartford crossing it’s a long way to the next service area after Clacket Lane services with Fleet services being 47 miles away and Reading services being 56 miles away both should be within reach of a driver with over one hour driving time left but quite often it can take 2 hours to reach Reading services, with very few places in between where a truck can park off the road and the driver can have use of the normal facilities that they may require through the night such as food, washing facilities and toilet, it’s a disgrace that there is such a large distance between the service areas on such a busy road.

So what about the future? I am still scratching my head, thinking of ways to introduce the 5 extra days holiday entitlement I now have to give along with the 5 more I’m going to have to give next year! I appreciate the fact that my drivers do need a holiday, they also need to be earning money too, as with most other companies holiday pay is based upon basic hours only, no overtime or night out allowance meaning my drivers will be down by around £200 next year and a further £200 the following year and my costs will be up covering the holidays.

The lead time of a year on new trucks you hear about doesn’t bother me at the moment as I don’t know what truck to buy next anyway! But more on this another time. . .

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with approx 20 years experience

2008 could mark changes to my business, I started in 2001 by buying out a friends business. The deal was was done in January. I was to take over on the first of March. On Feb 28th all livestock movements were banned – for three weeks nothing moved, after that movements to slaughter slowly resumed under licence. For the next few years we rebuilt the business - concentrating mainly on farm to farm movements rather than abattoir work ( probably 70% farm to farm and 30% abattoir)

Foot and mouth reappeared last year and it seems to have altered this balance completely (with a downturn in livestock prices contributing ) ! Since the autumn the balance seems to be 90% abattoir and 10 % farm to farm. Add to this the fact that the number of livestock lorries on the road seems to reduce each year and a nearby haulier deciding he didn't want to go to an abattoir in South Wales any more, it means I have just had the busiest January I've ever had !

As this is usually a quiet time I have been just about been able to cope, but looking forward to next summer I can see major problems getting the work done . In the past when I've had a busy week I worked out I can only be in one place at a time and have subbed the work out to nearby livestock hauliers ( obviously taking a small “commission” off the top) but the question rearing it's head now is the purchase of a second lorry and finding a driver! To get another lorry on the road will take a couple of months at least so I only have a month or so to weigh up the pro's and con's !

On the plus side an extra lorry would make coping with the work much easier, increase my turnover and hopefully profits. On the negative side there's finding a driver, paying wages, paye etc. buying the lorry insuring and maintaining it ! Watch this space while I keep thinking !!!

Denis Fuller is a owner operator based in the south west, running a single truck on livestock and agricutural haulage

David Preston, Managing Director Prestons of Potto

The latest subject that intrigues me is technology and transport, and whether it is working for the transport operator. In terms of fuel economy we are finding the latest trucks less full efficient than their predecessors despite extensive driver training. Whilst the complex engine management systems are needed to meet latest emission standards surely burning more fuel will result in greater CO2 emissions which seems to be the most critical factor, and when some of these systems fail even the manufacturers dealers seem to run out of ideas and revert to the old standby of fitting new parts until finally the fault has gone away and a huge bill created but nobody is sure which part had failed. In fact the added complexity of a modern truck seems to make it more unreliable than one of 10 years ago.

The latest braking technology does produce undoubted safety benefits but like Michael Schumacher if you gave him better brakes it does not increase his safety margin but merely shortens his braking distance. A similar effect was noticed a few years ago when testing aerodynamic aids. A truck retro-fitted with a spoiler kit had showed no improvement in fuel economy but the driver when interviewed noticed the truck was accelerating quicker than before.

Tyres also despite electronic traction control are not lasting as long as they did a few years ago. It seems that most technology in trucks is not very user friendly and the engineers that design trucks pay little regard to its actual performance during the life of the truck. In one area modern trucks are falling way behind consumer demand is that of electrical capacity.

Drivers these days demand cooking and food storage facilities that would satisfy Nigella and entertainment packages better than most rap stars limousines. The resulting lack of electrical capacity to satisfy this usually results in a very expensive jump-start at South Mimms Services. Perhaps like a caravan park the lorry parks could provide electrical hook up points to plug the trucks into.

Founded over 50 years ago Richard Preston and Son Ltd is one of the most recognised transport companies in the UK. Better known as Preston's of Potto it is a multi faceted transport company operating over 220 vehicles. Preston's has 4 depots throughout the UK serving most sectors of the industry. Preston's offers a large amount of warehousing and also provides total management solutions for its varied clients.

Just in time deliveries, don't make me laugh, I have come to the conclusion there is no such thing. Last week I was called out late at night (at, I hasten to add, a premium rate) to run my Sprinter with a “line stopper” load to a factory in Wiltshire.

Arriving at my clients depot to load everything as usual was at panic stations with the van being loaded quite literally within seconds of the handbrake being applied. With much worried looks and frowns I was repeatedly asked if I could get this extremely urgent load to Wiltshire by 10am next day, and it was impressed on me just how vital it was that this load was there on time. Apparently without these highly important plastic washer things the whole factory would stop production, no doubt resulting in an economic meltdown in the South West that would spread worldwide causing global recession. Well perhaps not that bad, but there was certainly a real sense of impending doom if the washers didn't make it on time.

Driving safely and courteously through the night (Yes some of us white van men do you know) but inspired by the life and death urgency of the load I arrived at the destination with time to spare. With a sense of pride of having averted some terrible misfortune on the inhabitants of Wiltshire I presented myself and my paper work, at the goods in leper hatch.

At this point the whole story of professionalism within our logistics industry falls apart. Now don't get me wrong, I am used to being ignored, ( I'm a) Married, b) have 2 teenage children). But for some strange reason I find standing getting ignored at a leper hatch in the pouring rain and gale force winds for 30 minutes by a goods in clerk who looks young enough that he should be still at Primary school a little galling, even more after I had got out of my nice warm bed to get the most important plastic washer thingy's to his warehouse in time to stop civilisation collapsing around his ears..

After a while contemplating if dragging a ignoramus through a leper hatch would in fact be unreasonable I decide that a less forthright approach may work better, and announce my presence at his window yet again, this time a little louder and with a few extra words that his mother probably didn't teach him. The little Oik at this point manages to at least acknowledge my presence by uttering the immortal words, “You will just have to wait your turn driver”.

Some what taken aback, firstly because the mutant behind the desk has actually registered my freezing cold presence and secondly, because from where I am standing I can survey the entire factory yard, and one thing is noticeable to me, although obviously not to the halfwit behind the desk, is that apart from a solitary Sprinter van the entire place is totally bereft of any vehicles, drivers , horses and carts, wheel barrows, in fact anything that could in any way shape or form carry any sort of load.

I could rant on but you probably have got the drift of my whine already, suffice it to say, the plastic washer thingys, that were so vital to the economic well being of Wiltshire, finally got unloaded 3 hours after the point when the world was supposed to stop turning if they hadn't been delivered.

But business is business and I know that even though those urgent plastic thingys are not that urgent after all, when my customer phones me up next week in a panic, yet again I will drag myself out of bed and head for Wiltshire. But this time I will be taking a good book with me to read.

Paul Mcbride runs a small courier business running 4 light vehicles on urgent deliveries throughout Europe

What truck will I get next?

I can’t think of any at the moment. I love Scania and my R470 Euro 3’s are brilliant. They average 10.5 mpg plus on container work and pull like a train. I’ve tried the Euro 4 R480 (EGR) version and found it to be 20% less fuel efficient. I have also tried the R560 (SCR) and the R500 (SCR) and found them to be 10-15% less fuel efficient plus the Adblue cost.

So what is my motivation? Saving the planet? The joy of complying with another EU regulation?
We are talking about £60-150 a week per truck. Mind you, you do get £6 per day discount for EURO 4 in Central London! It’s another nail in the coffin of UK transport.

Ah well, I can’t hear anybody else complaining.. Maybe they don’t check their fuel figures?

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with approx 20 years experience

So who thinks it’s a good idea for drivers to retain a month's tachos? I have a fancy calendar from DKV Euro service that shows the previous month, current month and next month. Whoopee! I hear you say, but I’m just checking through the latest tachos received and they are for; ‘the month previous to the previous month’. So, if I want to know if the 25th was a Friday . . . And if I see something ‘odd’ that I want to ‘discuss’ with the driver . . eg: ‘what were you doing on Wednesday evening 6 weeks ago?’.

It seems like an odd situation to me that the people making the rules – make the rules and the people at the ‘sharp end’ find them largely unworkable and inconvenient. But as long as they are not dangerous we will go along with them.

I’m a member of the FSB (The Federation of Small Businesses). They really have a ‘voice’ in parliament and make considerable headway against ridiculous rules. Our industry bodies seem to be useless against them and I will not join any. Look at the WTD for example – working time rules on top of working time rules. Pathetic, but it seems there is no argument against them so they will stay.

So how do you store a month's driving records on a digital tacho card?

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with around 20 years' experience.

The Operators Voice welcomes a new contributor to the column. Mike Young, Group CEO of Innovate Logistics will be commenting on our industry and the issues within it.

Innovate logistics was formed in 2005 from several smaller entities and has quickly become a major player in the chilled and frozen distribution market. Living up to its name, Innovate recently announced the formation of an ambient division to take its supply chain services across all temperature ranges.

Mike's comment's, thoughts and opinions will be appearing in the blog shortly.

The Operators Voice welcomes contributions from operators across all sectors and of all sizes. If you would like to add your own please e-mail us by clicking here. And dont forget you can also comment on published blogs by using the comment box below each entry

If you’ve read my posts on TruckNet UK, you’ll have noticed that to count the number of nights out I do a year might be possible using one hand and certainly wouldn’t require me to take my socks off! However this week an abattoir delivery in South Wales was booked for late Thursday afternoon. Looking at the pick ups scattered around North Devon I soon realised that getting home wasn’t going to happen in the same day!

As I don’t do regular nights out I don’t know very many of the good/quiet places to park, so I searched the usual places on the web, Dug out the HA Truckstop guide (which I soon noticed didn’t cover Wales!) and read my Truckers Handbook looking for somewhere suitable! To be honest after doing that I wasn’t much further forward! Apart from the two M-way services (which I already knew) there seemed to be a small place near Newport and a cattle market where my sleep would probably be disturbed by ladies looking for ”business” !

As the chance of getting into a MSA at 9-10pm is almost nil, (which is strange as everybody moans about the cost of parking in them!) I resigned myself to trying to find a space in a lay-by, in conditions that the average member of the British public would want Oxfam to start an appeal for if it was abroad!!

Unfortunately, plentiful safe parking with good facilities is something we can only dream about in this country.

In the end the gods looked down on me “favourably”! By the time I’d done all the pick ups (which always takes longer than it should, and today took 7 hours! ) paid the £15.90 to cross the bridge, unloaded and washed out there wasn’t very much time left of a 15-hour day! So a quick chat with the Security guy (who was unlike some of the ones you read about on the web – he was quite helpful!!) found me a nice corner of the abattoir to park up and a toilet, a shower room and a mess room with a kettle and microwave to use! So it was a case of a quick shower, cup of tea, finish the sandwiches, break into the emergency food supplies that I keep under the bunk, get some kip and be ready for the next day!

Denis Fuller is a owner-operator based in the South West, running a single truck on livestock and agricultural haulage

Dear Mr Livingstone
 
I left school at age 15 back in 68, to join the transport industry via Suttons of st Helens, seemed the most natural thing to do, after all my old man worked there, and I could walk to work in 5 minutes from where I lived in Sutton Heath,

It was either Pilks(Pilkington glass) the pit, or Suttons or the dole    why transport? Why not, at 21 I passed my HGV 1 and  off I headed, first for the continent in those days it was run by the British, with foreign lorries,  scania 140s, and 141s if you were lucky and Volvo 88 and the odd 89, I drove a Magrius Deutz,  column change, day cab, and did Torino and Milan in that for a outfit in Barking Essex , don’t ask me !   but not a foreign word was spoken.

 Any way, as I said, goodbye, all my lorries are in the Commercial motor this week, thank you labour and particular Livingstone, I hope you sleep well in your lefty beds.

l built my removal business from scratch unlike you Livingstone, I didn’t play the system, I got on my bike and turned my life around from the grubby little council house the butler sink and the outside bog, I bought an old two hundred quid tranny, delivering parcels for parcel line then a Luton followed by a 7 and half ton cargo then another I obtained my CPC under grand father rights because I worked like a miner at the coal face roping and sheeting in the freezing cold, changing tyres on the M54, well before the operators licence.unlike you Livingstone and your cnd banners and your so called support of the working classes, your probably having tea with lady Thatcher.

You’re a traitor to your original cause, but maybe not maybe the temptation of  that £180,000 salary is a temptation too much for any mortal.

Well my little fleet are for sale now, 38 long years of hard sweat and tears down the swanny, and for what ! 1 mile down the road a new sign suddenly appeared and I say suddenly because unlike Sainsbury’s Tesco and Asda we didn’t even get a years notice.

I bought my 17 tonner from Pickfords  and I worked hard for it, lugging boxes to the top floor flat with no lift, for what ! what was the point? Livingston’s biggest lie was about to hit the streets of London. What did I spend nearly two grand having it beautifully sprayed for,? How much Mr Livingston do you imagine it cost me to have it sign written? how many moving jobs running up and down stairs with both hands full and the woman’s dressing gown, wrapped around my neck?

why did you introduce another tier of autocrats or beaurocrats  ‘transport for London’ ’the environment agency’ and another silly ‘think tank’, how the hell did we manage before, the green lobby and the pink lobby and no doubt by this time next year there’ll be no lorries and for that` matter no cars either.

John Hayes owned and ran Redbridge Removals Employing 5 drivers and 10 porters. His vehicles travelled throughout the UK and Europe. After 38 years in the industry Redbridge Removals closed it's doors at the end of january 2008

I learnt a valuable lesson, despite all my previous thinking, I now realise that attaining quality contracts in this business has nothing to do with price, service levels, image or marketing.

To set the scene, I have never been a “sporty” person, indeed my idea of healthy exercise has been walking to the bar for a diet coke for the beloved. However the beloved, in collusion with the doctor has decided that my somewhat rounded figure needs slimming down. And golf was suggested (I say suggested because the beloved presented me with a set of clubs, a day guest pass for the local golf club and kicked me out of the door one Sunday morning). Now to be honest the idea of hitting a ball as far as it will go and then walking after it seemed a bit silly, after all, don't hit it at all, it goes no where and you save yourself all that effort. To my surprise I seem to have a knack for knocking little white things far away and actually enjoy the now regular Sunday outing.

A couple of weeks ago I partnered up with another member of the club who I didn't know, but was looking for someone to have a round with, introductions were made and we set off to dole out punishment to the golf balls ( and in his case a fair amount of grass). About half way round we had ran out of the usual chats about golf, family, holidays, cars etc. and the conversation turned to what we do for a living, This gentleman it turns out is the distribution director for a large national company with its head quarters nearby my yard. For a long time I have attempted to get my vehicles in there, as the work is supposed to be steady, they have a reputation for paying on time and treating the contractors well. But all my calls/marketing/letters had always failed to get a response.

Yet by the 15th hole I had learnt they had been looking for a new express delivery partner for deliveries and returns to and from Benelux, and hadn't found one suitable. Indeed despite my small fledging business being ideal for their needs they hadn't even looked at any of the leaflets/letters, consigning them straight to the bin. His transport manager, despite knowing the company was looking for a courier firm locally exactly like mine had never mentioned our existence.

By the 18th Hole I had an appointment to meet with the man on Monday morning, and by Wednesday two of my vans were on contract to them.

Is this the way business should be done?, I am a traditionalist and believe that my companies work record should be enough to gain me new opportunities. But it seems it isn't. This industry still seems dominated by “Who you know than what you know”. Fair? Professional? Probably not but I wont turn down the work just because the way I found it feels slightly off.

My suggestion to all those struggling to find work? Save your money, don't buy fancy leaflets, spend hours making fruitless cold calls or telephoning, Join a Golf Club, it's healthy for both your body and your wallet. And ignore your conscience

Paul Mcbride runs a small courier business running 5 light vehicles on urgent deliveries throughout Europe

Finances, a word that is guaranteed to bring a sweat to my brow. When I started up I took the decision that any expansion would be paid for in full, I didn't want to have to work all week only to find my income gobbled up by repayments. Since then my vans have all been purchased outright, My (very small) yard and office is on land owned by a family member and therefore the best sort of cheap ... Free !!!.

I buy decent second hand vehicles, and as a man with a van, I employ, as needed, a mechanic with a van to fix them. But now pressure from outside is on me. One of my customers is asking for our van to be liveried, and no older than 18 months at any time. Buying new isn't really an issue as I will simply at the end of its life with the customer put in the general courier fleet. Paying for new is an issue, the instant it rolls into the yard I am out of pocket. A second hand van, bought for cash can be refurbished , resprayed and sorted out mechanically run for a year or two and then sold for very little depreciation. A new ones value plummets like a stone the second it sees its first bit of tarmac.

But the customer is insistent, and their work is consistent and well paid. So do I bite the proverbial bullet and spend out cash on a new van?. I like having the cash in the bank, if it goes quiet I ( and my drivers can still get paid). Engines and gearboxes can be replaced without the worry of how to pay for them. Or do I go for finance and the bewildering array of options and accept that the vehicle is working 2 days a week for the finance company not me.

I realise that many people will say that by earning the money and putting it into the bank for future purchases is the same realistically as paying finance, and your probably right, just to an old fashioned bloke like me, cash in my bank is better than cash in someone else's.

The next couple of weeks will be spent pondering this problem, and visiting various showrooms to see exactly what is on offer, in the mean time I cant help thinking to myself that while a brand new van is a step forwards, is it, with all the finance problems that come with, it a step upwards?

Paul Mcbride runs a small courier business running 5 light vehicles on urgent deliveries throughout Europe

With the introduction of Euro 4 engines and the ongoing technological spurt for the ever greener diesel engine I have to wonder if we are actually doing anything to save the environment, it would seem that to meet Euro 4 and Euro 5 emissions levels the engines are not so fuel efficient as the Euro 3 engines (which made the biggest leap in cleaner emissions) and any further development is a fraction of the original reductions in emissions levels. One has to wonder if the increase in natural resource usage (fossil fuels) that Euro 4 and 5 and in likelihood any future regulations compensates for the lower air pollution. You have to wonder about the old non euro trucks that are being shipped all over the globe to burn oil in the far off poorer countries, surely if we are to save the planet then transferring the polluting vehicles from one side of the globe to the other isn’t the answer. I don’t believe the full cost to the industry (and the country) has yet been felt. New trucks using 20% more fuel and the price of fuel up 20% - you’ve got to be kidding!! Stand by for more companies going bust in the next two years. . .

There’s plenty of press (transport related press) about the forthcoming drivers CPC and the how’s, why’s and even the costs but nothing in the general press about it so once again Joe public will be unaware that the thousands of professional drivers on the road are actually undergoing any form of further training or education. I have to wonder if this extra training will mean that drivers visiting supermarket RDC’s will be treated any better. Will they suddenly realise that you have a brain and can tell the difference between a red light and a green light and be allowed to keep your keys with you and sit in your cab instead of having to walk to the office and hand over your keys and sit on a wooden bench or plastic picnic chair with the dozens of other professionals also doing the same job, quite probably not. Perhaps given the state of the waiting times at some RDC’s someone will set up a training programme so that you can learn spend your wasted hours sitting the driver CPC whilst on the wooden bench waiting to be unloaded!
Seriously though, I do envisage a considerable amount of drivers leaving the industry over this, they are already treated like idiots or lepers and sometimes both! So why would anyone want to undergo training to stay in an industry with this kind of attitude? You could train to be a plumber and be met at the door by a bored housewife who is so happy to see you and the first words are ‘would you like a cup of tea’ instead of we are running 4 hours behind we’ll get to you when we can.

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with approx 20 years experience

I had a letter this week concerning one of my fuel cards – Their terms and conditions have changed for 2008! Amongst things like - Copies of receipts or invoices £5,Vehicle clearances £10 and exceeding Credit Limit £35 , I noticed this one - If I don't use 400 litres a month on this particular card ( A BP card provided by a company who shall remain nameless for now) they are going to charge me £5 a month – as the garage that I use this card at most often has changed from BP to Shell, this card was going to get less use than before.

Now paying for diesel is bad enough, paying for not using fuel is even worse !! Although I only use a small amount of diesel (average about 2500 litres a month) this still seems unreasonable to me! As I also have a bunker card with this company (which I buy probably ¾ of my diesel with) I thought it was time to have a word! With my suggestion of cancelling the BP card if they decided to charge me the fiver, I'm pleased to report they decided that both cards would count towards the minimum use figure and the letter was really meant for customers with only the BP card - I'm just glad I read the letter instead of just glancing at it and “filing” it in the bin! Who knows what would have happened if I didn't notice?

Of course one less fuel card wouldn't be the end of the world – I usually carry several, it's my way of keeping them on their toes, I have 5 fuel cards to chose from , although 2 are left on my desk as their prices have been consistently too high!! The others get used when their price email gives me the best deal, although it seems like using the same one every week makes them take their eye off the ball as far as price is concerned, alternating helps them to concentrate in my opinion. And of course there's always my Allstar card for when I spot pump prices better than the fuel card prices ( which actually happened twice last month! ), the only drawback being they issue a fraud alert every time I fill the truck as it's mostly used for small amounts in the Land Rover !!

Denis Fuller is a owner operator based in the south west, running a single truck on livestock and agricutural haulage

David Preston, Managing Director Prestons of Potto
When I first started writing this column I intended to avoid the subject of fuel costs. However, recent events make it impossible to ignore.

In Scotland news of the refinery problems soon resulted in shortages at commercial stations. The supermarkets appear to have a more robust fuel supply chain but the height of modern tractor units is not always compatible with the canopy clearance available at supermarket filling stations. The anti-syphon guards fitted to combat fuel theft also make it impossible to transfer fuel from one vehicle to another. At one point it looked like we were going to have to send the workshop van to Scotland laden with jerrycans.

You also find that as in the last fuel crisis hauliers who would normally help start holding onto their fuel stocks tighter than a camel’s arse in a sand storm. These supply problems will also not help the massive cost increase of circa 40% we have had to deal with over the last 12 months. The frightening prospect is that some sources are indicating that diesel may rise to £1.50 ppl or more by the end of the year, a further 25% increase. With fuel accounting for a third of transport costs this would add up to a 22% increase in the cost of running a vehicle.

Unfortunately the small margins in road haulage mean the cost will have to be passed on in increased transport rates. There is no way such large increases can be offset by operational efficiency improvements alone. Whilst in the past fuel prices have sometimes dropped from peak prices it seems that in the future demand will always outstrip supply so the price of fuel will rise on a continual basis.

However it would seem the problem could easily be solved in Spain the price is approx. 60 ppl. During World War 2 a pipeline was laid in 24 hours to France across the Channel to supply D-Day landings. Surely 60 years later we could do the same. The other alternative would be to do the same as my grandfather did 50 years ago when the Suez Crisis meant diesel fuel was unavailable and bring our Burrell Steam Engine out of retirement. It would have no problems pulling the loads but the London low emissions zone could prove difficult to comply with.

Founded over 50 years ago Richard Preston and Son Ltd is one of the most recognised transport companies in the UK. Better known as Preston's of Potto it is a multi faceted transport company operating over 220 vehicles. Preston's has 4 depots throughout the UK serving most sectors of the industry. Preston's offers a large amount of warehousing and also provides total management solutions for its varied clients.

Now you know how it feels to be out of work, It was great to see the back of the Labour London Mayor last friday I could never imagined voting for a conservative candidate, and definatly not one with my dogs name Boris, I wish him all the best lets hope he removes that wicked LEZ charge before I sell my last and final truck

Gordon Brown would be well advised to remove his ear muffs because it will be his turn next if he dosn't listen and sort out the transport Industry and the disgusting charges levied against the back bone of British Industry,

Who pays thousands of pounds in road tax ? other than the British, Do the French, No Sir ! Do the Poles or any other East Europen NO NO NO who's diesel is the most expensive in the 'common' market ? we all know the answer Mr Brown, and please dont make the excuse that it is due to the cost of a Barrell of crude oil, nor OPEC its to do with the unfair tax levied on fuel not just VAT but the greedy percentage levied on a litre of fuel.

We know you hate transport and in particular lorries Its you and your new chancellor, who will no doubt get the blame when you become 'history' by the election in 2010, you had better watch out, the conservatives are on a roll and its your own fault, you and your party are control freaks but thank God we still have the vote. as I pointed out in my last blog I will be wishing you Goodbye.as well.......!

John Hayes owned and ran Redbridge Removals Employing 5 drivers and 10 porters. His vehicles travelled throughout the UK and Europe. After 38 years in the industry Redbridge Removals closed it's doors at the end of january 2008

John English wrote to his MP yesterday:

"I must point out the UK haulage industry is dying on its feet. The obvious reason for this is the fuel price, of course but there are many others.

My trucks are extremely fuel efficient but my costs have risen by approx. £150 per week per truck in the last 5 months. Each penny that goes on the diesel equals around £10 per week per truck and it has been rising by a penny a week for sometime now.

I have always bought new trucks as they have historically been more fuel efficient than the previous models. With the introduction of the Euro 4 and Euro 5 emission regulations this is no longer true. The EGR engines use 20% more diesel and the SCR engines use 10% more (plus Ad-blue). I know because I’ve tried them.

Apologies if I’m getting too technical but I would like to think you (and other MP’s) knew what I
was talking about as it is a real concern that is largely being overlooked. The Belgians and the French have ‘essential user rebates’ that can be backdated many years. What are the chances of this happening in the UK?

Amongst the other issues are the ridiculous training regimes that will soon be thrust upon us. After 25 years in the business, I will be forced to complete 35 hours ‘periodic training’ every 5 years to keep my licence.

This will naturally cause older drivers to quit the industry or take early retirement (and not even be able to do temporary work.). It will also, discourage new start drivers and they will have to undertake the training in September this year before they get their licence.

Incidentally, I am also a commercial helicopter pilot/instructor. The ‘periodic training’ required
for me to maintain my commercial licence will be 7 times LESS than it is to maintain my HGV licence.

Do you think that is right?"

John English

I would certainly urge anyone that reads it to write to their MP also.

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. he runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, His drivers are all British drivers with around 20 years' experience.

When I started thinking about this blog my intention was to absolutely avoid talking about diesel prices. However I'm going to have to start with an apology, because that's the thing that seems to be on my mind at the moment (and quite a lot of other peoples too!)

Coming from an agricultural background, the thing that was drummed into us over the years was controlling the cost of inputs as a major way of achieving the desired profit! However in this case I don't think that's the total answer, there is very little I can do about fuel prices other than shopping around to get the best deal on my fuel cards! And to be honest there has never been a lot the haulier can do about prices! I'm sure that even the Boris Johnson effect won't frighten Gordon Brown into cutting fuel taxes - and if he did he would still need to get the revenue from somewhere else!

I read an interesting post on TruckNet UK today, it was an article from Truck & Driver from 1996, diesel had risen to the dizzy heights of 47ppl, rates weren't going up to match it, a fuel protest had been organised but only 21 lorries turned up , it seemed depressingly similar to the current situation.

So in a week that started with all my fuel cards quoting over a pound a litre, the only way out as far as I can see is to put the rates up. Now I know that my customers will moan and squeal but as I often point out to them, It's the EU's job to subsidise farming not mine and all I'm asking is to be able to make a small profit on the jobs I do – I'm certainly not expecting to be a millionaire this time next year ! I'll leave that to Del Boy and Rodney.

Denis Fuller is a owner-operator based in the South West, running a single truck on livestock and agricultural haulage

How refreshing it was to make a collection from a (medium sized) textile company in Wakefield and not to see one hi-vis jacket. The people there seemed pleased to see me, talking and smiling, amazing! Compare this to my previous collection of steel from Birmingham - At the gate I was asked by a miserable security guard if I had, boots, hi-vis, and helmet. I proudly replied 'yes' only to be told I needed a chin-strap for the helmet and eye protection! I said, 'all I would be doing is opening the back doors' and the security guard said, 'it's all about money mate'! To be fair, they gave me the chin-strap and the glasses but I think he had a point.  

 It was like oppression (or is it regulation) and the mood of the people at the factory reflected this. It seems to me the 'applied' health & safety is inversely proportional to the general happiness of the company.   I remember it was only railway workers who needed hi-vis so the engine driver had more time to stop if they were working on the line. Do these jackets really stop you from getting run over by a forklift? If they do, great, I won't need to look where I going as much! Risk compensation is what I mean. I question their usefulness but what is the point as no one in management would be brave/stupid enough to not enforce them once they have been enforced.

Most of my driving has been abroad where hi-vis and health and safety are rarely seen unless you are working on the road and they run rings round us on quality, productivity and innovation.  

The other day I tried to pass a booking clerk my mobile phone as it had the reference number on a text message. She held up her hands and said, 'I don't touch mobile phones, you'll have to write in down.'  

In a few years we'll just be sitting here in our hi-vis too scared to do anything in case we are 'at risk' or break a rule. But everybody knows all this, don't they?

John English has been trading for 20 years, mainly international work but more recently in the UK. He runs 4 Scania artic trucks, all unmarked white, and his drivers are all British drivers with around 20 years' experience