Sharp ■ Informed ■ Challenging
NEWS INSIDE Opening up events
Free movement plan unveiled p3
CAZ challenge
Burnham declines to charge p4
Vox pop
Is the driver crisis easing?
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OPERATORS INSIDE Asda............................................................. p4 C&D South West............................................ p3 Jeavons Eurotir ............................................p22 Len Wright Salads......................................... p6 Palletways.................................................... p3 T Wilson & Sons............................................ p6 TWE Haulage ...............................................p22 Wren Kitchens .............................................. p4 XPO .............................................................. p3 Yodel............................................................. p4
23.5.22
GUEST APPEARANCE: Her Royal Highness Princess Anne was the special guest speaker at last week's Microlise Transport Conference in her capacity as patron of sector charity Transaid. The Princess Royal holds a Category C HGV licence and is an honorary member of the RHA. She also presented the Microlise Driver of the Year award to Marek Mackiewicz of Culina (pictured left with host Spencer Kelly from BBC technology show Click), who was picked from a shortlist of drivers after the company analysed a year’s worth of anonymous telematics data. "There’s never been a better time to celebrate and honour those stalwarts of the industry, the drivers, who act as true ambassadors for the sector," she told delegates. "You have responded to the challenges of lack of vehicle supply and rising fuel costs and done as much as anybody to keep the country moving during the pandemic. This is an industry that underpins the economy and I hope you feel rather more appreciated than you have been in the past and can look forward with confidence to the future. I wish you well and thank you for your continued support for Transaid."
Supermarket transport director says agency driver support was vital to its pandemic response
Tesco boss hails agency drivers By Tim Wallace
Tesco transport director Matt Rhind has hit back at criticism of agency drivers, insisting they should be given more respect and that their support was vital during the “really tough” challenges posed by the pandemic. Speaking in a panel session on issues and opportunities for fleet operators at the Microlise Transport Conference in Coventry last week, Rhind (pictured, right) disagreed with fellow panelist Lesley O’Brien (left) director of Halifax-based Freightlink Europe, who claimed agencies “don’t understand the industry” and provided drivers of “extremely poor quality”. Responding, Rhind said: “In the lead up to the pandemic, agency drivers worked with us to manage the complexities of supply chain spikes. “They were instrumental in helping us get through and deliver a super-resilient service. “Agencies should have the same access to training and workplace facilities as our colleagues, which breeds loyalty. They may then
choose to stay with the agency or we may become their permanent employer in the long run. “If operators did their best to help agency drivers comply with the same standards it would raise the bar and give us a really capable workforce,” he added. “That will help us become more resilient and tackle the challenges we’ve had nationally.” Asked for specific advice on how
operators could best cope with the problem of rising costs, he said: “Remove every element of waste, take a super-lean approach to processes and operate as cost effectively as possible. There’s still a lot of complexity in operators’ everyday tasks, so simplify and automate the most mundane parts on a daily, even hourly, basis. “And environmentally, operators need to lean forward. There aren’t
many opportunities, in terms of being greener, that don’t end up dropping costs out of your operation. It’s a win-win opportunity.” Meanwhile O’Brien admitted current cost increases were “frightening” and urged bigger operators to appreciate the pressures that their smaller peers were working under. “My fuel costs have gone up 43% since this time last year,” she said. “National Insurance has gone up, truck prices have increased, and salaries for drivers and office staff are soaring. “We could lose a lot of smaller operators that don’t keep a really tight control on costs and look closely at things on a monthly basis. “Remember that cash is king, and communication is key,” she added. “So speak to your customers. I’m fortunate that I’ve had a fuel surcharge for a number of years, but smaller operators aren’t in direct contact with their customers. I’d say to large operators, please think of small operators. You rely on them and you get nothing without them.”
Road Transport Expo p8 News extra: ITT Hub p10 Focus: driver testing p14 Viewpoint p16 Clean air zones p18 Technician training p24
