July
On Wednesday 14 July Truckersworld will be travelling into Westminster for a meeting with Ministers from the DfT to continue pushing forward our proposals on Overnight Secure Lorry parking and to present Drivers opinions on the various issues that we talk about on the forum.
A full report on the meeting will be presented on the forum at a later date.
The LSN Lorry Parking Seminar was attended by many from within the Industry and I as guest speaker did my best to put forward the driver’s perspective on the problems and issues. The Seminar proved very informative and a good evening was had by all. Thanks to LSN who hosted it and put forward a chance to hear more on this debated problem.
The LSN have produced their quarterly news letter which includes an article about Truckersworld and is a good read about the seminar. Have a read of it here: - http://forum.truckersworld.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=17047
Truckersworld has also been involved with an article about Truck Crime on the “Volvo Global Website” that is now online along with an interesting video produced by Volvo Interesting and worth a look here: - http://www.volvotrucks.com/trucks/global/en-gb/pages/article.aspx?article=2259
The power of a polite and respectful letter to Management by Truckersworld has once again brought about an amicable solution for drivers after the use of toilet facilities were withdrawn after one of our own let us down by vandalism. Letters to the Stobarts Group and Booker Ltd saw Directors investigate and come to a solution to benefit us all.
Please if facilities are offered then respect them and allow for their use to continue. If something is not right then a polite letter can on many occasions bring about a solution.
On our “home page” you will see the facility to report truck crime, however small the crime we would like to know. It might only be a small cut in a curtain or small amount of fuel, but it is still a crime and needs to be recorded. Always report it to the Police, but this will allow us to build up a bigger picture of how often and on what size scale the smaller incidents of truck related crime is happening and to be able to pin point black spots that could be avoided. Thank you for your help.
With the lack of use of our Truck Theft Text Alert we are now looking into how it might be made better and easier for the use of Companies.
In the Months of Jan/Feb/Mar over 700 vehicles were stolen so there is still a massive cost to the Industry and if as Drivers we can help beat the criminals then we will do our best. More information on how you can help get involved with the TTTA is on our home page.
To collate some statistics for use by Truckersworld we have put on line a very quick and simple survey, there is not of a confidential nature and the information is being gathered to help our site continue running in the future.
If you could take 2 minutes to fill it in then it would be highly appreciated. The survey is here: - http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/8QTQW8Q
Thank you.
Some of the immediate results have been put on the forum as it makes quite interesting reading in that only 1.3% of Drivers that have filled in the survey are under 30 years of age.
Does this show a trend of very little new blood coming into the profession and is the UK on course for melt down as the older and more experienced drivers hang up their keys. This is just the sort of topic that proves to be interesting reading and why not join in and add your own opinion on the forum, register on the forum which is FREE and join us for talks on all various subjects including the fun and enjoyment side of Truckersworld.
The Forum is here: - http://forum.truckersworld.co.uk
For now have a good look around the site, book mark it so you can come back when you have more time and visit us regularly to keep up to date on what Truckersworld is actively doing to help drivers and the Industry. See you on the forum soon I hope and don’t forget that survey!!
Thank you
May
On the 27th of this month I will be attending the Secure Parking Seminar hosted by “Logistics Security Network” at the moment there is an expected 60 representatives attending including representation from the Police, RHA & FTA.
The evening seminar is to cover:-
- Government plans for secure parking
- Where to find information on secure parking sites
- What it takes to be a Park Mark secure parking site
- Crime trends and hotspots
- A driver's perspective
I have been asked to be a guest speaker to give the “Drivers perspective” on 6 subjects:-
- What is the current situation for drivers regarding secure parking – ‘real world’
- What are the main problems with parking securely
- What are the reasons that drivers do not use secure parking areas
- What secure truck stop operators could do to attract more drivers
- What would be the ideal solution from a drivers’ perspective – what drivers want / need
- What is the best solution in the short term with the secure parking facilities currently available
I have been asking the members on the forum for their comments on these subjects and will make my presentation on their comments. Good to see that more are now talking on the problems of overnight secure parking and with the DfT “Lorry Parking Strategy” in place hopefully in the future more secure truckstops can become a possibility.
New on the website is a simple form for reporting truck crime, this is not intended as a means of reporting crime to the police which I stress must always be done however small the crime may seem.
It is a means of collating statistics on the smaller matters of crime like small curtain slashings and fuel theft which are not taken forward at the moment. Until proper statistics can be brought together we can never know how big the problem is, so if you or any of your colleagues wake in the morning to some criminal damage to your curtains or fuel tank please take 2 minutes to fill in the simple form. Thank you.
We now have a new coalition Government in place and so the time has come to start lobbying Government again to see what they propose and to put our issues forward.
A letter is now on the way to Philip Hammond MP (Secretary of State for Transport) asking for a meeting with the Truckersworld Lobby Team, the letter and comments can be seen on the forum.
Once a meeting has been made possible a full agenda of what we will be proposing and bringing up at the meeting by the lobby team will be presented on the forum.
On the “Notice Board” you will see news of a new fuel theft alarm and deterrent, Truckersworld has been working with this Company for a number of months to ensure it is correct for the drivers and Companies alike and looks like it will be a massive break through in beating the criminals intent on stealing fuel.
Since going on the notice board more testing has been carried out and improvements made. Keep your eyes open for a launch date of this new product.
The next few months will become a busy time with new ambitions in getting action from the new Government, your support, comments and views are all very important in our actions in trying to represent the true voice of the drivers so please join our little community on the forum and join in the debates and discussions and enjoy the more relaxing and fun postings by our many members.
See you on there soon. Drive Safe.
March
Where is this year going, already into March and an election due shortly.
I attended a meeting in Leeds on the 16th March with representation from The Freight Transport Association (FTA) and The Road Haulage Association (RHA) This meeting was to discuss the possibility of how a combined group working together for the benefit of our Industry could be carried forward.
The meeting was a positive step forward for the Industry, with all parties being in agreement that by combining our resources we can bring together more positive proposals on the key issues that affect the whole Industry. Each Party will continue to take forward their own policies and campaigns for their membership which is very important, but by combining the expertise and the resources from all three parties we can hopefully work on the key issues as one.
In the coming Months and Years it is hoped that by communication and meetings we will be seen by the Industry as working on their behalf, each with their own membership but with the key issues high on the agenda. More will follow on this news page and the forum keeping you informed.
The Driver CPC continues to frustrate a large number of drivers that see it only as another burden on our pockets and of little benefit in better standards of driving, The professionals are always on a learning curve, taking in new technology and information and work hard to ensure high standards in our profession. The personnel that damage our image will not improve with the introduction of the CPC and so we all continue to be tarnished with the same brush.
Our protest against how this CPC has been implemented will continue with signatures being added daily to the list of drivers ready to hang their keys up and call it a day. This Country and the Economy could well suffer with the loss of highly experienced older drivers leaving the Industry and few new drivers coming into it. Something that few seem to be considering.
Once we have a new Government in office and a new DfT then we will be taking this protest forward, possibly as early as next year. It will be hoped that we can present our protest to the full and demonstrate how the loss of experienced drivers will have a dramatic effect on the Industry, Economy and Country. Please continue to sign the protest.
It is recognised that a large proportion of truck related crime goes un-reported to the Police for whatever the reason.. to enable a better understanding of hotspots and unreported crime I have set up a simple form to report it. This information will be used to build up a 3 monthly analysis and provide information to drivers and companies on activity and crime areas. The information will also be passed onto other parties .
Please always report truck crime to the police however small, You can fill in the online form here /form.aspx?Id=40
On March 13th Drivers descended into Skegness for our 3rd annual get-together, an opportunity to meet on a social basis and build on friendships and camaraderie. The evening was again a great success and gives drivers a chance to meet, get to know each other and make new friends. A lonely job we do and if more can be united to be recognised down the road, offer help and advice to others can only benefit everyone.
There is far more happening on Truckersworld, with one member working hard to improve the conditions for Agency Drivers, another member standing for election as an MP, more members adding to the differing debates and discussions, and many others working hard for the benefit of drivers in the UK Why not join us and let us know your views and opinions on the interactive forum, it is free and easy to register.