BBC Radio 4 programme ‘File on 4’ broadcast a thought provoking report on the road transport industry this week.

It focussed on a number of issues facing the industry. By far the most serious is that of tired drivers working more than their permitted hours, falling asleep at the wheel and causing fatal road traffic accidents. It also drew attention to the fact that there are a number of rogue agencies who are prepared to flout the law.
As the UK’s Number One specialist supplier of temporary and permanent drivers in the UK, Driver Hire are keen to ensure that our business and our drivers are not ‘tarred’ with the same

Driver Hire were worthy winners of the award for ‘Commitment to Road Safety’. As an employment business they have shown consistent commitment to safety for both drivers and customers. Mary Willliams the Chair of road safety charity Brake

brush. Indeed the makers of the programme spoke to us because we are a good example of an employment business that monitors our drivers to ensure they comply with the Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations and carries out stringent interview and assessment procedures.

Driver Hire is a professional organisation with rigorous and audited business procedures. Our customers are assured of a consistent high quality of service through our ISO accredited systems. The features of our business that make us different from the majority of our competitors are:

• A specialist provider established over 20 years. We are industry experts with an in-depth working knowledge of
EU Drivers Hours’ and Tachograph Rules, Road Transport (Working Time) Regulations, Health & Safety and road safety issues.

• Our offices are monitored and audited to ensure that they follow our ISO systems and business processes. To maintain our ongoing commitment to quality and customer service standards, telephone interviews are conducted with clients and drivers as part of our office review process.

• We understand our obligations and those of our drivers on working time and have developed bespoke IT and other systems to comply with the Regulations. We invested considerable time and effort to train our drivers and our office staff on the new Working Time Regulations through a series of seminars, office training days and educational materials.

• We are highly selective. All our drivers undergo a comprehensive skills’ assessment (covering over 150-points) as part of a detailed face-to-face interview process. References are taken and licences checked on a regular basis.

• We have an ongoing commitment to road safety and constantly reinforce
good driving techniques through driver education initiatives. This is demonstrated through our support for the road safety charity Brake, National Road Safety Week and, of course, regular communication of road safety issues with our drivers. As a result of our pro-active stance, Driver Hire has won three national road safety awards; the National Courier Awards for road safety in 2003 and 2004 and the Brake Fleet Safety Award ‘Special Award for Commitment to Road Safety’ also in 2004.

Commenting on the programme Driver Hire’s Chief Executive Chris

Driver Hire’s Chief Executive Chris Chidley

Chidley said, “In line with Driver Hire’s pre-eminent position in the industry, we are well aware of our drivers’ responsibilities to other road users and the general public. In fact because our drivers are often behind the wheel of an unfamiliar vehicle and on unfamiliar roads they have to be more aware than a driver who is working the same shifts week in, week out. Driver Hire’s commitment to driver education and road safety is unsurpassed and has resulted in us winning three national road safety awards over the past two years.

As ‘File on 4’ highlighted there’s no doubt that operators are facing increasing pressure on margins and from the driver shortage. Our advice is that businesses using temporary drivers must ensure that their provider is reputable. That means checking they have appropriate and auditable processes in place including rigorous recruitment procedures to ensure they recruit drivers with relevant skills and remain compliant with Road Transport Regulations. They should also be a member of the RHA, FTA and REC and comply with their code of practice.”

Mary Willliams the Chair of road safety charity, Brake, has worked with Driver Hire for many years. “Driver Hire were worthy winners of the award for ‘Commitment to Road Safety’. As an employment business they have shown consistent commitment to safety for both drivers and customers.”