Continuing on the transport theme, it was something I saw on the way back from my weekend away in Scotland with my special lady that got me thinking and a bit wound up.
I was driving back on the A1 from Carlise, and for most of that part of the journey, I was following a Clayton Glass LGV whose driving was less than perfect. In fact is was bloody terrible! I went to overtake as the van got stuck behind some slower moving traffic, but that seemed to only annoy him as immediately he aggressively swerved right out of his lane to go an re-overtake me! Why?
I saw him further up the road then pulling out on people at the last minute and being a general pain in the arse to other drivers. Now I’m not saying for a minute that this is representative of Clayton Glass, I’m sure that this is just one driver whose had a particularly long run and just wants to get home. But I don’t think there is much consideration from company drivers in general when it comes to behavior on the road. I have seen countless numbers of vans of national window companies with their drivers on their phones or smoking inside their company vehicle, both of which are illegal.
It’s something that really annoys me. I always tell other drivers what I think of them if I see them driving using their phone at the same time. It’s even more frustrating when I see the drivers of window companies doing it. Not only is it not safe, but other drivers will see that stupid behavior, attribute that act to that company and it has then immediately had a negative effect on the image of that company. The same goes for general bad driving. Bad drivers are a pain anyway, but when that bad driving is being done in a company vehicle, again the image of the company is tarnished.
Just going back to the Clayton Glass driver again for a moment. Forgetting what I have just mentioned above. Lets imagine that the LGV he was driving was carrying product for an installations company. What if that stupid driving has caused some of those units to be damaged in the process. Of course accidents can always happen to products during transit, that is a fact of life. But matters are not helped when vans are being chucked around lane to lane, forced to break hard and without need and so on. The supply chain has to be kept as efficient and successful as possible. Being let down at the last minute on delivery isn’t going to help anyone.
Personally, I don’t think enough is done to make sure that delivery drivers take care of their payload. There are some great drivers out there I would like to point out, not everyone is bad. But I have seen my fair share of bad driving on the part of the delivery man. Perhaps trackers and other monitors are not enough to deter it? I know not every delivery vehicle is fitted with monitoring equipment. So maybe something like a deduction of pay per item that is broken or not delivered might work? I don’t know, just thinking out loud here, but I think it would probably stamp out some of the idiotic driving I have seen.
Maybe it’s something that will always be. A lot of drivers are subcontracted to companies so loyalty to the business and it’s brand will be very low. Even employed drivers don’t give that much care and attention. Again, this applies only to some drivers, not all. Again, I have seem some great drivers, many of which deliver to our office and warehouse.
Anyway, rant over. Please feel free to leave a comment if you agree or disagree with tonight’s musings…
Probably overworked stressed and underpaid and would like to be a fighter pilot or racing driver instead.
But i know what you mean.lol
Think this one thought he was Jensen Button ;-)
If my geography serves me right are the A1 and Carlise not on opposite sides of the country… maybe it was you driving badly haha
Hi Chadders
Not sure what you’re saying here? It’s still the morning so my brain takes a little time to warm up!
To be honest, i would expand this to HGV drivers in general. I regularly travel a stretch of motorway that is constantly reduced to one lane for cars while the HGVs create a convoy on the other two as they try to overtake each other (on hills), travelling at speeds way faster than the size of their vehicles would suggest is safe, travelling with no more than a couple of feet behind the HGV in front. They also seem to have adapted the Highway Code to suit themselves, e.g. mirror, signal, manoeuvre and the manoeuvre happens whether you are in… Read more »
Totally agree with you there Sharon! A three lane motorway can get really clogged up if two HGV’s are trying to overtake each other up a hill! And as for changing lanes, yes, whether you’re there or not, they’re going to do it! They’re not so great at letting you on to a motorway off the slip road either!
I have a personal interest in what you’re saying here, as the Clayton wagon is one of mine! Where and when on the a1 was this. This feedback is invaluable, hopefully I can take it and make sure we learn from it.
Our drivers are generally all employed and long standing members of staff, so understand they represent, and therefore help sell, for the company.
Hi Ryan
I think it was actually on the A66 approaching the A1. I could tell you in private who it was, but I don’t want it to turn into a witch hunt on that particular driver.
DGB