The university of life
Page 26
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
I was amazed to read that Mr Pendreich, a I haulier from Kirriemuir, appearing in front of a Traffic Commissioner had said: "Drivers are not the easiest of people to educate" (CM 26 Feb-4 March). Anyone seriously making such a naive and sweeping generalisation tells us much about himself and his attitude to drivers. In view of this broadside directed at drivers, I feel that I must return at least a couple of pot-shots.
It would appear, however, that Mr Pendreich has kept his wits about him—he has remembered one of the golden rules in haulage. Under the heading "When things go wrong", rule one is "If at all possible, blame the drivers".
In many haulage Firms it would be totally outrageous to suggest that even the occasional cock-up was caused by a lack of foresight or organisation on the part of management; what a ridiculous notion! I would suspect that as far as "education" goes, drivers are much the same as any group of manual workers. Some hauliers are definitely not too easy to "educate". That is why sometimes they are summoned by Traffic Commissioners, told the error of their ways, and asked to clean up their acts. In my experience, most drivers can use something which is often not readily available further up the haulage ladder—good old-fashioned common sense.
J Sangster, Auchterarder.