What about owner-drivers?
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OVER THE past few months I have read with interest the column written by Barry Proctor. I have to say that I would support most of his comments 100%, but over the past couple of weeks he has left me wondering what he dislikes so much about ownerdrivers.
We are a very small minority of the transport industry fighting tooth and nail to survive on the crumbs that fall from the table of the likes of Mr Proctor and our larger brethren.
I believe that far from being the threat that he appears to think we are, we have a lot to offer the larger firms. I wonder how many operators will "encourage" their drivers to become self-employed to try to side-step the [working time] legislation rather than give the little guy a chance?
Most of us could not compete with the big boys apart from on good old-fashioned service — but perhaps that is the bit they worry about?
We do not have the problem of employing drivers who don't care or who hide in lay-bys for a couple of hours; we have to work our balls off just to stay in business.
If Mr Proctor wants a target I would suggest he looks at the many restricted licence holders who "take the odd bit" for someone else, or the unlicensed operators taking the bread out of all our mouths.
I am quite sure next year will not see a great upsurge in ownerdrivers purely because there can't be that many bloody idiots ready to put everything on the line to barely scratch a living. John Lyons JW Lyons Logistics Crewkerne Somerset