Over to you A FAIR GO FOR OWNER DRIVERS by Ray Pratt
OWNER DRIVERS LIKE EVERY OTHER SMALL BUSINESS ARE FEELING THE PAIN
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wner drivers like every other small business are feeling the pain as the Coronavirus impacts on our way of life. This pandemic has certainly put the brakes on how we live and work in a way that is hard to imagine. The good news is that for once in our life the general public has been made aware of how essential road transport is. Some trucking companies and drivers are the flavour of the month as they tirelessly work to keep the wheels turning. The demand to refill supermarket shelves and keep the supply chain moving is at an unprecedented high level especially so it seems if you are carting toilet paper. The big supermarket chains have experienced unparalleled growth and sales as consumers stock up on so-called essential items. The bad news is while this is keeping many trucks busy there are many in our industry that are in damage mode as work dries up. Due to many small businesses having to temporarily shut down many transport operators have been forced to park up their rigs. The problem with most small businesses and especially with transport
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WATM • June 2020
is that we have all been surviving on very meagre margins for such a long time now that we do not have anything in reserve for times of crisis. The Coronavirus has certainly created a crisis. As I have said many a time, the problems truck drivers face originate from the top of the supply chain as wealthy
The demand to refill supermarket shelves and keep the supply chain moving is at an unprecedented high level especially so it seems if you are carting toilet paper manufacturers and retailers have for many years now forced down the rates to unfair levels. The ruthlessness and aggression that these companies dedicate to achieving lower rates is mind-boggling. Put simply, we are left with very little resources or savings to sustain a reduction of work and so it is obvious that many transport businesses that have been
operating on a knife-edge will not survive this crisis. While trucks are sitting idle they are a real liability as truck payments, insurance, and registration still has to be paid. Also, the real danger here is that rates are in danger of being pushed even lower as operators struggle to survive. There will be those that will cut the rates as an answer to survival. The short term gain will not be worth it in the long run. We all know that once rates go down it is next to impossible to get them up again. We all dream of a time when the undercutting of rates becomes extinct. We also dream about an industry that is more effective and safer but instead, we are pressured to drive long hours and keep transport costs down. This Coronavirus problem is showing signs of coming to an end. As we pick ourselves up it could be the perfect opportunity to create a better industry. The transport industry is in need of reform so we need to make clients more responsible for their actions and fight for change. We cannot afford another crisis like this in the transport industry. Keep it safe, Ray Pratt.
