to pay that out of their own pocket, so you have that cost which is absolutely horrendous in this country. along with the fact you don t get a nice meal, you have to eat out of a cardboard box. it is also the facilities you get as a driver when you get to collection and delivery places. drivers are sitting 26 hours waiting to be unloaded with no facilities provided. unloaded with no facilities provided- unloaded with no facilities rovided. . , ., ~ , provided. that is inhumane. and yet ou are a provided. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part provided. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part hgv provided. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part hgv driver. provided. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part hgv driver. keep - provided. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part hgv driver. keep you | you are a part hgv driver. keep you doin: it? you are a part hgv driver. keep you doing it? i you are a part hgv driver. keep you doing it? i have you are a part hgv driver. ke
joining me now is helena wright, who“s transport manager for w“s transport in norfolk, a part time hgv driver and sits on a regional council of the road haulage association. this rather busy woman at the moment. what are the issues facing your firm? moment. what are the issues facing our firm? 1, .., , moment. what are the issues facing ourfirm? , your firm? basically, in the last two months your firm? basically, in the last two months of your firm? basically, in the last two months of our your firm? basically, in the last two months of our firm - your firm? basically, in the last two months of our firm we - your firm? basically, in the lastj two months of our firm we have your firm? basically, in the last - two months of our firm we have told 22 trucks off the road because we had an advert for hgv drivers and didn t have one applicant. hagar didn t have one applicant. how unusualthis? didn t have one applicant. how unusual this? in didn t have one applicant. how unusualt
so you ve got that cost which is absolutely horrendous in this country. like i say, along with the fact that you don t get a nice home cooked meal, you have to eat out of a cardboard box, but it is also the facilities that you get as a driver when you get to collection and delivery places. drivers are sitting for 26 hours waiting to be unloaded and loaded with no facilities provided to them. that is inhumane. and yet you are a part time hgv driver, what keeps you doing it? i ve done it all my life, it s part of family, it has been passed down from my grandfathers, my great grandfathers and basically you are born into it and you know no different and at the end of the day if i don t do it and i don t teach potentially my future children to do it, who is going to do it? because it is causing a problem. we put our hands on absolutely everything. you do, you are absolutely right. very little ends up in the shop without having been
is hot view of the home office is that it is not a view of the home office is that it is not a solution to this problem in the longer is not a solution to this problem in the longer term, which does leave this question of what else the government has to offer. it keeps talking government has to offer. it keeps talking aboutjobsjust government has to offer. it keeps talking about jobs just now. government has to offer. it keeps talking aboutjobsjust now. there has been talking aboutjobsjust now. there has been a talking aboutjobsjust now. there has been a focus on making sure that hgv drivers has been a focus on making sure that hgv drivers get a bit more money, better hgv drivers get a bit more money, better conditions, to make sure that more better conditions, to make sure that more people are going into thatjob. in more people are going into thatjob. in the more people are going into thatjob. in the last more people are going into thatjob. in the last few weeks, be
government have put forward, not least the transport secretary, just earlier today, that if you did that there is a risk that those new drivers would undercut wages, that perhaps some employers would pay them a bit less that effectively would undermine the competitiveness, if you like, of the industry? weill. if you like, of the industry? well, i think if you like, of the industry? well, i think the if you like, of the industry? well, i think the shortage if you like, of the industry? well, i think the shortage is if you like, of the industry? well, i think the shortage is such - if you like, of the industry? well, i think the shortage is such that l i think the shortage is such that that would not happen. you know, it is only part of the solution. we certainly need to train our own workforce and there is a great apprenticeship scheme that is working well that is hoping to do that, but i don t see a real danger in the wages being cut. [30 that, but i don t see a real danger in th