The government’s recent decision to temporarily extend the working hours of HGV drivers from July 12 to August 8 has been met with backlash from industry bodies, who have labelled it a “sticking plaster” in trying to deal with a wider problem. Speaking on BBC World Business Report, Driver Require CEO Kieran Smith shared his view that the negative aspects of the government measure outweighed any positives.
Indeed, Smith even goes further than that, warning that HGV drivers “are already working to their limits” under existing rules and expressing his fears that the new measure could increase the level of risk to drivers and all other motorists.
Asked whether the temporary extension to driver’s hours made sense as a temporary or partial solution to the HGV driver shortage, Smith explained that the move would merely amount to an extension of “a couple of trips per week - extending it twice a week from 10 hours to 11 hours, meaning that you can get back to base more easily”.
Having played down the positive impact of the change, Smith added that the amendment to driver’s breaks essentially means that in lieu of a full two-day break from driving, the rest phase can be divided into two 24-hour rest periods, meaning drivers could end up going a full two weeks without taking a full rest.
Smith says: “Drivers are already working to their limits with the existing rules and longer hours could add to the pressure on drivers who have already worked flat out since the start of the pandemic.”
It is a shared concern across industry bodies and firms that the safety of lorry drivers and other road users could be compromised, with drivers not taking sufficient periods of rest and therefore prone to the consequences of tiredness and human error.
Kieran Smith's interview with BBC World Business Report can be found here, approximately 14 minutes into the video.
