By dint of their actions as a profession, a ‘white van man’ has earned a certain reputation for their driving style. However, they do provide a service of sorts.
It was this in mind that I recently decided it would be better to have large boxes collected and delivered rather than do the job myself – enter white van man.
I have no complaint about the service I received. My concern rests with what the driver had done in the week prior to the job for me. He had literally lived on the road with minimal rest, as these drivers are not governed as we are by drivers’ hours regulations.
His schedule had included several very long days of 17 hours or so and after my delivery had over an hour’s drive to get home with an early start the following morning.
It strikes me that the stress of such working times can and would present a danger to other road users and, while the DVSA is keen to prosecute PSV drivers for minor infractions of drivers’ hour rules, this dangerous – in my view – practice is allowed to go on unchecked or indeed without any control whatsoever.
Surely a cause for concern?
Name and address supplied
