Log InReaction to the Relaxation of Driver Hours
9 July 2021
Chemical Business Association News
Tim Doggett, Chief Executive, Chemical Business Association (CBA) said, “Relaxing driver hours is an inadequate reaction to the chronic shortage of HGV drivers. It is also likely to be counter-productive and may even make the problem worse. Many drivers are already away from their families for considerable periods of time and already work up to 15-hour days. Expecting them to work more hours against this background is completely unrealistic.”
He added, “Relaxing driver hours does not address the central problem. There is a shortage of 60,000 HGV drivers and simply extending driver’s hours is not appropriate or effective solution. This is a chronic issue that now needs urgent action. We recently called a joint Government-Industry partnership to lay the foundations for a more permanent solution to the issue, including the immediate and urgent need to establish a Task Force to which CBA would be willing to contribute.”
Further information from:
Tim Doggett
CBA Chief Executive
01270 258200
www.chemical.org.uk
NOTES TO EDITORS
(1) A copy of the CBA’s recent letter to the Prime Minister on the drover shortage issue is attached.
(2) CBA represents the independent chemical supply chain. Its membership includes distributors, traders, warehouse operators, along with logistics and transport companies. CBA’s members, the majority of which are SMEs, are the main industry interface with thousands of UK downstream chemical users.
(3) CBA’s distributor member companies have an annual turnover of £2.75 billion and employ more than 8,700 people distributing, packing, and blending key chemical components and services to virtually every sector of the UK economy. CBA’s logistics member companies handle more than four million tonnes of chemicals every year.