This blog was originally published in Motion Magazine.
The indignation of road users towards other road users at times can be palpable and many an hour can be spent watching YouTube videos that illustrate the alarming and often violent behaviour of people disagreeing on the roads; “Do you know who I am; I’m Ronnie Pickering!” is a personal ‘favourite’.
This is the environment in which hundreds of thousands of us earn our living and with the growth of white vans due to the proliferation of online shopping and the plethora or home delivery businesses, this is only going to get worse.
I am fully supportive of all road safety and protecting every road user. I am also pragmatic and accept that in this stressful and time constrained world, sometimes incidents will happen which rightly need investigating to ensure that our colleagues are driving professionally and safely.
When I receive complaints from the public I always set out with an open mind when investigating the events as described. The results of these investigations have been wide ranging in their outcome – sometimes sadly it is our colleagues in the wrong. However is it now time to lobby for some serious changes to the licencing of road users?
Specifically I would propose two fundamental changes: a) CPC for van drivers, and b) HGV awareness for driver tests
CPC for White Vans
There has been much press coverage on the expectations placed by major home delivery businesses on their drivers. How rigorous are the checks in place to ensure these drivers are safe, qualified and trained? That is a rhetorical question but I am sure every one of the Industry Insider readers have witnessed delays and congestion as a delivery van parks illegally giving a wistful wave of apology and dashing into a building to obtain a signature.
If I did that when I could not park to go to a cash point, or grab a sandwich, I would expect serious abuse from fellow road users and if a member of law enforcement were passing to be spoken to at the very least and potentially charged with causing an obstruction. Have we all come to accept this behaviour from delivery vans as normal and acceptable? Licencing and enforcement have to be lobbied to improve the roads for all of us.
HGV Awareness
As I stated earlier there are indeed times when members of my team are in the wrong, however all too often I receive complaints from members of the public who have no idea how skilled HGV drivers have to be. Undertaking and overtaking on roundabouts and joining motorways are the two areas where I have received the majority of complaints recently. All too often it is the car driver who does not understand the turning circles and time a truck needs to manoeuvre.
It must be time that as part of driving tests all drivers should be expected to demonstrate their understanding of what is and is not safe when taking HGV’s into account?
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