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Speed Down Save Lives

Speed Down Save Lives

Taking place this week (20th-26th November), Road Safety Week is encouraging drivers to ‘Speed Down Save Lives’.  The road safety charity, Brake, have been spreading their life-saving messages since 1997 with a different theme every year and this year they’re encouraging people to spare a thought for the impact of breaking the legal speed limit.

The charity shares some startling facts to support the importance of this years’ theme:

  • Police records detail that travelling too fast is a contributory factor for one in four (23%) fatal crashes in Great Britain.
  • Drivers that have committed just one speeding violation annually are twice as likely to crash compared to those with none.
  • 4 in 10 UK drivers admitted to driving at 30mph in a 20mph zone, according to result from a Brake survey.

These figures are a prime example of why road safety charities are so important.  As a recruitment company for drivers, we see ourselves as ambassadors of the road and always promote the highest levels of safety.  We’re delighted to see Road Safety Week focusing on such an important issue.

There’s no limit on who can get involved with this awareness week, people from all sectors and organisations are encouraged to get involved.  Your support can vary from tapping into the hashtag “#speeddown”, on social media and thinking about your own speed on the road to ordering an action pack to use at your workplace or local community gatherings.  If you’re stuck for ideas on how you can fundraise for Road Safety Week – there’s plenty of donation inspiration on their website.

Making a donation to Brake can help run their helpline, provide picture books for children who’ve been affected by road accidents and source road safety packs for early years educators.  In May of this year, Brake also gave their support to the United Nations Global Road Safety Week – focusing on managing speed and prioritising road safety worldwide.  A small change makes big results with research showing that just a 5% decrease in speed can cause a 30% reduction in fatal road accidents.  To think such a small difference could save a life, it’s incredibly important for all drivers to keep these types of statistics in mind when they’re on the road.

Here at Drivers Direct, as professional and highly trained drivers we take road safety very seriously and we think this campaign goes hand-in-hand perfectly with the new speeding fines implemented back in April of this year.  We think these new fines are a great way to discourage speeding on our roads:

  • Band A – Although this relates to the lowest level of speeding, you could find yourself with 3 points on your license with a fine of 50% of your weekly income. This band equates to driving between 21mph and 30mph in a 20mph zone.
  • Band B – For more serious speeding, you could find 4 – 6 points on your license or even a disqualification between 7 and 28 days, including a fine of 100% of your weekly income. For example, you could be driving between 56mph to 65mph in a 40mph zone.
  • Band C – Reaching this band is a serious cause for concern as you would’ve been driving 51mph or above in a 30mph zone. That’s 6 points on your license and ban from driving from 7 up to 56 days along with a fine of 150% of your weekly income.

We encourage ALL road users to think about their speed and how a small decrease in speed can truly mean the difference between a normal day on the way to work or a fatal road accident.  If you’re aware of bad traffic on your route to work, you can actively make a change to your “need for speed” by leaving your house earlier than usual.

How will you be getting involved this year?

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Black Friday: Are You Ready?

Black Friday: Are You Ready?

The biggest sale event of the year is coming soon on 24th November, a day where the public tackle crowds and queues for their coveted Christmas shopping.  With the dramatic reduction in prices across retailers, sales will be set to soar – which will have a direct effect on the delivery industry.

An article in the Telegraph last November discussed how Black Friday doesn’t make people spend more money for Christmas, it just makes them spend earlier.  This leads to a demand not only during January clearances and the week run-up to Christmas, but also way ahead in November.

Most high street shops offer online shopping with the option to collect your items for free from your local branch.  However, customers are far more likely to opt for the consumer-convenient home delivery option; and Black Friday poses as an even greater challenge to drivers: with the dramatic reduction of prices comes a huge influx of online orders, each expected to be delivered directly to homes across the nation within a maximum of 5 working days.

Following last years’ reports on safety of delivery drivers during Black Friday, it’s important for retail managers to ensure that they have recruited enough driving staff to keep up with this high customer demand.  This is even more important given that last year the media reported empty high street shops as the Black Friday race took place online – leaving town centres quiet, but online shops full of people making their Black Friday purchases!

As Black Friday becomes more and more popular each year, it could be argued that November may replace December as being the peak trading month.  Not only that, online spends of up to £20 billion have been predicted – highly qualified, professional drivers will be more vital than ever for the consumer economy to run efficiently.

And although it is, of course, important to make sure customers are satisfied and receive their orders on time, it’s even more important to ensure that there is enough rotation amongst delivery staff to prevent fatigue behind the wheel.  Not only are well rested drivers a crucial health and safety measurement for delivery staff and other road users, but businesses will find that their retail supply chain becomes a far more seamless operation.

If you’re thinking about the logistics of your Black Friday sale, get in touch with our team of professionals today to discuss the benefits of taking on temporary driving staff during this busy season.

 

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Back to School: A History of Drivers Direct

As we move into a new academic season, we’re feeling rather reflective over the history of Drivers Direct and how far we’ve come in the last sixteen years.  Having been established in 2002 with just three branches – Feltham, Northampton and Runcorn – we have now expanded considerably with over 20 offices up and down the country.

In 2004, we became members of the Freight Transport Association which has helped us stay in the know about the latest industry developments, such as legislative changes and how national changes, such as Brexit, will affect the sector. 2004 also saw the opening of the Nuneaton, Eastleigh and Preston branches.  Fast forward to 2007 – another branch opened in Sutton and we set up our own NVQ training programme in December 2008.  By August 2010, we contributed to our employees achieving 1000 NVQ qualifications, a huge milestone for us and a vital aspect of the business.

Due to the high demand of our qualified drivers, we saw our business reach a 20% growth in turnover to £16.2 million which gave us the funds to open a branch in Liverpool, Swindon and Bishop Auckland.  This turnover contributed to an extra 180 jobs created across the UK which was a huge accomplishment for Drivers Direct.  Between 2002 and 2017, we’ve opened 19 branches and every year since 2014 we’ve achieved an excellent turnover – this year reaching a growth of 9.5%.

We caught up with Gethin Roberts, our Managing Director, to get his thoughts on the success of our business, what he sees in the company’s future and his advice for start-up businesses…

 

During your time as the Managing Director of Drivers Direct, what has been your greatest achievement?  

I think there have been many great achievements over the past 15 years. These achievements are not mine alone but that of the Drivers Direct team.  They include building a company literally from scratch to the one which you see today.  It turns over £30,000,000 with 22 branches employing 85 permanent staff and placing over 1000 drivers out daily, which now provides national coverage for customers. We survived the biggest recession of our lifetime and grew stronger following it. We also won a top 100 place in the Times Top 100, which was great recognition for the company. One of, if not the best, policy we have is to promote from within, a high percentage of our Managers, Regional Managers and Directors have all developed their career within Drivers Direct, we’re really proud of this achievement.

What helps you make your decision for selecting certain charities to support each year? 

We make the decision by asking our staff to nominate their choice of charity for the year ahead, once we have the nominations the board reviews these and a shortlist is produced. We then vote to decide which of the shortlisted charities will be selected for the coming year. We do try to nominate national charities, as we are a national company. In the past, we have also tended to nominate and choose children’s or cancer charities. However, this year we decided to choose a charity that supports injured servicemen, a charity that is particularly personal to me as I am an ex-serviceman myself.

Could you ever have imagined that Drivers Direct would have the number of branches it has now in 2017?

In 2002, when we started, we had an ambition to get to 5 branches, not even in my wildest dreams did I think we would get to 22 and own our own logistics company. I’m so proud of the team and what a journey we’ve been on together.

What are your milestones for 2018? 

We want to continue to grow the sales to £35,000,000, as well as opening 3 more branches.  Our sights are also set on moving to a newer and bigger HQ, one more suitable to support the Branch Network.

What advice would you give to people that are currently starting out with their own businesses? 

There are several things that are key in the early days of any business, things that looking back contributed to our growth and supported our decision making as we learnt how to run a business.  My advice would be to have a well thought out business plan and stay true to it wherever possible, but also allow yourself to be flexible enough to make changes when needed.

Make sure you have a great team around you and reward them when you can.  It’s important to set realistic targets and review them regularly.  Cash is King – so make sure you keep the debt to a minimum.  Have an accountant that keeps you well informed and produces monthly P&L’s so that you can track your profit.  Keep your bank informed of your progress, we found that by talking to ours regularly, they were always readily available with support and had knowledge of our future plans.

Above all, don’t be discouraged or too proud to ask for advice or help.

 

 

 

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2040 Petrol-diesel car ban: ‘Smokescreen’ or a welcomed reality?

Following France’s announcement at the beginning of July to ban all fossil fuel powered vehicles, our own government has made an announcement of their own.   The breaking news from parliament is that the UK is banning petrol-diesel cars from 2040, with a new tax implemented on diesel drivers by 2020.  We think it’s great news that the government are being proactive in making a change to the current air pollutions level in the UK. However, the Government should also ensure that individuals do not lose out in the run up to any tax increase, or bans, given that the UK Government also encouraged us all to go Diesel in the past.

 

According to health experts and medical practitioners, air pollution has contributed to the loss of around 40,000 lives a year and it’s been concluded that poor air quality is now a public health emergency.  Speaking to The Independent, Darren Baxter, a researcher with IPPR North referred to air pollution as the “tobacco of the 21st century.”  Just as smoking was regulated by the government, it’ll be just as important to tackle air pollution.  A briefing from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and Public Health England details that air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and respiratory disease.

 

Amongst the positive reactions to this announcement there have been some criticisms.  It’s been argued that action needs to be taken now in 2017 and not in twenty-three years time, especially as electric cars are already being manufactured.  Citizens of the UK will continue to be at risk from harmful air pollution between now and 2040.

 

Speaking to the Financial Times, Andy Palmer, chief executive at Aston Martin also criticised the ban and urged the Government to assist in the transition to electric technology to lessen the economic impact on the British car industry.  Palmer went on to say that the target for electric car sales by 2040 is absurd due to the long distances that some drivers need to travel (this would certainly apply to many of us in the driving and haulage profession).  Erik Fairbairn, founder and chief executive of electric car charging company PodPoint, predicts that up to 45m charging points will be needed for installation into most households by 2040.  A lot of planning and changing will be need to reach such a vast goal.

 

The talk of the petrol-diesel ban has mainly related to cars – but how will the new law affect the haulage industry specifically?  Of course, logistics is extremely important as we live in a high demand world of online shopping and the promise of next day delivery.  An article from the BBC discusses how not all vehicle owners will switch to electric replacements.  With regards to heavy goods and public service vehicle owners, they may use natural gas or hydrogen powered modules.  The use of a hydrogen powered vehicle could potentially have the capacity to match the same range as a petrol-diesel vehicle.  It is non-polluting, quieter and three times more efficient than conventional engines.  However, it has been confirmed that HGVs are excluded from the ban, but there are plans to include them beyond that.  This could answer some questions for HGV drivers in the logistics industry who’ve been unsure of the implications of this new plan.  The Government intend to devise an incentive by making changes to the HGV Road User Levy to help reduce carbon emissions and increase air quality.

 

Overall there have been mixed responses to this recent news from the Government but we certainly support it and we’re always on the lookout for the latest technology and ways we can contribute to helping our environment.  We look forward to seeing how technology develops to meet the goals of eventually reducing the unhealthy effects of air pollution.

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