Extended Hours Won’t Fix HGV Crisis
According to the RHA, extended hours for already exhausted hauliers won’t fix the current delivery crisis.
The temporary extension of working hours commences from 12 July, but the RHA (Road Haulage Association) opposes the move on safety grounds and says it’s merely a ‘sticking plaster’.
The government recently confirmed the temporary extension of the drivers’ hours rules, to make slightly longer journeys where necessary, as they acknowledged the current shortage of drivers.
But RHA chief executive Richard Burnett, who has held talks with various ministers in recent weeks to appeal for government aid, responded: “We oppose wholesale extensions to drivers’ hours as we believe they can be counter-productive by making the job less attractive.