| DRIVERperspective |
by BERT
KONING |
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Bert Koning, author of this article and FleetWatch's new on-the road driver correspondent. |
The South African and African trucking is a tough industry to work in or to be associated with - either as an operator, owner, broker or driver. Most people have negative opinions of this industry which is such a pity because it does, in essence, represent the heartbeat of this country.
As a driver in South Africa, I have been given the opportunity by the Editor of
FleetWatch to highlight the general conditions of work along with the attitudes of my colleagues who work tediously long hours to ensure the man-in-the-street finds the goods he wants when he walks into a shop and that the company which depends on a consignment of goods to arrive on time, gets it on time.
Do these people ever stop for a minute to think how the goods got there or under what working conditions they got there? I must stress that the following thoughts and opinions are common among most drivers. They are not only my opinions.
The conditions that the drivers in this country have to work in are poor - and when I say poor, I mean poor. Yes, we know we are not a First World country so we can't compare to the United States or Europe, but there are limits to everything.
Many drivers believe and feel the problem starts at the top - and here I don't mean the owner of the company or operation. I mean the Government which indirectly controls the economy and really does not pay much attention to the trucking industry. If the Government does not consider this industry to be important, how can we expect others to do so? The feeling of most drivers is that the trucking industry - and the drivers who work in it - are merely taken for granted by all. We are not appreciated for the work we do for this country.
Then we get to the owners and brokers who obviously need to make a living but my question is: At what cost to the drivers? We all need to make a living but the general feeling among drivers is that the brokers and owners skim all the toppings off the cake leaving little over for the rest of the company. As a result of this, fleets do not get upgraded and drivers get pushed harder and harder to get that extra load delivered.
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Who wants to braai here? |
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We are told that truckstops offer drivers a home from home. Does your braai area at home look like this one at a Port Elizabeth truckstop? Note the photograph on the right. That is meant to be a chair around the table. How can drivers feel they are appreciated when faced with such facilities? |
Brokers are continually on the phone asking for the drivers to push harder - to drive longer - and the reason for this is simple. Brokers get extra commission if that extra load goes out. One may say that surely the driver also gets extra but again, I ask: At what cost to the driver? Already stressed because he is overloaded and speeding in an old truck so as to earn his pitiful salary, he goes on and on working to add to his small wages by earning on a cents per kilometre basis (CPK). By doing so, he goes beyond his safety limits and enters the danger zone of driving far too long without a break. Something must crack - and it is usually the driver. Is it any wonder that there are so many accidents when we're dealing with a "snowball" effect? I predict that if it is not stopped now, things will soon roll out of control.
The general consensus among drivers is that they are hounded by brokers and owners to get the goods delivered. They are pushed beyond all safety limits in terms of speed and fatigue and the police, who see trucks as "soft targets", zone in on the drivers while ignoring the people who are pushing them to go faster and faster.
Then when the drivers do stop off at a "truck stop" in the hope of getting a hot shower and some decent food at reasonable rates, they are shocked to find the poorest of facilities at these so-called "truck stops". In most cases the drivers have to pay to sleep at the stops and are seldom reimbursed by the companies. On top of this, the ablutions are usually in a shocking state so they don't even try wash. They then get ripped off when buying food.
In the hope of finding better conditions, they often move onto the next truckstop only to find that things are as bad there. Of course, by driving to the next stop, the driver is again pushing beyond the distance he or she had planned and this can - and has - resulted in accidents happening. And then when an accident does happen, the driver is blamed for not having stopped to rest. Can someone please explain this logic to me?
Drivers are not robots or machines that you fill with diesel to keep going. We are just like you with family members at home who are dependant on us. The average man in the street doesn't work under these conditions. He doesn't work 18 to 20 hours a day, every day, does he? If you think of it, the way drivers work compared to workers in others industries puts them way at the top in terms of dedication and responsibility - but they get no thanks for it. How about some home-time to spend with the family? The trucking companies can afford to give the drivers some time off; well at least more than they get at the moment.
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Who would want to wash here? |
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Messy, leaking basins, filthy toilets with no seats or toilet paper and a foul shower.
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This leads us to the attitude of the driver. The general attitude at the moment in South Africa is that there is hope and things are improving - but a lot needs to change. All you have to do is put yourself in our shoes for a while and then make the decisions. I bet a lot will change quickly.
The industry lacks pride and this is because of the conditions of work where drivers feel they are continually getting the short end of the stick. We feel we are working like dogs - with terrible equipment in many cases - with no thanks. This may seem harsh but these realities need to be highlighted and I thank
FleetWatch for allowing us drivers to do so.
Here is an example of what would be nice - and it is not difficult to do. Put some time, effort and money into your drivers. Make the driver feel like he is a vital link in the chain; respect him for his work and thank him. Do this and attitudes will change. Small things like providing incentives, neat uniforms, clean fleets and adequate time at home will go a long way towards achieving what should be your main goal, namely, to re-install pride in your drivers.
I would not be telling the whole truth if I were to ignore some of the good points of the industry - things that are being done that drivers are very appreciative of. Things like health issues and AIDS awareness are good examples of where the majority of drivers are getting the required information to act responsibly. The equipment issue is also being addressed but most drivers feel it is too slow. With the introduction of new advanced technology in trucks and trailers, working conditions are improving. Aluminium is now starting to take off in this country as is the introduction of automatic trucks. This gets a big thumbs-up from the drivers. The policing issues are a sore one among drivers but we are nevertheless grateful that there are some good policemen who are trying to keep our roads safe and clean of accidents. Thank you!
In ending, I also admit that the negative part in any society is that there are the few that mess it up for the whole. The trucking world is no exception. We in the driving fraternity know that it is often the drivers themselves who must take the blame for the poor conditions of the facilities provided for us - and the way we are treated as a whole. We are aware of that. We ask therefore that those black sheep be removed from the industry so that we can reinstall the pride that is lacking in this industry of ours that keeps the country moving.
On behalf of all drivers, I thank you as a reader of FleetWatch for taking the time to put yourself in our shoes for a moment and to think about life behind the wheel. We want to be proud.
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This is more like it - neat and clean! |
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Nice clean toilets, showers and basins...Well done Springfield Truckstop.
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EDITOR'S COMMENT
In our last edition, I put forward the view that while negotiators in the truck drivers' strike concerned themselves with the issue of wages, working conditions of drivers remained unchanged. In that same edition, a letter from Bert Koning, a professional truck driver who won the 2004 Artic Driver of the Year competition, was published. It was headed 'No respect for Drivers' and indirectly backed up my view of working conditions.
I also stated in that article that FleetWatch was going to hang in on the issue of driver working conditions as well as operator grievances in an effort to get some rethinking around the way this industry operates. In line with this, I approached Bert Koning to act as
FleetWatch's on-the-road truck driver correspondent giving us opinions and views which represent those of the truck drivers out on the road.
Long-time readers of FleetWatch may recall when we had a husband and wife truck driving team writing for us. Their articles gave great insight into the thinking of truck drivers. With Bert now writing for us, we hope to reintroduce the driver's perspective around a variety of subjects and topics with our sincerest wish being that it serves to add value to an industry which we all love but which needs some drastic rethinking on some vital issues. Here is his first submission. What do you think of the views put forward? Let us know.
Patrick O'Leary
Managing Editor
