For all the hours we were together in the cab, there were lots of tales swapped. And of course plenty from Dave who has spent a lifetime around trucks.
The expansion of the EU has brought its own "opportunities" of course. You may (or maybe not) have noticed the huge increase of European trucks (especially from the East) on British roads over the last few years. You will also I hope, have got a flavour from my ramblings of how hard the British authorities are on setting standards for well – ahem – British drivers like me.
It is now a daily occurrence that cars, vans and People-Carriers on our motorways are side-swiped, tailgate-shunted and a lot, lot worse by predominantly left-hand drive East European trucks who are generally far blinder on the offside than the equivalent British truck (pulling out to the right on motorways). And that's before you notice all the bling and tat that they have filling the windscreen. I even saw a couple of potted plants on the dash of one recently! No, really, it's true!
You don't hear about it (unless it's truly horrific = multiple deaths) but believe us it is happening every day. But of course, a mere detail like this isn't going to stop the great EU project. Oh no, and not with a main-stream media that is packed with liberal-lefties.
VOSA (the government agency that controls truck standards in the
Dave's training team covers many functions in the organisation apart from training new drivers. They also cover fork-lift drivers and of course assessment drives for any potential driver applying for a job.
He told us the shocking tale of how no less than forty – yes forty - East-European drivers had been put through an assessment drive at Stoke over the last few years and only one had been taken on. And I really do believe him that this is nothing to do with racism or protectionism or jobs-for-the-boys. He told us many examples of guys getting in the cab for an assessment drive, and it was plainly clear that they had never been inside the cab of a truck before.
As he told us, they would look at the markings on the gear lever in obvious confusion, let alone the range-change and splitter switches. And remember that there is (sadly) no British truck manufacturing industry left now. They are all made in continental Europe or
He told us of one (interpreter with him) who drove all the way from the depot to the Talke roundabout (A34/A500) – about two miles - in low range. Dave said to the interpreter "Tell him there's another four gears in the box" and she did and apparently matey just shrugged and said "Yeah yeah"! Dave stopped him at the roundabout, binned him and went back to the yard. On another occasion, he had to physically jump across the cab and grab the wheel.
And remember, these guys have got DVLA-issued C+E licenses and are presented by the recruitment agencies as experienced Class 1 (C+E) drivers. I asked Dave how on earth this can happen. Well under EU rules if you hold a license to a particular level, you are entitled to the equivalent license in another country. So Dave reckons it's either bribery with the local Mayor (issuing a truck license) or forgery or a bit of both. The DVLA, faced with the EU rules, have no choice but to issue an equivalent EU license. So there you have it.
He even told us of a group of Poles/Romanians who were on a fixed-length re-training plan or whatever. Ferries and coaches and accommodation all booked and how he came under immense pressure from his employer "to do something with them" (having rejected them all as truck drivers). So in desperation, he resorts to teaching them to drive a car (as best he can) and finally gets them on fork-lift trucks in the warehouse.
And as we found on our grand tour of the narrow lanes of
Artic traing starts Tuesday so watch this space.
Neil
