Five Live Researchers

[Pat Nicholson]

I had a call yesterday from a Researcher from Radio Five Live.

Apparently they are researching the fact that loads of lorries have major defects and are unsafe and that lorry drivers are being FORCED to drive them

She wanted to know if any of our Members had come across this, and when I told her categorically NO, she insisted that they knew it was happening.

I conceeded on the defect side that it may be foreign lorries who's standards of maintenance in their homeland are not as high as in the UK but she insisted this was not the case and that the Scottish Police have said that it's a major problem in Scotland.

With this I told her impatiently that no driver would be FORCED to drive them as they have the option of refusing and if, as she was saying Scotland has the problem, then she should be looking to interview the Scottish equivalent to VOSA, and asking why they were not enforcing their own rules and getting these lorries of the road.

In other words, the fault lies with them and not the drivers

But, as always, she had an agenda, a story to make, another alarmist programme to produce and no matter what I said, it wasn't what she wanted to hear

No doubt she'll find a lorry driver somewhere with a grudge who is happy to condemn us all for 5 minutes of fame

Pat
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You're not finished when you're defeated. You're finished when You Quit.

[vbmonkey]

I'm afraid that most "journalists" behave like this now.
In the old days, they still produced biased crap, but it was well researched biased crap. In fact, if it couldn't be stood up at all it didn't run.

Now they seems to think that if they keep badgering you, you'll tell them not the truth, but the story they intend to write.

AND they're illiterate.
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John B
"Never ask someone if they're from Yorkshire. If they're not, you'll only embarrass them, and if they are, they'll tell you."

[squarepeg]

And it's not just journalists, that Distraction Survey by the Highways Agency had it's own agenda.

It started off by asking if we thought we were distracted by ANYTHING when driving and ended up concentrating on roadside advertising even though that is the least distracting thing of all we encounter on our daily travells.
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Squarepeg ([])


Can you just ....?

[Ally Bongo]

Its the first I have heard of this issue up here ,but I am sure most proffessional drivers up here are like our Southern colleagues , If a load was deemed not safe to carry , we would refuse to go with it , and thats what most Health & Safety representitives of any haulage company will tell you.
As Pat touched on , there is a lot companys employing drivers from other countries , they get a brieffing on what the job consists of , maybe a days supervision , and then they are left to thier own defices .
And if you look at how drivers in some of these countries secure thier loads on , it leaves a lot to be desired , some loads with no secure lashing or maybe 1 strap at a push.
But on a final note how often does everyone secure loads inside tautliners , I am sure that many a driver stands there watches the load being loaded , and says that will never move , because you you see all over every week the curtrians with BIG BULGES from pallets r goods that has not been secured properly.

[Lancelot]

these people always want to sensationalise this issue

fact is if vosa wanted to they could find a fault on any truck at any time even if its only minimal

im sure if cars were subject to such enforcement there would be many many more defects

terry

[PONDLIFE]

Theyd probably go over your truck and come up with something really dangerous like a faulty number plate
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