Spring 2015
NETWORK NEWS
Page 9
07:00 I battle through bad weather to get to
work and as soon as I'm there, I get a message
that a driver in an articulated vehicle who
is stuck in snow just two minutes away
from the depot and can't make it up the hill.
I decide to hold all vehicles back and then
quickly let Palletways know to expect delays
due to the conditions.
08:15 Receive a call from a driver to let me know that he is unable to
come into work due to family illness so I replan the freight loaded on his
vehicle for other drivers.
08:30 Snow has finally stopped and the driver on the hill managed
to move so all vehicles were sent out. I'm grateful that we aren't too far
behind schedule.
09:20 The weather is getting worse so I decide to send some members
of staff home - some of them have quite a commute and I don't want
them to get stranded at the depot.
10:05 Driver rings in from the Fradley Hub with our next generation
freight to let me know that a label is missing off a pallet. Once I'd figured
out which delivery it was for, I ask Hub traffic to quickly produce a new
label. Count myself lucky that we have such a great team that pulls
together when we need it!
11:50 Get another call to say that a vehicle returning from hub cannot
get up slip road of M1 junction 30 due to vehicles stuck in snow.
12:30 Leave the office for a 1pm meeting with a customer to advise on
packing and labelling of their goods. Just hope I don't get stuck in bad
weather en route.
As an organisation that
influences policy, it is tempting
to make an overly-ambitious
wish-list for the powers thatbe-after
the general election,
but as we have been constantly
reminded, the outcome of the
2015 vote is the most open in
living memory.
The Road Haulage Association
has worked hard over the past few
months to establish its core policy
aims, ahead of what may potentially
be a volatile political climate.
The logistics industry is the backbone of the UK economy and we
need to ensure this message is clearly delivered to those MPs who
have returned to their constituencies in the run-up to 8th May.
With this in mind, it could well be a potential vote-winner, as the
supply chain is far more vital than many of them they may realise.
Our policy aims focus on three main areas: the driver shortage, fuel
duty and road congestion.
First and foremost, sustained funding is sorely needed to address
the driver shortage. Our industry faces long-term threats from the
exit of an ageing workforce and the difficulty of entry for younger
people into the driver market. Will the level of funding we need be
squeezed by the continuing drive for deficit reduction?
Secondly, fuel duty; while fuel prices have stabilised, we cannot
afford to take our eyes off of the ball. Duty reduction is essential to
keep up the momentum in the economic recovery.
Thirdly, congestion is getting our goods and services nowhere.
The quality of roads, roadside services and driver security is
keeping our workforce in the dark ages. As an industry, we've
embraced new technology and we need a modernised road
infrastructure to match this.
Our policy goals are ambitious but wholly
necessary. However different the new
power structure at Number 10 may be,
we hope the importance of investing in the
logistics industry will still be immediately
obvious to them.
Richard Burnett, Chief Executive Officer, Road Haulage Association.
In each issue of Network News, we'll be reporting on what goes on
across Palletways' member network. In this edition, the team went
behind the scenes at Hastings Freight Ltd in Chesterfield to look at
what a typical day looks like for Operations Manager, Dave Burns.
14:20 Return to the office to a message from a 7.5t driver who has a
puncture so I call ATS to attend to repair. I am now very concerned
about getting to all our customers today.
14:50 One of our customers calls to say that their barcode labels aren't
printing correctly. I email Palletways IT who immediately help out. This
is just one of the benefits of working for Palletways - the support we get
from the team at head office is first class.
15:00 Emailed and sent a message via online ordering to advise
that we may have problems collecting some freight today due to
weather. Arrange collection of 26 pallets from a customer we store and
despatch pallets for to be delivered into an off-site storage company in
Chesterfield.
17:00 I'm getting ready to leave the office but before I do, I check
the weights and pallet numbers going to each Hub to make sure we
have adequate trunking in place. I then email the Hub regarding any
additional trunk vehicles that we may be sending.
18:00 Arrived home - it took me nearly an hour because of gridlocked
traffic.
20:30 Phone bleeps with a text message from our OPS team regarding
how much Economy freight is left and decide how many Economy
trailers we need to send in the morning. I text our night staff and drivers
so we have adequate cover the following day.
21:15 Receive another text, this time from Palletways, with information
on how many pallets we'll be receiving for delivery the following day.
I forward this on to my team to alert them so that they can prepare.
Dave comments:
"What this all shows is that there's no such thing as a typical day in
the office! I relish the diversity of my role and as you can see, being an
Operations Manager doesn't end when I leave at the end of the day. I love
my job, being part of the Hastings Freight Ltd team and working with the
Palletways network, so going the extra mile out of hours really isn't an
issue. I just want to make sure that we deliver what we say we will each
day, so will do whatever it takes so we can do just that."
Expert ad ice:
Richard Burnett
Dave Burns
A day in the life of...