Many of us go into each working day with the vain hope that our workload will be somehow lighter, or else smoother, or simply less of a slog.
Of course, about half an hour after first taking your seat, those hopes are dashed.
That we hope for such is not strange in itself. What is strange, however, is that despite every day beginning (with high expectations) and ending (in utter exhaustion) the same way, we take no action to change it.
Naturally, the knee-jerk argument to this is: I don't have time to make changes! The absurdity of this argument, in the light of day, is uncomfortably clear.
We hear it all the time. Transport waits for no man, that much we know.
So, with this in mind, we put together 5 quick tips to help you hold the fort as time-effectively as possible, while staying on top of the game.
Like paperwork, driver infringements and bad habits soon build up. Dealing with an offence sooner rather than later is a course of action with no downside.
A lot's been said about the ways in which the industry's changing, for better or worse. In many ways, Transport Managers are bearing the brunt of the shifting dynamics within logistics. Unsurprisingly, compliance is the main area of concern in this regard.
We have Earned Recognition, the new fixed penalty structure, unmarked HGVs, and a hulking mass of other things we don't have the space to list here. In the face of this, a TM's eye must be fixed firmly on the fundamentals.
As TM, you need to be like a hawk; and being like a hawk entails identifying the target and eliminating it, in as little time as possible.
The target in this case might be a drivers' hours offence. Maybe it's the driver's first. How do you ensure that first failure doesn't become a second, and a third, and even a weekly failure?
Ruthless efficiency is an apt term to use here. With each first offence, your response should be to create an expectation in the driver's mind: the expectation that their next offence will bring disciplinary action before they have time to come up with excuses. Going forward, that's serious time saved per driver. But how exactly do you achieve it?
This seems counter-intuitive - after all, I promised you ways to lighten the load, not pile it up with paperwork. But here's the thing - the more records you keep, the easier it is to prove things have been done. That means less time explaining to the business owner or the financial team or the board when, how and why a thing was done - you simply produce the record, and you're backed up.
Besides the operational benefits, records are also vital to compliance. The more records you keep, the better. The more comprehensive those records are, the better. The working day of a transport office should be measurable in records - physical or digital (though, make no mistake, the latter is quickly becoming the way to go). So when a DVSA agent comes knocking, you can direct him to your impressive database of files, and they will likely spend the majority of their visit going through what you've produced; consulting you only when they want something cleared up.
One of the things TMs dislike most about an audit or inspection is that more often than not they will have to shadow the agent as he carries out his checks, or be subjected to prolonged questioning as to why such and such is not recorded. Committed record-keeping, however, will help mean less time fielding queries during inspections, and more time working, while the agent does their thing.
Tying back in to my first point - what better way to shed minutes from your day (and hours from your month) than to discipline a driver in a way that gives them no excuse to repeat an infringement?
Dealing with repeated offenders can be a black hole. How much time have you lost ranting and raving at a driver who's gone over his 4.5 hours for the 6th occasion in as many weeks?
One of the fleet runners I work with has a great method of dissuading drives from repeating offences. Each time she has to discipline a driver, before she has them sign any paperwork, she has them sit down in the cafeteria, in front of the TV, and plays them a video. The video lasts approximately 15 minutes, and at the end of it the driver must complete a written test. It's up to them how long they spend on this test, but if they fail, she'll make them do it again. And again, until they get it right. Only when they achieve 100% on the test, will she hand them the infringement letter for them to sign, denoting that the infringement has been explained and understood.
Oh, and this is all done before their shift starts.
Not only does this save precious minutes that would otherwise be spent explaining to the driver where they've gone wrong; it incentivizes the driver to exercise more care in the future, lest they be subjected to the 'DVD of Doom' once again.
As you can imagine, this instils a certain culture among the fleet; inattentiveness has consequences. Infringing isn't just bad for the brass, it's bad for me.
I'm as guilty of this as anyone. Ceding control to third parties is not the easiest thing to do, especially when your mindset tends to be 'If I don't manage each nook and cranny, the whole structure will collapse'. And when this mindset's justified by history, it's even harder.
But as your workload increases, some difficult decisions have to be made. Letting others take care of things for you may be one of the most difficult, but is perhaps the most important.
But hold the bus, you're thinking, it sounds like I'll be spending just as much time searching for the right company to outsource to, as I would be actually doing the job myself.
Well, yes, there is that to consider. And it is perhaps true - at least initially. But it's a one-time sacrifice, and after it, you can say to yourself 'Well, that's one job I won't have to do again'.
From experience, I know that many TMs and operators can have a hard time outsourcing their tachograph analysis. This, usually, is not due to a fondness for the task itself (which is laborious, time-consuming and dull) but simply a cost-saving exercise.
What they don't seem to realize is that the expenditure is more than made up by the time saved. Let's not tiptoe around it: you have better things to do. So if you're hunched over a computer, using an outdated piece of software, squinting at driver and vehicle figures, times and dates - when you'd much rather be dealing with the making money side of things - consider it: someone else could be doing this.
Plus, it's one less thing for you to worry about during inspection. When a DVSA agent asks you: who carries out your tachograph analysis? You can tell them: it's handled by such and such reputable bureau.
Whereas if your answer to the question is: I do it myself, then the agent will want you to demonstrate precisely how you go about doing so.
Remember - you can have too much fun in one day.
You will have heard that analogue is on the way out. And it's the truth. But it goes beyond the tachograph - office processes, transport systems, and the entire world is turning digital. And while the analogue tachograph is currently holding out with admirable resilience, it's only a matter of time before it's phased out completely.
Likewise, the entire non-digital sphere is being eclipsed. Paper-based procedures are all but kaput. But what does this mean for logistics, specifically? Well, if we take the Earned Recognition scheme as an example, any operator that does not have a suitable digital system in place will be viewed as potentially non-compliant.
That means, if you're working with outdated systems, the enforcement agency will view you with suspicion, and may subject you to increased scrutiny going forward.
So right off the bat, old-school operators and TMs are opening themselves to a whole load of hassle. Compliance today means taking a proactive approach, and failure to do so puts a firm at risk of increased stoppages, increased inspections, and a large amount of time spent proving their lawfulness under the intense gaze of the DVSA.
But what's the solution? How, exactly, can you safeguard yourself and your business?
The methods are many and the options are numerous. New products are being released all the time; most of them propose a solution which sounds more complicated than the problem.
Yet, the fact remains: we're entering a new age of compliance, and there's no lower gear. We believe, for our part, that we have a solution, and one that is properly straightforward. To meet the number of enquiries we've had about it, my colleague Chris Allen is holding a webinar/demonstration of this solution. This is a complete one-off session, and will last no longer than 30 minutes. Oh, and it's totally free.
Don't worry - this session will be plain-spoken, direct and to-the-point; forget the tech babble and the wishy-washy stuff. We care for that even less than you do.
It's happening Tuesday 28th. There are limited spaces, so get on board early to secure your spot. This blue button will take you there:
Here's your quote for the week: "Stand still in transport, you will be overtaken." - C. Jones