Little Ships

Ninety Five per cent of the UK's international trade arrives or leaves by sea... the Government provides support to the industry, with the aim of maintaining and increasing the seafaring skills base...

After reading this on the on the DfT website recently, under the heading Our Ships - Your Future, I was heartened to see that a similar Government policy seems to exist in the road transport sector in the form of a young drivers scheme. But encouraging suitable young drivers into the industry is one thing; keeping them and maintaining their skills is another.

It is estimated that 88% of all the freight transported in this country is by road (Eurostat 2007). The same source states that lorries collecting from a central depot can deliver anywhere in the UK and return within 24 hours. Just like the ships that bring freight into this country, these vehicles are responsible for creating the standard of living we have all come to enjoy. And, like the people who drive and operate them, they are essential if we are to keep it.

We seem to have just settled into the idea of digital tachographs and Euro 5 engines, when a new constraint is being placed on the industry. The onset of driver CPC’s is potentially one of the greatest burdens we have seen for many years. In time, the cost of this bureaucratic monster will be felt by both driver and operator alike. When spread over a period of five years the requirement does not seem too great, but who is going to pay up for training until they have to? With the minimum block of training apparently set to seven hours, who’s going to write-off a day, until they have to? And, unless they are absolutely sure of the loyalty of their drivers, what firm is going to invest in this training, until they have to? CPC will be allowed to creep up on us all. Enforcement is one way to ensure compliance but it should not be the only course considered, as the DfT recognises with the shipping industry:

...the Government meets roughly up to half of the training costs through the Support for Maritime Training scheme... The Government also supports the industry through the Seafarer Earnings Deduction tax relief scheme... .

The Government is right to encourage safety on our roads through training, as it does at sea. But it should remember: we need the little ships as much as we do the big ones.