Dear colleagues,
We grew up in the late 1950 with an idealized vision of a truck driving career. Even since we were children, we look up to our grandfather, a practical man, and his team of all over the place truck drivers. Seeing new places every other minute, the omnipresent grease, paint and oil smells, the long roads, the truck stops, the community and the inside jokes, the status and the gloom exerted a particular attraction to us. When we finally grew up, we spend every free minute fixing, painting or pampering the trucks that were our pride.
When my grandfather handed over the company to my father, he predicted the death of trucking. When my father gave up the company he did it almost out of frustration: the road transport domain became over-regulated. He also foretold the end of the trucking lifestyle. Looking back, they were both painfully right and terribly wrong. While the industry grew exponentially (more trucks on the road than at any given time in the past), there is nothing today, that looks remotely similar with the idealized vision we grew looking up to.
Regardless of how much we complain about the tightening regulation and the increasing number and value of fines, the fierce competition that push down the prices, the drivers with little to no regard for the machines, the amount of technology invading the trucks (that means we can no longer fix the truck by ourselves), the ever-increasing overcharges for maintenance and repairs of the trucks, the long working hours and the constant push from the labor unions... At the end of the day, the truth is that the world is changing around us, and we either adapt or give up. In a sense, we are doing both, since we are currently in a 10 year transition period that includes a generational change.
To keep the story short, over the past years, we have implemented active programs to prevent or reduce drivers fatigue and burnout. We are now being forced to take the next step. For the past twelve years, we dismissed, opposed and fought this change. Gradually, it snicked upon us and we had to evaluate and pilot alternatives. Eventually we concluded that we have to give up the idea that every driver has to have and cater for his own truck. We could not find a better way to both optimize the working time on the assets and prevent the drivers burnout. We started with the new drivers (on only one department, nearly two years ago), and, based on the results, we decide to gradually roll it out across all departments in the upcoming years. Of course we will strive to shield our senior colleagues as long as possible from this change, but when business rationale will push us against the wall.... All of us will eventually have to choose to either accommodate the change, or whatever the alternative might be...
colleagues, as a driver to be involved in one of these optimized truck/shift rotation scheme, you can expect the following:
- A better work-life balance by condensing the work time, thus saving time to be spent with the family.
- Similar, if not the same levels of income brackets, by increasing the individual working hours per day while maintaining similar quarterly averages.
- The same strict adherence to both European and national legislation on both driving and working time regulations.
- Out of respect for the next colleague, more strict requirements regarding truck cleaning and individual professionalization (since you will swap trucks regularly). For more details, kindly refer to our "Truck cleaning standards and drivers penalty / compensation policy". Of course, as an immediate consequence, we do expect that the drivers will enjoy a clean truck.
- We will start operating the concepts of shifts alongside the current concept of trips:
- A shift is a continuous period of time in which you will be operating the same vehicle. A shift can contain one, but usually multiple trips. Occasionally, consecutive shifts can be operated on the same vehicle.
- A trip is a working time delimited by some business rationale: usually a single sequence of loading and unloading the trailer (in one or more stops).
- A fixed scheme, between a number of colleagues operating the same fixed number of vehicles. The drivers will be allowed to freely associate and operate the vehicles in a flexible manner. As long as the drivers will cover for each others, will observe both the relevant legislation and internal policies, the company will not interfere with how the shifts are organized. If/when required, a company representative will be able to mediate a common solution. Once called upon this mediation service, the output of the process will be mandatory for all involved parties, regardless of how satisfactory the outcome is.
- To the best extent possible, the shift / truck rotation scheme will not interfere with an employee private commitment. Planned / approved holidays and medical leaves will be taken into account and respected. However, the company will ensure vehicle continues operations during such days off (e.g. annual or medical leave).
We understand that this will not be an easy change, as it requires a shift in mentality (we struggled before, and we are still not very comfortable with it). This comes with obvious losses in comfort for the drivers.... We are therefore open to take into account as much as possible the input of the persons affected by this decision. Consequently, based on our current drivers options we have compiled the following optimized truck rotation shifts:
- 4D4 - A driver will work a continuous 4 day shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 4 days compensatory time off. Under this scheme, two drivers will operate a single vehicle.
- 2W1 - A driver will work a continuous 14 day shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 7 day compensatory time off. Under this scheme, three drivers will operate the same two vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
- 3W1 - A driver will work a continuous 18 day shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 9 day compensatory time off. Under this scheme, four drivers will operate the same three vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
- 6W3 - A driver will work a continuous 6 week shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 3 weeks time off. Under this scheme, three drivers will operate the same two vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
- 8W2 - A driver will work a continuous 8 week shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 2 weeks time off. Under this scheme, five drivers will operate the same four vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
- 8W4 - A driver will work a continuous 8 week shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 4 weeks time off. Under this scheme, three drivers will operate the same two vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
- 12W4 - A driver will work a continuous 12 week shift and then have an uninterrupted period of 4 weeks time off. Under this scheme, four drivers will operate the same three vehicles, swapping between them one shift at a time.
These shifts patterns cannot be chosen by one driver individually. These are suitable options for any freely associated group of drivers, provided that the following conditions are met cumulatively:
- The number of drivers required by any rotation pattern, will agree on sharing the same shift pattern.
- There are enough trucks available for the shift / vehicle rotation scheme.
Anneberg commits to mediate and provide support for the drivers in organizing these vehicle / shift rotation patterns. To the best extent possible, we will consider everybody's interest against the business rationale before settling on any final shift / vehicle rotation scheme. Since life is unpredictable, we do understand that any plan will have its own ratio of completion and on the go adjustments.
Frederik will remain the main contact point for implementing these changes. Feel free to reach him for further clarifications with comments and questions.
Trust us when we say, that we are equally unhappy that we have to implement this change. The current market conditions are of such nature that are pushing us... either forward or out of the way. We trust that this change will bring benefit to all of us on the long run, in nothing else, at least in terms of survival.
Best,
Georg and Sven Anneberg
Anneberg Transport