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With the relaxation of lock-down and with school holidays now in full swing, we have received more and more requests from our clients for drivers and business is certainly busier than it has been for a while.

We’re seeing a marked increase in the number of shifts that are available as the permanent employed workforce takes their time off. So, if you have an LGV driver friend who is looking for work, refer them to us and we’ll give you £100 for every driver you refer. Contact your branch or go to https://driverrequire.co.uk/drivers/refer-a-friend

And as it’s holiday season, many of us are thinking about getting away and taking a break. If you’re taking a staycation or if you’re heading out of the country, then please let your account manager know the dates you are unavailable.

We’ve included some useful info in this issue of The Extra Mile, giving advice on the travel corridors, quarantine, self-isolation and the wearing of face masks. And while lock-down is easing, we must all stay alert and continue to take steps to control the spread of the virus; this includes regular hand washing / sanitising, avoiding touching the face and keeping to social distancing guidelines. Stay safe out there team!

It’s holiday season, however, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against non-essential international travel.

You will have to comply with coronavirus requirements in the country you travel to – this may include self-isolating or providing your details to local authorities. There has been advice in the past regarding self-isolating when returning to the UK – these guidelines have been relaxed and there are many countries where you do not need to self-isolate when you return.

However, the guidelines can change at any time, depending on infection rates within a country, and we advise you to check for any updates from the government. Only this week there was an update that Spain had been removed from the exempt list.

There is useful information found on Gov.uk and you can also sign up for alerts if there are any changes. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-travel-corridors

We would ask that as one of our drivers, if you are going on holiday, please would you contact your branch to advise us of your holiday dates and where you have visited so we can take into consideration on your return if you are needing to self-isolate.

We'd like to recognise our outstanding Class 1 driver, Peter, who works on our Ocado account in Hatfield. We were contacted by one of Ocado's LGV Team Managers recently with a glowing testimonial and we feel that he should be recognised for his efforts:

"Can you please pass on my gratitude to Peter, who went above and beyond the usual Ocado standards today. He had completed the NFT1 run, and when asked to cover an extra run due to driver shortfall was more than willing to help out. This is not the first instance where Peter has displayed exemplary work ethic and attitude, and is a credit to your company."

Thank you, Peter, for your hard work and great attitude; you are an invaluable member of our driving team.

Driver Require has released an entirely updated and consolidated report which investigates how the Lockdown has affected our industry; it is essentially a “Road Map”, to provide a clearer understanding of how COVID-19 has affected and will continue to affect the sector for many years to come. But it’s not just about COVID-19, it also examines all the other challenges we may face and the opportunities that await us in the coming decade.

The report looks to the future, examining the trends that will influence the UK Haulage Sector’s prospects in the long term, these being:

the need for greater supply chain resilience;
the increase in home working and e-commerce;
digitisation, automation and robotics;
greater government intervention;
increased prominence of the Green Agenda;
an appreciation of Key Workers as “Strategic Assets”.

We are very proud to announce that we have just signed the Armed Forces Covenant.

This covenant sets out the relationship between the nation, the government and our Armed Forces. It recognises that the whole nation has a moral obligation to members of the Armed Forces and their families, and it establishes how they should expect to be treated. The covenant exists to redress the disadvantages that the armed forces community may face in comparison to other citizens, and to recognise sacrifices made. This is something we at Driver Require passionately believe in and support.

Our CEO, Kieran Smith, was invited onto an episode of the podcast, which also included an interview with Sir Andrew Strauss.

Kieran talks about how Driver Require has managed to navigate its way through the challenges of the COVID-19 crisis, particularly in terms of our working remotely whilst still remaining 100% operational and responsive 24/7. He discusses how we've coped with the well-being of our staff and how we continue to function very much as a team.

Also featuring in the podcast is a discussion about how our business and our sector will adapt to new challenges and opportunities over the coming 12-18 months.

LISTEN IN HERE:

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