Welcome to 2021! No sooner had we popped the champagne corks, cleared away our Christmas decorations, written our New Year’s Resolutions and 💥 boom💥 , we are back in lockdown 3.0!!!

Not what any of us were hoping for but for our own personal safety reasons, and to slow down the spread of the virus until we can, as a nation, nail the vaccine rollout, we have to stay home to protect the NHS who are almost at breaking point, and continue to protect the vulnerable and save lives.

But these new restrictions could have a serious impact on mental health, education, and jobs.  According to the Mental Health Foundation, over a third of people in full-time work admitted to having anxiety about losing their jobs during the first lockdown.

Another lockdown will see these anxieties re-emerge and it will throw the UK into another negative spiral of economic and social uncertainty. As ever, there are many helplines available for anyone struggling through lockdown (you can find details for support and information at the end of this newsletter).

But it’s not all doom and gloom and while the Driver Require offices may have their front doors shut and locked - we are all still fully open for business and getting those important shifts booked and new business signed up so we can continue providing work for you, our loyal team of drivers. We supply round the clock support 365 days a year and we are certainly not planning on stopping this in 2021.

Looking forward, walking forward, driving forward here’s to the future and a successful 2021!

Our Stevenage office has nominated William O'Donovan as our December Driver of the Month.

"Will is an HGV1 driver and first started working for Driver Require in 2012. He then left us in 2013 and after 7 years, he returned to work for us last July and has been working on an ongoing basis for clients including Poundland, Bibby and Zeus Packaging since. He is polite, hardworking, flexible and receives glowing feedback from all of the clients we send him to drive for.”

Thank you Will, from us all at Driver Require.

Changes to the Government’s IR35 legislation will come into force in April 2021, preventing larger haulage companies from taking on drivers who work as Ltd Companies. Instead, you’ll need to be employed as a PAYE worker — either as part of a haulage company's permanent driver pool or on your agency’s payroll, or as an agency worker through an Umbrella scheme.

If you are working through a Ltd Company you may continue to do so until the beginning of April 2021. Remember that, as a Director of your Ltd Company, you will remain responsible for paying your PAYE tax and National Insurance Contributions and you will be liable to HMRC for any underpayment.

As we approach April 2021, we will work closely with you to guide you through the decision on whether to transfer to PAYE and how to do this as cost-effectively and smoothly as possible.

If you transfer to PAYE, you will have two options, which have different benefits and disadvantages:

1. Work through an Umbrella PAYE scheme
2. Transfer to the Driver Require PAYE payroll

We only work with the best and most compliant Umbrella companies, all of whom are FCSA accredited (the industry “gold standard”) so you should have no concern that you will receive an excellent service and your taxes will be processed correctly.

Are you a Ltd Company Contractor? You need to get ready for IR35

In the meantime we are working hard to negotiate the best market pay rates for you.

We have thoroughly updated our website with all the information you need to guide you through this change:

Go to driverrequire.co.uk/ir35#drivers

1. Prioritize Safety.
There’s nothing more important in 2021 than your personal health and safety. To stay safe, commit to following all safety procedures, COVID precautions, and vehicle inspection checklists. Additionally, at all times keep yourself buckled-up, remain alert by keeping the cab cool and taking breaks if you need them, and stay distraction-free while driving.

2. Put Down the Phone.
Leave those calls and texts wait until you are parked. According to research, you are 6X more likely to crash while dialing a call and 22X more likely to crash while texting. It’s illegal to use a handheld mobile phone while driving. If you’re caught using a handheld phone while driving, you’ll get 6 penalty points on your licence and a fine of £200. If you are a professional driver then you could face fines of up to £2,500. Here’s a leaflet which you should have received when you registered… Think! Put your mobile phone away

3. Get Better Sleep.
Drowsy driving is dangerous driving. Consider these scary statistics: It’s estimated around one fifth of all road accidents are sleep-related and of those incidents, 40% involve commercial vehicles. Men under 30 have the highest risk of falling asleep at the wheel and peak times for accidents are in the early hours and after lunch.It’s therefore absolutely essential that you resolve to get the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night in the new year.

4. Stay Connected.
Driving can be a lonely profession, not just for those drivers who spend days away from home, but also for local drivers who can get all-too-easily wrapped up in daily shift patterns. No matter your role in 2021, aim to make more rest stop phone-calls, texts and video chats to family and friends.

5. Eat Better, Feel Better.
When you spend all day driving from site to site, or all day on the same routes, it’s hard to find time to prepare and eat healthy meals. Instead of sticking with fast food, be proactive in the new year by stocking up on healthy food, and why not make your packed meals, not forgetting of course to include plenty of fruits and veggies, the night before work. Check out our recent post: https://driverrequire.co.uk/news/item/eat-better-feel-better-this-autumn

6. Exercise More.
Sitting in the driver’s seat doesn’t exactly stretch and build up many muscles. Keep trim in 2021 by exercising as much as you can during breaks. Sit-ups and crunches, simple cardio, push-ups and planks, strength training, and stretching/yoga are all options to work into your schedule. As a minimum, try to walk enough during breaks so that it adds up to at least an hour each day.

7. Keep it Tidy.
Keeping the cab tidy can be one of the easiest things to overlook or put off, but picking things up and doing some quick cleaning can really transform the driving experience. A clean cab is better for your physical health, puts you in a professional and productive mindset, and gives you more space. It also means less clutter, particularly on the dashboard which can distract you whilst driving. All these benefits make it a great (and easy) goal to set in the new year.

8. Maintain Mental Health.
Into lockdown, out of lockdown… repeat. We know how tough it is out there. We also understand that driving for a living can be stressful and lonely. So, just like we should monitor our physical health, we should keep tabs on our mental wellbeing in 2021. We’ve written several articles over recent months on the importance of mental health and wellbeing and where to access support. Check out these blogs:
https://driverrequire.co.uk/news/item/second-lockdown-will-take-heavy-toll-on-mental-health
https://driverrequire.co.uk/news/item/how-lockdown-easing-is-affecting-our-mental-health

9. Make the Most of Time Off.
One of the best ways to recharge as a driver is to fill the time outside of work with fun, fulfilling, and relaxing activities. In the new year, try a new hobby, obviously we still need to stick to social distancing and lockdown guidelines, but discovering new books, cookery, online puzzles and games, new exercise regimes and spending quality family time with the kids. Whateveer you choose, make sure you’re getting some quality time to yourself and take your mind off the job.

By setting creative, realistic and productive New Year’s Resolutions for 2021, we could very well be heading into a great 2021.  

• NHS: www.nhs.uk
• Mind: www.mind.org.uk or call 020 8519 2122
• Samaritans: www.samaritans.org.uk or call FREE 116 123 (24 hours a day/365 days a year)
• Anxiety UK: www.anxietyuk.org.uk or call 08444 775774