👉 Don't miss this 👈 Here's your monthly roundup of driver news & useful info

Summer is here! Is this the month we finally reach ‘Freedom Day’ in England? At the moment, it's looking positive that this will be the case and we, amongst yourselves, are super excited for the relaxing of current restrictions.

⚽ Euro 2020 is well underway and with England through to the Semi-Finals against Denmark on Wednesday 7th July, the excitement is rising for a possible England final on 11th July ⚽. I think you would agree that it has been great to watch sport and see the crowds, no matter how small, in the stadiums.

Holiday season is upon us, whether you are taking a staycation or going abroad please don’t forget to let your account manager know when you are not available and if there is any added quarantine time due to the location of your holiday. Keep abreast of what traffic light colour your destination is with this link:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/red-amber-and-green-list-rules-for-entering-england.

Our clients are busier than ever and we continue to be on the lookout for more great drivers just like you. We’ve had a great response to the doubling of our Refer-a-Friend incentive – did you know you can now earn £200 EACH time you refer a driver friend to us? Click on the link below to refer your driver friends and earn £200 EACH time - a great boost to your earnings!

Our Andover branch has nominated Paulo Ferreira as our June Driver of the Month.

Paulo has been working for our client Lenhams since he started (this is quite challenging work, especially on a class 2). He works long hours without any complaint at all and he offers to drive at weekends to do extra drops which have been added at the last minute. He’s just a real pleasure to have working for us and our client really appreciates his hard work and dedication.

Paulo, thank you for always going beyond the extra mile, from us all at Driver Require.

The much-publicised HGV driver shortage crisis continues to dominate the headlines. On 17th June, our CEO, Kieran Smith was interviewed by Janine Machin and featured on BBC Look East discussing the reasons so many HGV drivers are abandoning the industry.

Kieran told the BCC that 900,000 HGV drivers are already licenced in the UK, but of those, only 300,000 are actually driving – with 300,000 driving other HGV (such as construction, fire engines etc.). But the most startling figure is that 300,000 drivers have turned their backs on HGV driving altogether.

Kieran goes on to explain the possible reasons for drivers leaving the industry and which age group has been most impacted - factors such as pay, poor services and amenities, long hours and irregular shift patterns are all contributing factors.

Read more and watch the interview here

You can also get your free copy of our new report "The Answer to the UK's HGV Driver Shortage Crisis" here.

Name: Jenny Fisk (you might recognise our Jenny from our new job alerts videos on social media? Jenny is also part of the team who puts together the monthly Extra Mile issues - alongside her busy role as Driver Require's Senior Resourcer).

Branch: Head Office

Role: Senior Resourcer

How long have you been with Driver Require? 3 years

Have you always been in recruitment? If not, what did you do before? I worked in retail before joining Driver Require – my last role in retail was running a distribution centre for a furniture retailer.

Now for some of your favourites…

Favourite band/singer? Oh my, how do I choose? Depends on my mood what playlist I listen to on Spotify

Favourite ‘binge watch’ series on TV/Netflix/Amazon etc? Greys Anatomy is an absolute fav!

Favourite quote from a film? Big mistake. Big. Huge. I have to go shopping now – Pretty Woman

And last but not least…

What three words best describe you? Tenacious, proud, loyal

Proudest moment of your life to date? Completing the London Marathon (never again!)

Congratulations to Matt Neville for 5 years of service with our Stevenage Branch.

Hugo Dawson, Stevenage Branch Manager said “I have had the pleasure of managing and working alongside Matt for the past 2 years and I couldn't wish for a better right hand man. His attitude, tenacity and steadfastness has guided the Stevenage Branch though some great times as well as the more challenging times that the last 12 months have presented. Through everything, he turns up, does the business and goes Beyond The Extra Mile”.

Here's to another 5 years Matt!

DVLA online: faster and more efficient

The DVLA's new online service makes applying for a tachograph card quick and easy. It significantly reduces waiting times by allowing HGV, lorry and bus drivers to apply and pay online. The service is also available to drivers renewing or replacing an existing card.

Here's a selection of comments from users...

“The screens were very easy to complete. I always find DVLA services easy to get through and this was no exception.”

“There were no issues and it’s easier than the paper one really, no getting envelopes and stamps; it’s so much quicker to do it online.”

“My tacho card has already arrived – it came yesterday, only a few days after I ordered it. That’s really good.”

“I would definitely use this instead of the paper service, every time.”

No more fussing about with bits of paper – a few clicks and it’s done! Drivers with a GB photocard licence can now apply for their first driver tachograph card, as well as renew or replace an existing card, without having to complete any forms or obtain passport photos. All the customer needs to use the service is their driving licence number, postcode and date of birth.

After the application has been submitted online, customers will receive text and email notifications to update them on its progress.

The new online service helps customers by reducing the time it takes to apply and receive their card. Drivers should have their new tachograph card issued within 24 hours from applying compared to 10 days or more when posting their paper applications. It’s just one of many online services designed to make things quicker and easier for our customers.

Leading on from our article last month on the extensive rubbish situation last month, we are going to concentrate this month on what we can do together to reduce plastic waste.

Plastic Free July is an initiative run by the Plastic Free Foundation that is working towards a vision of a world free of plastic waste. Plastic Free July started back a decade ago in 2011 and has risen from small beginnings with a small team in Western Australia to now, where millions of people across the globe commit to reducing plastic waste during the month of July and beyond.

If we all do our bit, no matter how small, it will help. You can get started by following these few simple changes –

using your own reusable cup when getting takeaway hot drinks
buying fruit, vegetables and fresh produce loose without plastic packaging
using your own reusable shopping bags
using a reusable straw or paper straw with cold drinks
and having water and juice in a reusable bottle

If you want to get involved with #plasticfreejuly please check out more details at www.plasticfreejuly.org