Hey , here's the best of spring (so far!)

Finally… spring is on it’s way. We’ve seen some blue sky in the last couple of weeks and some of us were even able to ditch our coats, gloves and hats for a few days. March 28th sees the clocks go forward giving us longer evenings, and with the Government’s roadmap to get us out of lockdown starting this week things are definitely looking up. This all signifies that there are better times coming – warm air, flowers, blue sky and the hope that it won’t be long till we can meet our friends and families again.

In the workplace we are in the run up to the implementation of IR35 - for more information go to driverrequire.co.uk/ir35#drivers. Remember, the deadline to transfer from a Limited Company driver to PAYE is 6th April 2021 – please keep an eye on your emails for further updates if you are one of our Limited Company drivers.

Let’s turn our faces into the sun and stride on (or drive on 😊) through March! See you all in April 🐤

We have nominated Cleveland Sallaby who is an invaluable driver for Ocado Hatfield & Erith as our February Driver of the Month.

Cleveland is polite, friendly and 100% flexible. He works for us as a Class 1 driver at Ocado in Hatfield however regularly drives down to Erith to support and cover shifts there. He also regularly changes his start times to accommodate the plan and is always happy to go in at short notice should we call him. Thank you Cleveland for everything you do

Thank you Cleveland, from us all at Driver Require.

GET READY FOR IR35 !

If you are joining Driver Require for the first time or you are a Ltd Company worker transferring to PAYE, you must decide how you wish to be paid.

OPTION 1: Directly through the Driver Require payroll, or
OPTION 2: Indirectly through one of our FCSA accredited Umbrella Companies.

IR35 reforms are due to be rolled out to the Private Sector on 6th April this year, the effect of which will be to require many Ltd Company workers to transfer across to PAYE worker status. If you are a Ltd Company contractor and want to know why you may need to transfer to PAYE, then check out our other resources on our website: driverrequire.co.uk/ir35#drivers

Click here or on the image below to see your options

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. Should you have any questions please contact your branch who are keen to help you through this process.

Introducing our very own vaccinator! Dan Hancocks, our Regional Manager has undertaken the stringent training provided by St.John Ambulance to become a volunteer that can administer the important COVID-19 vaccine.

Dan had previously been First Aid trained, and whilst on a Saturday you would normally find him supporting his favourite team with his son, he decided to use his time wisely while he couldn’t be at the match and support the vaccination programme.

The vaccine roll out across England is well underway and it won’t be too long before all adults who want the vaccine will have had their two doses administered. For more information on the vaccine please click on this link https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine/

Thank you to Dan and all the volunteers supporting the NHS to provide the biggest vaccination programme ever run smoothly! Keep it up

The Settled Status deadline is looming – as this email is received there are 112 days left to apply. Whilst we don’t need your proof of Settled Status at this point you may want to send it in to us now, if you have completed the process, and beat the rush in the Summer.

The easiest way to do this is to supply a share code and the proof of ID you used when you applied and we can carry out a Right to Work check via the Government website.

Please email to settled.status@driverrequire.co.uk and we will update your file accordingly with the completed check. Application guidance can also be found on GOV.UK and you can start your application at https://www.gov.uk/settled-status-eu-citizens-families

It is FREE to apply so please don’t get fooled by any offers to help with you with your application for a fee.

This month we're talking about the importance of sleep... and how to change your habits to get a better night's sleep... Did you Know?

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

Peak times for accidents are in the early hours and after lunch

If you develop any form of medical condition which seriously affects your sleeping patterns, such as sleep apnoea or cataplexy then you must inform the DVLA. If you don’t, you risk a fine of up to £1,000 and if involved in an accident, a criminal prosecution.

The hours of staff driving commercial vehicles under 3.5t aren’t regulated, the legislation that governs drivers of larger vehicles can provide useful guidance about what’s safe and what isn’t: https://www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/gb-domestic-rules.

How to overhaul your sleep habits to get a better night’s sleep

Being a driver, I imagine you know all about getting enough rest and sleep so that you can do your job safely. Over the past year, the Pandemic has bought its own challenges and this has had far reaching consequences on our sleep patterns and quality of sleep.

For instance, people who had no problem dropping off to sleep before the pandemic have found they now have trouble. Some have developed insomnia, sleep apnoea or other sleep disorders.

Of course, being stuck at home over the winter months with the absence of routine such as taking the children to school, traveling to work, going to the gym or regular social events hasn’t helped and made it even harder to keep track of time.

Factor in low levels of natural light during the winter season and being trapped inside four walls 24/7 can reduce the light-based cues we depend on for wakefulness and sleep. These are known as zeitgebers (our body’s natural time keeping system) and are crucial to our body clock.

With the clocks due to spring forward on the 28th March this year, we are going to lose an hour of much needed sleep. Here are some tips on how to sleep better whether working a day shift or a night shift.

Sleep hygiene is all about getting yourself in the best position to sleep well.

Here are some tips to help you set your sleep schedule:

Set your alarm clock: ever- changing wake up times can prevent you from getting into a natural rhythm try to stick to the same wake up time every day. This can be less easy with night shift patterns. (See sleep tips for night workers below)

Make sleep a priority: try to avoid skipping sleep to socialise, exercise, work or study no matter how tempting it might be. Sacrificing sleep for entertainment can take its toll.

Shift your sleep time: If you want to change your sleep time try to do this gradually up to an hour or two. It’s not that easy to change your sleep time too quickly and can throw you off your schedule.

Have a bedtime routine: follow the same steps every night – Put your pyjama’s on, brush teeth reinforce your mind that it’s time for bed

Dim the lights: bright light can impede the production of melatonin, a hormone that the body creates to facilitate sleep.

Wind Down: Try something that you find relaxing and calming.

Unplug: Make sure that you are device-free for at least 30 minutes before turning in for the night. They cause mental stimulation and the blue light that mobiles, tablets, and laptops emit, may decrease melatonin production.

Limit caffeine: limiting your caffeine intake in the hours before bedtime will help you drop off to sleep more easily

Bedroom Temperature: Body temperature affects not only sleep onset, but also sleep quality. Make sure the bedroom is properly ventilated and your bedroom temperature should be set to at least 18°C (65F)

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-hygiene

Sleep tips for night shift workers

Daytime sleep is usually lighter, shorter and of poorer quality than night time sleep and with everyone stuck at home at the moment it can be considerably harder to get your head down. Using all the suggestions above and these below will help make your environment more favourable for sleeping:

sleep in your bedroom and avoid using it for other activities such as watching television, eating and working
use heavy curtains, blackout blinds or eye shades to darken the bedroom
turn your mobile phone off or put it on silence, divert calls to voicemail, use an answer machine and turn the ringer down on your landline
ask your family or people that you live with not to disturb you and to keep the noise down when you are sleeping

discuss your work pattern with close neighbours and ask them to try and avoid noisy activities during your sleep time
if it is too noisy to sleep consider using earplugs, white noise or background music to mask external noises
adjust the bedroom temperature to a comfortable level, cool conditions improve sleep.

https://www.hse.gov.uk/humanfactors/topics/shift-workers.htm

MORE USEFUL INFO:

13 Ways to Drive Safely on a Night Shift

https://www.freightlink.co.uk/knowledge/articles/13-ways-drive-safely-night-shift

Last month we achieved the unique status of becoming the first UK agency to be REC Audited, a signed FCSA Supply Chain Partner and achieve the Logistics UK Driver Agency Excellence award.

Prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, we deliberately set out a strategy to achieve accreditation of best practice and compliance across all aspects of our business. We have received REC Audited status, the third of three formal recognitions we’ve been working towards to show compliance across recruitment, payroll and specialist haulage sector factors.

Our CEO, Kieran Smith said, “We’ve always prided ourselves on operating transparently and above the line, but we wanted the qualifications and third-party accreditations to offer proof that we are true to our values and deliver real compliance.”

Read the UK Haulier article here