LETTER: Any need for so many HGVs?
A reader discusses HGVs.
Maybe Sat Nav technology can lessen the need for so many HGVs.
One of the main reasons that people voted to leave the EU was the pointless EU rules and directives inflicted upon us all, but the HGV Licence system is a prime example of how many jobs are still massively over regulated with bureaucracy to the extent that nobody wants to do them anymore.
If I remember correctly before we joined the EU you could drive and take your test in a class one vehicle as a articulated lorry was called back then, on a provisional car licence, by having a HGV L-plate and a normal smaller car L-plate showing on the truck, now there are a whole string of jobsworth categories for ridged and articulated categories.
, once you have passed the test and head out on the open road, you find that you have an electronic spy in the cab with you called a tachograph, not to mention the whole Army of Transport Police and DVSA officers in your cab’s rear view mirrors, so not that such of an open road after all.
The question is do we actually need so many HGVs now anyway? Since Covid-19 we are now in the large, white van revolution period. Has anyone noticed how big they are getting now? Vans are getting bigger now to avoid the extra costs of HGV operator's licences, so by adapting Sat Nav technology to deliver smaller loads in the bigger vans more locally instead of big loads to national distribution centres by HGVs, a large proportion of the HGVs could be replaced with with big white vans that don’t need all the over-regulated control of the HGVs freeing up the HGVs to deliver the large, heavy things that don’t fit in back of a van.
Gordon Edward Fanthom, Swindon
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