Life in Haulage - Drivers Vs Office Workers
As long as there has been haulage (probably going back to Roman times or even before) there has been a (hopefully) good-natured rivalry between those that stay put trying to arrange loads or back loads and those that are actually out there doing it - the drivers.
Now some folk would calls this "dynamic tension" or "creative energies conflict".
Well, maybe so but that sounds a little bit like sales-speak coupled with psychobabble.
What's really going on? Well, let's take a light-hearted look - remembering that most people in an organisation do actually pull together as a team!) The desk jockey Some people on the office side feel that their driver colleagues simply don't understand the stresses they're under on a day-to-day basis.
Getting a consignment (or back loads) from 'A' to 'B' is critically important of course, but those on the sales and admin side are quick to point out that drivers wouldn't have anything to take from anywhere to anywhere else unless they secured the business.
It's often the guys in the office that get the broadsides over the phone when things go wrong, or that have to work absurd hours (no tachometer for them) when trying to get paperwork done or back loads sorted out.
So, when they're less than totally sympathetic to the driver that comes in bitterly complaining that they had to sit in a jam for an hour without their favourite DVD, well, maybe it's not too hard to understand why! The driver Some drivers feel that their office-based colleagues perhaps don't fully appreciate the stresses they're under on a day-to-day basis.
Wait a moment - haven't we said that before somewhere? Getting business or back loads 'on paper' is fine but that doesn't actually get anything from anywhere to anywhere else.
Hang on - haven't we said that somewhere before also? The drivers are the ones that have to sit for hours in traffic jams, stand for hours on the roadside when broken down, get up at 4am to make ferry sailings and get filthy/exhausted when trying to help get their vehicle loaded or tipped.
Then when they're in the office, their office-work colleagues moan long and hard because the temperature of the water in their water dispenser isn't quite chilled enough for their tastes.
You know, this really is becoming scary - it's déjà vu! Sympathy all round In practice, road haulage is a great business but it's also tough.
Everyone is under pressure at one time or another and everyone needs to pull their weight - wherever they are in the business chain.
Whether you're in the office trying to untangle the chaos surrounding promised back loads or behind the wheel trying to deliver them, we've all got a part to play.
So, maybe a bit more empathy is called for the next time you're feeling frustrated by your colleague's apparently lack of awareness of just what you have to put up with!
Now some folk would calls this "dynamic tension" or "creative energies conflict".
Well, maybe so but that sounds a little bit like sales-speak coupled with psychobabble.
What's really going on? Well, let's take a light-hearted look - remembering that most people in an organisation do actually pull together as a team!) The desk jockey Some people on the office side feel that their driver colleagues simply don't understand the stresses they're under on a day-to-day basis.
Getting a consignment (or back loads) from 'A' to 'B' is critically important of course, but those on the sales and admin side are quick to point out that drivers wouldn't have anything to take from anywhere to anywhere else unless they secured the business.
It's often the guys in the office that get the broadsides over the phone when things go wrong, or that have to work absurd hours (no tachometer for them) when trying to get paperwork done or back loads sorted out.
So, when they're less than totally sympathetic to the driver that comes in bitterly complaining that they had to sit in a jam for an hour without their favourite DVD, well, maybe it's not too hard to understand why! The driver Some drivers feel that their office-based colleagues perhaps don't fully appreciate the stresses they're under on a day-to-day basis.
Wait a moment - haven't we said that before somewhere? Getting business or back loads 'on paper' is fine but that doesn't actually get anything from anywhere to anywhere else.
Hang on - haven't we said that somewhere before also? The drivers are the ones that have to sit for hours in traffic jams, stand for hours on the roadside when broken down, get up at 4am to make ferry sailings and get filthy/exhausted when trying to help get their vehicle loaded or tipped.
Then when they're in the office, their office-work colleagues moan long and hard because the temperature of the water in their water dispenser isn't quite chilled enough for their tastes.
You know, this really is becoming scary - it's déjà vu! Sympathy all round In practice, road haulage is a great business but it's also tough.
Everyone is under pressure at one time or another and everyone needs to pull their weight - wherever they are in the business chain.
Whether you're in the office trying to untangle the chaos surrounding promised back loads or behind the wheel trying to deliver them, we've all got a part to play.
So, maybe a bit more empathy is called for the next time you're feeling frustrated by your colleague's apparently lack of awareness of just what you have to put up with!
