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Haulier Helpers: Bringing Your Pet on the Road with You

Haulage work can involve long days on the road with little to keep you entertained, but there’s no excuse to be bored during your time on the road if you can take you pet along with you! What may seem like an ordinary drive to you will be an exciting adventure for them, and their enthusiasm will rejuvenate your energy no end.
Whether you’re keen to bring your cat or dog (it may be wise to leave the more unusual creatures such as rabbits or snakes at home), this guide offers top tips and advice on what supplies to bring with you for a comfortable journey for you and your furry companion.

Top Tips:

• Pet proof your vehicle. Be sure to block off the driving area, particularly the pedals, and create a designated space for them inside the truck. • Be prepared for emergencies. Plan for any surprise expenses you might need to make and keep a list handy of all emergency care facilities and vets. • Put together a file of health and vaccination records to bring in the vehicle and take extra medication (should your cat or dog require it). • Make sure their collar has in-date contact information, and it is always a good idea to microchip your pet so that if they get lost they can be easily identified. • Plan ahead. If you are bringing your dog, allow time on your journey for it to get plenty of exercise – it will be very beneficial for you, too!

Cats vs. Dogs

As the age-old debate proves, there are pros and cons to owning both cats and dogs, and the same applies when considering which animals are suitable to take on a journey.

For instance, cats may require litter boxes, which can be messy and inconvenient and also creates the problem of odours in a confined space. Cats, by their nature, may also be less inclined to be content to travel in a vehicle than dogs. Should they become distressed, they might scratch your interiors or cry, causing a driving distraction. However, on the other hand, if your cat is a keen traveller, they don’t need as much exercise as dogs so it will cut down the amount of stops you’ll need to make, and they will often happily curl up alongside you and be a great travel buddy.

Both cats and dogs can be excellent driving companions, just make sure they do genuinely enjoy the experience.

What to Bring:

Although bringing a furry driving companion with you on haulage work has its advantages, you will need to be prepared to bring extra supplies in the vehicle – in which there is usually limited space. Here are some ideas of what you should consider bringing:

• Extra cleaning supplies and air fresheners – trust us on this one. • Lots of water and a container your cat or dog can drink out of – rubber collapsible water bowls can be great space-savers. • Food and treats. Bring more than you will need in case of a breakdown or other emergency. • Toys. Dogs in particular may need to be kept entertained. • Lead. Any time you exit the vehicle your dog (or cat) should be restrained.

Bring Some Fun to your Haulage Work

You may not usually get to spend time with your furry friend if you have a job driving all day, so you can enjoy their company if you do decide to take them on the road. After all, there is nothing a dog can’t get excited about, so it will love being alongside its best friend while they’re at work. And a cat? Well, probably the most thanks you can expect is tolerance, which is high praise indeed!

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry. Connecting logistics professionals across the UK and Europe through their website, Haulage Exchange provides services for matching haulage work with available drivers. Over 5,400 member companies are networked together through the Exchange to fill empty capacity, get new clients and form long-lasting business relationships.

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New Speed Cameras Catching Red Light Runners

Merseyside owner drivers need to be aware that a new speed camera is being trialled by police. This camera not only catches speeding vehicles but has been designed to catch red light jumpers too. Known as ‘speed on green’ cameras, they are part of a new innovation that aims to improve safety on the road and deter anyone behind the wheel from speeding up through traffic lights as they are changing.
What the Cameras Do

The principle aim of this technology is to catch drivers jumping lights. They are also, however, fine-tuned to catch anyone speeding through them, regardless of whether the lights are changing or not.

What are the Benefits?

Hundreds of people are involved in serious vehicle accidents annually. In Merseyside alone, 577 people were seriously injured or lost their lives last year. It is hoped that these cameras will help make a significant reduction in collisions, especially at junctions.

Forewarned is Forearmed

The Road Safety Partnership and Merseyside Police are the innovators behind the trial and have identified several appropriate junctions in the Merseyside area suitable for the trial. These junctions are deemed particularly risky and it is thought that the cameras could be enough of a deterrent for drivers who would normally be tempted to take unnecessary risks. In the long run they will behave more responsibly and road safety will improve.

People not driving slowly enough to stop as the lights change or as pedestrian begin to cross the road cause most accidents at traffic lights. It is good advice to all owner drivers to pay attention to their speed, regardless of whether these ‘speed on green’ cameras are in place – but by knowing that they may be fined as a result of risky decisions at junctions, vehicle owners will hopefully drive more carefully and responsibly.

The Penalties

Owner drivers have a reputation to uphold and understandably most of them want to avoid being caught for minor offences. Consequences include Fixed Penalty Notices (FPN) and fines of £100, as well as three points added to the license of anyone caught speeding by a ‘speed on green’ camera. More serious offences receive a greater punishment and possible court proceedings, as well as steeper fines. On top of this, jumping a red light incurs another fine of £100 and an additional three points on a license so if you are caught both speeding and running the light, the fine is £200 and six points immediately.

If this trial is successful it will be rolled out nationwide. Owner drivers are responsible for their behaviour on the road and, despite having targets to meet and deadlines to adhere to, safety comes first – these cameras will help remind every vehicle user that of that and make the roads a better place to be.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for same day owner driver courier jobs in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.

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Keep Your Courier Business Covered with Business Choice Direct and Courier Exchange

One of the most important parts of doing courier work is ensuring you have the correct insurance cover you need. Of course, it can also be one of the least fun parts of the job, involving a lot of industry jargon, overlapping and competing policies and plain boring paperwork.
Luckily, there is an easier way. Business Choice Direct (BCD) has earned a good reputation in the transport industry for keeping things simple and ensuring clients are properly covered for every eventuality. And now they’ve partnered with popular freight exchange network Courier Exchange (CX) to provide even more benefits to their members.

Read on to learn more about both companies and their exciting partnership – and how it could benefit you.

Courier Exchange

With over 38,000 members, CX is the country’s fastest growing platform for buying and selling delivery work. Members get access to a raft of benefits, including the ability to easily view and bid for jobs, and integration with several other useful systems such as maps and accounting (ideal for VAT returns).

Business Choice Direct

Over the past six years, BCD has built up a wide client pool of over 26,000 policyholders from a variety of sectors, from employers to tradespeople to those working in the health and beauty industry.

Committed to keeping things simple, the company believes that workers, businessowners and managers shouldn’t have to be insurance experts as well. To that end, its teams do as much of the work as possible, leaving clients time to focus on doing their own jobs to their optimal ability.

It’s also especially popular among those doing courier work – for reasons we’ll outline below.

Benefits for Drivers

Owner drivers and fleet managers have a lot to keep in mind when thinking about their insurance coverage. Policies need to include insurance for fleets, goods and vehicles, as well as general liability.

For this reason, many people involved in the courier industry make good use of BCD’s assessment service. Clients can have their existing coverage assessed, getting a clear picture of what’s insured and what isn’t. Even better, the company will also analyse whether your policy covers all the areas you need it to – and if you’re paying for any extras you don’t need.

This is of course just one of the services BCD provides – and a great reason for those in the transport industry to consider working with the company.

Partnership with CX

To sweeten the deal even further, members of CX get exclusive BCD products at special discounted rates. If you’re involved in courier work and haven’t yet joined CX, just sign up to the platform, get in touch with BCD and begin enjoying your discounts. As soon as you’re registered with CX, you’ll be eligible to reap the rewards.

CX’s partnership with BCD means those doing courier work have even more reason to join thousands of others, get themselves listed on the popular freight exchange network and start saving on top-quality insurance services.

Author Plate

Norman Dulwich is a correspondent for Courier Exchange, the world’s largest neutral trading hub for same day courier work in the express freight exchange industry. Numerous transport exchange businesses are networked together on their website, trading jobs and capacity through what is now the fastest growing Freight Exchange in the UK.

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