Tyres are giving me a real headache at the moment. Not so much the tyres, but simple punctures – as we have had two recently! The first was discovered by one of our drivers, on his drive at home – the other on a motorway. What linked them both, was neither had a spare wheel, and even worse, no jack or wheel brace! And even though the driver was at home, he couldn’t do anything about it either! His plan was to jack it up – safely of course – get the wheel off, take the flat tyre to the local tyre fitter and get it repaired, or worse still get a new tyre fitted. But no, it wasn’t as simple as that! He tried to borrow a jack and wheel brace from neighbours, but none fitted. So, then he put in a call to our breakdown assistance company. Within three-hours, they appeared, took off the wheel, did a temporary repair in the back of the van – and our driver went to the tyre shop and got a “proper” repair! From start to finish, this was almost five-hours.
A similar experience was had by our driver on the motorway – although it didn’t take as long. We always tell our drivers to stay well clear of the vehicle until help arrives, as motorways are dangerous places. Changing a wheel anywhere can be a health and safety issue, especially if you are not trained to carry out the job. So, I’d always say, leave it to the experts, it’s just not worth having an accident – even if it does cause some inconvenience for what a very simple item should be.
I was speaking to one of my fellow office staff the other day – she asked my advice, as it was car related. Her fella has a one-man-band, one car, driving school, and currently has a two-year-old manual Ford Fiesta on his one-car fleet. She said it’s due for changing soon, and he wants to buy another manual car. Her question to me, which I couldn’t answer, was what happens when there are only new electric cars to buy, and learn to drive in, looking five, eight, or ten years into the future? EVs are automatic only, and then anyone who learns in a new car, will only be able to drive an auto. As we know, most new drivers pass their test, then go and buy an old manual Corsa, Fiesta, Polo, or similar. Or they drive one of their parents’ cars, which is usually a manual, too. So, what happens if they want to drive a manual classic car sometime in the future? It is a dilemma I certainly didn’t know the answer to. Maybe, I thought, there will be enough driving schools for one manufacturer to keep on producing them, who will continue to offer manual cars for as long as possible?
Like me, you probably receive a few Notices of Intended Prosecution from police authorities for alleged offences. We received one recently, for one of our drivers going over the speed limit. We usually pass on their details to the police, as to who normally drives the vehicle. I also call the driver to warn them they will be receiving a letter. However, we had one recently, where the driver was adamant he wasn’t anywhere near the road concerned – he was miles away at the time and date stated! So, I checked his work locations for that date, and he was right, as he was working miles away (well, according to his work log! ).
Anyway, he has contacted the authority that issued this letter, they have replied, and are trying to help with his concerns. They have asked for photographs of his car from every angle but looking at the photos they have sent to him, it does look like his car. However, they are going to compare the ‘offending car’ with his, then see if there are any anomalies as his car could have been cloned. As I write this, it is still an unknown, and unresolved. I’ll let you know how he gets on in a future report.
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