Misconceptions about HGV Driving

The HGV industry is an industry that is at the backbone of any economy. The transport of goods from one place to another can never be stopped, or done in a different manner, which is why the HGV industry is relevant to every economic time, and every country.

However, there are plenty of misconceptions about this industry. For instance, people believe that joining this industry means that they will be in a low-paid job which will keep them away from family. That is not true. The haulage industry pays a salary that is over the national average salary. That means that if you work in this industry, you are earning more than half the people in the country. Also, since the hours are flexible, which means you can choose to work when you want for as long as you want, you can be as close to, or as far away from you family as possible.

The industry does, however, have its challenges. The recent economic downturn has changed consumer patterns, which means that there are now lower amounts of goods being transported and companies have changed over to cheaper means to transport goods. This means that express delivery is being shunned and normal delivery methods are being used now. Also, the changing price of fuel means that there is uncertainty in the environment, since the costs of delivery keep changing every tie the fuel prices go up or down.

The industry is also prone to revenue leakage since the recording and collecting of all revenues it not always done right. This is because of the decentralized nature of delivery, as well as high volume of transactions. Revenue can be lost at any point, which makes it important to have billing and shipping terms that are customized for customers. It is also needed to properly and accurately carry out billing and shipping procedures, and have a process that is followed for each delivery. Employee training must also be carried out to make sure all the employees know the procedures.

Another challenge that is faced by the haulage industry is the tracking of vehicles, especially in companies where there are large fleets. For this, however, technology has stepped through and provided a brilliant answer, which is GPS. GPS devices can now be attached to a vehicle, and they will send their location the main office every few minutes. This way, the company can know where all the vehicles are at any point, find out how much time the drivers are taking for breaks, track the delivery and inform the customer of the expected arrival time, and also plan routes that are shorter and save money and time. Finally, by using GPS, it is possible to plan deliveries and pickups in advance so that the driver does not have to drive long distances for a pickup after a delivery. You can also track the maintenance of the vehicle through the GPS system, which gives alerts when the vehicle is due for a tune up.