Australia's love-hate relationship with truckies and the delivery man
As an OPS guy, not a day rolls by where I don't consider what delivery people are going through. If you have ever driven on a road throughout this country, you have an opinion on trucks and truck drivers. Starting my professional journey as a driver (albeit a van driver), I know first-hand that customers can hate you for absolutely no reason, but also cling to you as the vital life-line.
My experiences are that some people treat the driver as an inconvenience, like they have turned up at all the wrong times. This drama escalates when the customer tells the driver they are ‘currently busy’ and must wait. The driver then starts to burn on the inside, knowing they still have 7000 more hours of deliveries to do before the day is done (exaggerating for effect). The driver then has a face like a dropped pie, and does the poorest job of pretending, 'It’s okay, I'm happy to wait', he replies.
So why? Well, I think I know the answer and it has to do with supply chains - some people understand them, and some people don't. In the case of those that don't understand why supply chains matter, they simply see the driver as something else they have to do for the day. On the other hand, those that do understand the importance of the supply chain, realise that without it - simple - shelves don't get restocked, your favourite fast food outlet is out of chips, your car parts don't arrive and, well, you get my point.
For example, today my wife tried to upgrade her phone, but her service provider didn't have the phone in stock, and it was going to be 1-2 weeks. Like really? Supply chains matter! Instead, my wife went direct to Apple, purchased the phone outright and is now joining another provider on a BYO plan.
So, next time you see a driver out on the road, or they come to your place of business, consider how many companies use them as a vital link in their supply chain. Try hard not to give them greasy looks, or cut them off, or complain they take up space - remember the old adage without trucks Australia stops.
By Daniel Byrom MBA(Log&SCMgt)