Ahead of National Lorry Week which runs from 16 to 22 November 2020 we met Mark Jackson who is Operations Director at Pollock (Scotrans) Ltd.
Their main depot is located in Bathgate.
What does National Lorry Week mean to you?
It is important to make the public aware of just how important our industry is. We need to use National Lorry Week to help change the negative perception that some of the general public have of our industry.
Has the industry changed much since your first job role within it?
I’ve been in the industry for more than 25 years. The biggest change has been the increasing use of technology and the way it has changed how we interact and communicate with our clients.
What is the biggest issue that faces the industry today?
I think recruitment is a huge challenge. We struggle to recruit the right people and staff retention can be a problem with ongoing pressures on terms and conditions. We need to make sure that candidates understand this is a career, with plenty of development opportunities.
Does the industry sell itself well enough? If not, what can we all do better?
No, we don’t sell ourselves enough, we need more recruitment drives and to find new innovative ways of appealing to the next generation.
What do you think makes a firm most attractive to younger people today?
For me, it’s about reputation. A professional and reputable organisation that is open to new ways of working and utilising technology is more likely to attract young talent. Companies that are stuck in the past and are not willing to adapt and evolve, on the other hand, will not.
What do we need to do to capture hearts and minds at an early age?
We need more events like National Lorry Week, better representation at careers events and more engagement with schools and colleges to get young people interested in the industry.
What advice would you give someone looking to get into the industry today?
Try to learn about all aspects of the business, it’s important to know how all of the various elements interact with each other to create a fully functioning business.
The Road Haulage Association(RHA) is behind National Lorry Week which champions the vital role the road transport and logistics industry plays in everyone’s lives and allows the career opportunities it offers to be highlighted.
The campaign runs for 13 weeks culminating in National Lorry Week between 16-22 November.
Logistics is an innovative, inclusive and sustainable industry and a wide range of professionals reveal what it means to them to work in the industry.
RHA chief executive, Richard Burnett said: “This is our opportunity to raise the profile of the haulage and logistics industry in the UK ahead of National Lorry Week in November.”
It comes hot on the heels of our HGV Heroes campaign which celebrated the very best of the industry after logistics staff went above and beyond to keep goods moving during lockdown.
“It’s vital we keep up the momentum we generated with HGV Heroes and show once again that this is a great industry to work in.”
More than 2.5m people, or one in 12 of the UK’s workforce work in logistics – it’s the nation’s fifth largest employer.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
