Business Travel

[welshmammy2009]

Hi after a bit of advice :)

Next month i have to go on a course for work, the journey will be 120 miles each way. Im not driving as i dont drive. On friday the person driving found out we would need to leave at 5am. He's not a very confident driver and knows he will be tired that time of morning because he doesnt go to sleep till gone 12am. He said he was worried because hes will be putting my life at risk aswell as his.

Im feel really anxious now about travelling with him after he has said this. Im not sure if im over reacting as im quite a nervous passanger in cars so thought i would ask on here if you guys think im right or wrong to feel anxious

Thanks :)

I would expect the other driver to go to sleep earlier for such a trip but their nerves would rub off on me.

I'm sure it will be fine but I would feel anxious in light of his comments.

Are there other transport options - taxi and train perhaps? How would you have got there if you were on your own? If it's a work trip they should meet the travel expenses.

Get the train the night before?

Um. Maybe he should go to bed earlier! What an odd thing to say to someone you're giving a lift....I won't have slept enough to drive safely!

Is there any way you could get there by public transport? Not that I think you won't get there safely but your colleague does sound a bit odd.

I presume the course starts at nine? Depending on where you work, can you ask if can go the night before? Or can you get a train? Neither the driving nor the being a passenger would bother me, but you sound quite anxious if you're worried about something happening next month. An anxious passenger and a nervous driver probably isn't the best combination - especially if you're needing to concentrate on training and drive back that night.

Could you both go the night before and book a travelodge or similar then he could stay up as late as he wants and you get more time in the morning to get ready etc.

Probably better to go the day before and stay over rather than trying to go 120 miles before 9am, if the driver isnt confident.

Is your colleague also giving you a lift back? And on the same day? That's a lot of driving to do in one day, especially after such an early strart, and a full day's work on the course. I would stay over either the night before, or the night after the course.

tarty yes he is also giving me a lift back that day, i dont think the company will be willing to pay for us to stay over.

The company has a duty of care for you, and to expect one driver to do that driving in a long day (so up at 5 and presumably not back until 8ish) is probably not reasonable. Having said that, are you prepared for the company to say you can't go if you raise probable driver fatigue as a health and safety issue, they agree but don't want to pay for an over night?

Is it just the 2 of you going? If anyone else is, could you car pool and the other 2 share driving? Alternatively I'd be looking into trains. How would you go if he wasn't? It may be worth learning to drive, I didn't learn for years but once I was at a stage in my career where courses etc were becoming more frequent, I found that if I didn't drive I was missing out on opportunities. I know this doesn't help this trip though!

Have a look at tge travel policy, often over a certain distance will mean a train or even tge night before is an option. Either way please speak to your line manager as the driver seems to be unsure about driving.