Prioritising road safety is something we truly value at BigChange. With our Leaders for Life initiative, we have partnered with Transaid & Brake, the UK Road Safety Charity, to do our part to improve responsible driving habits across the UK.
This month, we’re very excited to announce that Richard Burnett of the Road Haulage Association has won this month’s Leaders for Life Most Improved Driver Award.
We sat down with Richard to discuss his experience in the logistics industry and how BigChange and the Leaders for Life programme have impacted his driving behaviour.BigChange: Could you briefly explain your background and relevant industry experience?Richard Burnett: I have, so far spent 34 years in the logistics industry working for many well-known companies including TDG, Hays Distribution and Wincanton who, in turn, are responsible for the distribution of many well-known household brands such as H J Heinz, GSK, Panasonic and adidas. Before becoming chief exec of the RHA I was MD of Samworth Brothers Supply Chain.BigChange: How long have you worked with Martin Port & BigChange?Richard Burnett: I first met Martin at the Motor Transport Awards in 2017. During the evening, several chief executives were ‘auctioned’ to raise money for Transaid. Martin won the bidding and I subsequently spent a evening with him, finding out more about him and his company, BigChange.BigChange: How has BigChange impacted your business?Richard Burnett:The advantage of Jobwatch isn’t just an end-to-end transport management system – it provides job tracking and traceability.
Being chief executive of the UKs only organisation dedicated to the road transport industry, I am always supportive of any IT platform that improves driver efficiency and safety.BigChange: Why are you committed to being a leader for life? Why do you value improving road and driver safety?Richard Burnett: Even though the UK has some of the safest roads in the world, one accident involving a fatality is one too many. Our pace of life is so fast and there are so many distractions, all inevitably leading to poor driving.
It’s a well-known fact that 94% of accidents are caused by people’s behavior. To change that needs demonstrable leadership. That’s why I felt so committed to lead from the front and show that if my driving style could change, so could that of others.BigChange: Why should other business and industry leaders participate in Leaders for Life and other road safety campaigns?Richard Burnett: For the logistics industry, the roads are our place of work and it’s critical for them to be safe. As an industry it’s important that we practice what we preach and therefore our industry leaders should demonstrate their commitment to road safety and embrace the Leaders for Life programme.
