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ISUZU TRUCK [UK] MD PETE MURPHY
calling him Oz-san - until he pointed out that Oz-san CM:What has been your greatest achievement
since you took over at lsuzu?
meant dirty old man in Japanese.Another faux pas. PM:There have been a few real high spots.The
CM: Horv would you go about recruiting more one that stands out for me probably most of all is when
the UK I-1 Grand Prix team won the event in Tokyo in
t# i'rta,i i-t,nr. the first thing the industry has to do 201.4.T\e I-1 Grand Prix is a technical skills competition
in which competitors from all over the world take part.
is work hard to change the public's perception of what It's a huge event and in 2014,the UK team actually won
it's about. and the skill base and the value that people it. It was the most unbelievable thing. It's such a
spectacle over there. It's on local Japanese TV It's a
within it actually offer. If vou think about drivers now, if really prestigious event, and for a team from the UK to
win it was unbelievable. It really put us on the map, and
you look around the truck park toda),, there are some the timing was superb because obviously Japan had
incredibly valuable vehicles. and in the back of those taken 100% ownership just the year before. I was
immensely proud of the team that achieved that.
trailers there are possibly even more valuable loads. I CM:As you worked in the pub industry, this
one's up right your street. Iflsuzu was a drink,
think the skills drivers employ when they're moving what would it be?
those goods from A to B and unloading is something PM:Well, I've let the pub industry down because I guess
that most of the general public vastly underestimate. if I was honest, it would be probably the humble black
Because of that, there isn't that aspiration among young coffee. It's relatively simple, generally consistently good
people to enter the industry as a driver. Maybe there's and you can get it just about anp,vhere. Sometimes when
also a perception that opportunities for advancement in I feel like I just can t go on, it keeps me going just that
career development are pretty poor. Iittle bit longer.
OK. We're on the last question. If you left
In terms of the support staff, if you look at truck
technology and how it's advancing now, with the ffi# itl,J ."., work and were given a truck for a year, what
diagnostics that are necessary to repair vehicles, would you ao it't Apart from using it to
youngsters coming into it need a different skill base. I carry goods.
think that is undervalued, even perhaps sometimes PM:What I'd like to do is set up some truck fairs to get
within the industry never mind outside. teenagers to drive the vehicles. Maybe in different
scenarios where there are other distractions around them
Looking to the future with truck connectivity, I think as they drive. Hopefully they might get the bug for
driving commercial vehicles. I guess even if they don t,
the roles of drivers and technicians are going to change it'd be a valuable experience. They would understand
as trucks get ever more complex. I think we have to some of the challenges that truck drivers face on a daily
recognise that both are really skilful occupations. I just basis in terms of visibility in their interactions rvith other
think the industry needs a little bit more positive PR in road users, and understand better some of the road
terms of the value of the people within it.
positioning the trucks have to do. r
O In the next of our series we grill lveco's Stuart
Webster. If you have any questions for him, email:
will.shiers@roadtransport.com.
For today's news, visit commerciatmotor.com 1 1 I5I 17 CON/ [I ERCIAL N/OTO R
