TRANSPORT
A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: A MERCHANT DRIVER
Oliver Stanley got in the passenger seat for a day on the road with SDR driver Dan Gaunt to see first-hand what goes into merchant deliveries.
S
pecialist Driver Resourcing (SDR) is a specialist merchant driver agency which trains and maintains its own fleet of merchant drivers. Unlike other HGV driver agencies, its drivers are full time merchant industry drivers, trained on merchant vehicles, equipment, delivery structure and customer service experience.
The company’s Eastleigh yard was opened in March, and allows its sister company, Building Materials Logistics (BML), launched earlier this year, to cater to merchants that need both a temporary driver and an extra vehicle during breakdowns or busy periods.
In order to see the benefits of maintaining a fleet of full-time merchant drivers first hand, BMJ took a trip out for the day with SDR driver Dan Gaunt.
The Ride Along
Peeling myself out of bed early in the morning and stopping only for a cup of tea, I made my way to the BML Eastleigh yard.
BML operates its fleet across two sites. The Eastleigh fleet consists of 4 lorry-mounted crane vehicles, with 1 additional vehicle currently operating out of a second BML yard in Reading.
With a brief and friendly welcome from scheduling manager Abbie Rogers and the rest of the Eastleigh team, I was fitted out with the appropriate PPE and once Gaunt had made his checks, (and I had finally clambered up into the passenger seat) we were off. Rogers had arranged our route for the day, delivering roof tiles for SIG Roofing Southampton to two sites nearby before picking up another load at the SIG branch in Bishops Waltham and returning to the Southampton branch at the end of the day. At the SIG Roofing branch in Southampton, we spoke to the team in the yard and loaded up 10 Pallet Loop green pallets; one for Newbury, and eight aimed for Basingstoke. While we waited just outside the SIG yard in the rain, I spoke to Gaunt about the challenges agency drivers face when working in unfamiliar yards.
“It really does seem to be about building up that familiarity.” Gaunt explained, “You often get an induction when you get to a new site, so they will introduce you to how the site
30
day, and they are more likely to make a mistake than someone who is operating out of that yard every day.
“On top of this, they probably think ‘why should I bother building up a relationship, or even just having a conversation with them when they’re not going to be here tomorrow.?’ This can make communication difficult, which can be detrimental as if you’re going somewhere for the first time, having someone to check things over with can help things move much smoother.”
operates the first time, but I understand how it can be exhausting having to explain how everything works to every new driver. “People carry a stigma around agency drivers because they’ve probably had a plethora of different agencies in there every
“There are certain things branches could do to make things better for less experienced HGV drivers that full time merchant drivers know to look out for.
“A big one is making sure signage is clear and well placed. Sometimes I’ll go to somewhere with quite a small yard and see a sign that says ‘wait outside the yard’ just inside
www.buildersmerchantsjournal.net October 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
