I done a poll recently on the average age of us lot on here and the majority were over 50+ viewtopic.php?f=2&t=158352
According to the poll on this forum there are more active drivers over 70 then under 25.
I’m inclined to believe it as well.
On top of this the backbone of multi drop deliveries is the 7.5t delivery driver. The vast majority only have this entitlement due to grandfather rights so this is another time bomb.
Pair that with brexit and the possibility of no longer being able to source drivers from the EU and sooner or later something is going to give.
What’s your thoughts?
In quite a few professions these days it’s the older guys that don’t want to retire which hampers the ability of the young to move up.
This is obviously not the case with truckers as if every trucker aged 60+ decided to retire early I’m pretty sure we would be screwed.
Now I know for a fact there is not a driver shortage but there is one coming. Probably in the next 10 years.
Why do I think this? I believe drivers are retiring at a greater rate then people are passing their tests.
What should be done?
This is the difficult part I don’t think warehouse to wheels schemes are particularly effective. I’ve seen them used a bit and quite often the warehouse guys get quite a big culture shock and get disillusioned.
Another option is obviously government funding which is what the industry is pushing for…
I don’t like this option because it could drive down wages thus making the job even less appealing in the long run.
But the RHA are pushing for it…
Government funding for firms to train new entrants
■■■■ the RHA though they very rarely mention wages and the only issue they seem to notice regarding drivers is toilets… lol.
ROG:
Many more younger ones would jump at the chance if there was a full time reasonably paid permanent job ready for them the moment they passed
Of course they would, they paid for their training, they passed their test and all they need is job but suddenly there’s no interest, or something is wrong when there is. Welcome to drivers " shortage ", where everyone needs but no one wants…
ROG:
Many more younger ones would jump at the chance if there was a full time reasonably paid permanent job ready for them the moment they passed
Of course they would, they paid for their training, they passed their test and all they need is job but suddenly there’s no interest, or something is wrong when there is. Welcome to drivers " shortage ", where everyone needs but no one wants…
Sent from my HUAWEI LYO-L01 using Tapatalk
It’s a funny situation.
INDUSTRY: 'WE WANT YOU 70 HOURS A WEEK 2 MONTHS IN SUMMER AND 2 MONTHS IN THE RUN UP XMAS"
DRIVER: “That’s great. But what about the other 8 months?”
What would help would be relaxing the medical requirements for older drivers. Our retirement age keeps getting pushed up as we are fitter for longer, licensing should reflect this too.
ROG:
Many more younger ones would jump at the chance if there was a full time reasonably paid permanent job ready for them the moment they passed
This is a very good point because it’s a no brainer really to choose to NOT do it when your told you have to pay £3k for a licence but then the majority of companies want 1-2 years experience before you can get a job. Where really is the incentive?
And then many companies will only offer tramping jobs. Many young drivers don’t want to fork out £3k for no guaranteed job and don’t want to spend all week away from home.
The industry is heading along a steady slope to end up on its arse.
There should be a link between the training firms and the haulage firms. When a new driver passes he or she should be offered a job by a partner haulage firm. When teachers complete their training they do a year in the classroom as induction paid I might add. If drivers are professionals then we should have similar conditions.
There is no shortage.
The same as Brexit it’s all BS
There won’t be shortages
The planes will still fly to Spain etc the trucks will still come via Dover etc it’s all waffle because some people don’t want to leave the EU.
If there is (or going to be) a shortage, a lot of it is down to the firms themselves ,in terms of their cynical treatment of their drivers.and their draconian t .s and c.s.
Case in point, our lot have drawn up a new contract I’ve been told, which includes paying for damage and all the rest of the crap that people with ■■■■ poor man management skills dream up.
It reads like a list of things that would put anybody (with a brain) off from driving for them,.rather than attracting them, but true to form the said drivers without the brain are actually (and readily ) signing up like good little boys rather than display some sort of resistance to it.
alamcculloch:
There should be a link between the training firms and the haulage firms. When a new driver passes he or she should be offered a job by a partner haulage firm. When teachers complete their training they do a year in the classroom as induction paid I might add. If drivers are professionals then we should have similar conditions.
Trouble is, are hgv drivers really classed as professionals ?
Not in this country in my opinion. Aiming to retire in 2020 when my next renewal is due and that will be 38 years driving lorries.
That day cant come quick enough for me.
no1dieselman:
What would help would be relaxing the medical requirements for older drivers. Our retirement age keeps getting pushed up as we are fitter for longer, licensing should reflect this too.
The medical isn’t any more stringent for older drivers than anyone else, I’m 71 and have kept my licence. My main beef is the cost, my own doctor wants £130 every year fortunately there is a transport training facility near to me which has a doctor who conducts medicals at £55. I don’t think I would have kept my licence up if I had to pay £130 every year. I’m not interested renewing drivers cpc which runs out this year, but i will probably renew the HGV licence one more time as 2020 will be 50years since I passed my Class1. Regards Kev.
no1dieselman:
What would help would be relaxing the medical requirements for older drivers. Our retirement age keeps getting pushed up as we are fitter for longer, licensing should reflect this too.
The medical isn’t any more stringent for older drivers than anyone else, I’m 71 and have kept my licence. My main beef is the cost, my own doctor wants £130 every year fortunately there is a transport training facility near to me which has a doctor who conducts medicals at £55. I don’t think I would have kept my licence up if I had to pay £130 every year. I’m not interested renewing drivers cpc which runs out this year, but i will probably renew the HGV licence one more time as 2020 will be 50years since I passed my Class1. Regards Kev.
I only paid £50 for mine locally my Dr wants £100 but this does not include the eye test ( I have a free test every year )
A lot of the younger generation don’t want the job cost too much for training pay to low all the traffic on the roads all the rules & regulations the hours most don’t want to do 40 hours per week never mind 60+ they want to be home every night lack of facilities
As new driver my issue was not the fees or anything else its the constant knock backs with “Sorry lack experience” from companies. So I can understand nobody wanting to go through that as its really frustrating. There is one company I know who would take me on though Nolans in Pembroke Dock but I think all the horror stories I’ve read about them plus the state of the wagons puts me off.
Why does an operator put " Must have Driven Class 1 within the last 6 months" in their advert? You don’t forget how to drive them, I passed my test in 1979 and didn’t drive another one until 1996 but I remembered how to drive the thing.
Years ago, one used to have this thing called “Tuition” where a younger rookie driver would go out as a mate with a senior driver who was say, up for retirement in about 18 months time…
A number of “understudies” would then be in place, so that when Old Fred went to the Sunny Eastbourne in the Sky - there would be a whole handful of fresh drivers able to step in, and do his even remotely specialized job…
I notice that THESE days, there isn’t the will of employers there to “train people up” like they want AND pay them decent pay at the end of it.
All this bother and worry about “We don’t wanna train drivers up, so they’ll just go and work for a rival once trained” - could be solved by the same firm that provides decent training & experience (Eg. Swains) can keep their staff after being trained there - by paying the full going rates, so that there simply is NOT “another yard paying more locally to move to”…
If you settle for less all the time - then “Less” is all that will ever be offered to you.
waddy640:
Why does an operator put " Must have Driven Class 1 within the last 6 months" in their advert? You don’t forget how to drive them, I passed my test in 1979 and didn’t drive another one until 1996 but I remembered how to drive the thing.
Blame Jeremy Clarkson for that. Thanks to him, firms think anyone who hasn’t driven in 6 months must have been in prison for murdering a prostitute.
waddy640:
Why does an operator put " Must have Driven Class 1 within the last 6 months" in their advert? You don’t forget how to drive them, I passed my test in 1979 and didn’t drive another one until 1996 but I remembered how to drive the thing.
Unfortunately it is the parasite agencies that use this usually followed by “for insurance purposes” pure waffle .
Dirty_Mascot:
As new driver my issue was not the fees or anything else its the constant knock backs with “Sorry lack experience” from companies. So I can understand nobody wanting to go through that as its really frustrating. There is one company I know who would take me on though Nolans in Pembroke Dock but I think all the horror stories I’ve read about them plus the state of the wagons puts me off.
If you fancy going for it, go for it.
Lets face it, a rather high percentage of posters on this forum. seem to slag off certain companies on hearsay.
) signing up like good little boys rather than display some sort of resistance to it. 