Surprised no one else has brought this subject up as it does effect all of us in this country, as for haulage we have never been so busy as companies try to keep up supplying all the RDC’s to replenish stocks as the greed of shoppers empty the shelves in all the super markets.
Now comes the truth as foreign goods are not going to be so readily available due to borders being closed across the EU, we are all as one was there cry but when the chips are down they soon revert to its our country and you are not coming in and they certainly do not seem to want to help those in most need, this could be the end of the EU as they show there true colours. At this point I must say they are trying to prevent the spread of this virus but they are not acting universally as one as each member state seems to have different views on how to control the situation and almost all closing the stable door after the horse has caught coronavirus.
It will be all hands on deck now for the haulage industry and the farmers and growers and suppliers to keep things going and this situation could go on for a lengthy spell and could be as far away as Spring next year. Certainly some of us will lose loved ones so we must all be vigilant and where possible help those who cannot get out for health reasons, we need to go back to the war days when all pulled together.
The pictures below are of what we might have to revert back to in the coming days, Buzzer
Well said Buzzer [emoji122][emoji122][emoji122][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106][emoji106]
I’m lucky that I have a mum who knows how to cook fresh meat and veg [emoji39]
We don’t have to rely on DING DING meals al the time that are made and imported from Europe
I cook in my cab as well
I think the food chain clock has to be turned back 50 years so it’s more resistant to the EU and the current situation
P/s I think some of the old war time ministry of food slogans won’t go a miss now
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A serious situation Buzzer made worse by panic buying. On the other hand it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good, supermarkets are coining it and yourself what about more pigs for banger production, more chooks more eggs, you wont go short of customers in the coming months or longer.
Oily
oiltreader:
A serious situation Buzzer made worse by panic buying. On the other hand it’s an ill wind that blows nobody good, supermarkets are coining it and yourself what about more pigs for banger production, more chooks more eggs, you wont go short of customers in the coming months or longer.
Oily
Yes mate I just need a book now “fifty ways to cook a sausage” and as for egg sales had four new customers today as all the supermarkets round here have none and there are so many ways to eat an egg so lets hope it continues & the chooks are laying really well so that helps, cheers Buzzer.
hutpik:
0I’m allright for a week or two.
[emoji39][emoji39][emoji39][emoji39][emoji39][emoji39]
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hutpik:
0I’m allright for a week or two.
I see you favour the prime cuts. 
All British Citizens Entitled to claim £45 pound a day to stay at home to avoid spread of COVID-19 novel Coronavirus starting from March 17, 2020. The Government grant pay is accessible to all no matter employment status. Read full article here on how to claim:
Working for a major transport company heavily involved in frozen food, chilled work to supermarket RDCs and bulk food grade powders and liquids to food processors then we are struggling to cope with demand, and that’s with using drivers from our containers division which is short of work. Sure there is some panic buying by the public, but there’s only so much chilled food that can be stored in a domestic fridge or freezer. Part of the increase in demand is because very few people are eating out, foreign holidays are cancelled, and some people are working from home. All these are buying food. This week is also a “spike” week with flowers we deliver for Mothers Day. We definitely won’t cope with Friday’s and Saturday’s volumes unless we get more subbies in. Today’s total loads into one major supermarket’s RDCs is 25% higher than a normal Wednesday at this time of year. It’s been a similar daily increase now every day for two weeks. Two customers 'phoned me yesterday evening asking if I could cover extra food tanker work today, which I couldn’t as I’m already flat out. Our fairly recently acquired large curtainsider fleet is also very busy, delivering packaging to the food packers and processors.
Another big difference at the present time is journey times, less traffic on the roads is very noticeable.
GF as I said in the opening statement on this thread how busy my boys are with transport requests while its very good for business there are always those who benefit in a crisis eh, went to Salisbury market yesterday and as you say a marked difference in the volume of traffic on the roads, we did have a spot of lunch while we were there but the lady who runs the café said she does think she will be stopped serving hot meals next week and it will be just take away rolls.
Some of our drivers have also been refused access to canteens at RDC’s and the like and when unloading they now have to put there keys in a plastic bag to avoid contact, on another note I sell free range eggs and yesterday I had several new customers as I live near a school, the word got out and they saw my advertising board outside and they cannot get eggs in the supermarkets and this morning at 07.30 I had a caller who took the last 2doz, she was a regular and wanted them for her friend so that was 20 dozen gone in a very short time. cheers Buzzer
It has caused chaos for the airlines. We went out to the USA on March 1st and have had to return a week early. All return flights were booked last year. KLM NCL to Washington Dulles via Amsterdam and return.
We got out ok but then one of the return legs was cancelled and KLM decided to route us through Paris, this Was cancelled and the NCL route was back on, it was cancelled again 12 hours before we were due to fly. Eventually we were put onto British Airways to Heathrow and then to NCL.
Dulles Airport was like a ghost town and Heathrow not much better. The USA was starting to close schools and a lot of restaurants, bars etc in Washington and elsewhere are closed.
It has also been reported this morning that Nissan are stopping production at Sunderland to due to supply chain problems with China.
Tyneside
I can see the government having to do a LOT more if this situation gets as serious as suspected. They cannot have people evicted from their homes because the rent isn’t paid. Many other family financial commitments will have to be met for those large numbers suddenly with no income and no immediate prospect of doing anything much about it themselves. That is not an easy one to resolve, but others are. Rationing may have to be introduced. A Council tax holiday - easy for the government to make up the shortfall to councils. The utility bills may have to be suspended with the government again ensuring the companies can operate. With those measures in place most peoples major outgoings are reduced to at least a more manageable level but wil still be other essential rather than voluntary bills to be paid.
Longer term the whole ''Global Economy" model looks very shaky indeed. We (GB) and no other country either simply cannot have, as a theoretical invented example, medical grade PVC tubing sourced from the other side of the world with delivery by ship in two months. Nor can we find ourselves placed in the same position because we have by choice outsourced our suppliers of so many products to the cheapest available, who happen to be effectively light years away from the point of immediate need. The whole just in time concept is going to have to come under very close scrutiny, as will the outsourcing of essential services to the private sector and the complication of paying for those services in an emergency.
This has been a wake up warning to governments worldwide, their own nation needs to be able to operate, on a reduced level albeit, without external support. There is going to have to be a massive audit of what is required.
Today I ventured out to Mackro but that was a failure as lots of racks empty, no fish or veg and eggs and very little meat so on to the butchers, never seen him so busy and he said he has taken two weeks money in two days but is having difficulty getting stocks replenished.
Email to the office today from Turners where we load fresh goods for RDC’s and now the drivers are banned from using the loo’s because of Coronavirus so we pee on the wheels now out in the yard, that will be very sanitary wont it just hope they don’t need a number two 
The Boss went to Tesco and same story there but now they are limiting how many items of the same product you can buy but this should have been done alot sooner, they are introducing an OAP hour so i said to her you could go then but got a clip round the ear for reminding her cheers Buzzer.
looks like the Supermarkets are looking after drivers
Opening from 07:00/8:00 for the over 70s
Handy for those used to being on their way home from a night trunk
Have they made allowances for all the artics in the car parks ■■
Buzzer, I’ve just re-read the Turners missive in case I had missed something this morning when it came through. The site restrictions only apply to drivers coming in directly from outside the British Isles or mainland Europe. Either delivering to Newmarket or collecting from Newmarket. This sort of restriction is being applied at various sites where I load tankers and applies to my drivers who never go across the water… unless you count the tanker that went to Anglesey a couple of weeks ago.
I’m beginning to think that we’re living in surreal times. One thing I am sure of is that our leaders are not telling us the whole story with this virus.
we have around 30 brand new trucks at our depot,and our customer orders are rapidly diminishing.at present our Big Chief’s are presently negotiating to use us on other Dhl contract’s. worrying times.
carryfast-yeti:
we have around 30 brand new trucks at our depot,and our customer orders are rapidly diminishing.at present our Big Chief’s are presently negotiating to use us on other Dhl contract’s. worrying times.
Now what folk will say “Lorries shouldn’t be on the road and they should send it by rail” Pity more folk couldn’t read this and let’s have interviews with the Haulage industry on the media.
Hi All
That complete ■■■■■■■■ of handing your keys over will never happen with our drivers
A) They go & get a set of keys cut & steal your lorry at the weekend
B) Iam not sitting there for 4 hours with no radio & not being able to open & close my windows
If they are to thick not to run if they hear a lorry start up too bad
If lorry drivers are so thick & lazy they cant walk to the back of their vehicle & check where its loaded or empty is a sad state of affairs.
If they insist I drop the trailer
Health & saftey gone mad.
This could but wont be a good time to prove our importance.
Cheers
Rich
Now that France have shut there Border’s and Spain seems to be in lock down it wont take long i imagine for the
fruit and veg to run out as i hate to think how many fridge motors run out of Spain daily heading for the UK.
Brittany ferries have cancelled all of there sailing’s until the 11,12,13th of April. The financial implication’s must be
mind boggling for some of these companies.
Buzzer and Graham will no doubt be able to give us more info about how much stuff these RDC’s have in storage ?
DEANB:
Now that France have shut there Border’s and Spain seems to be in lock down it wont take long i imagine for the
fruit and veg to run out as i hate to think how many fridge motors run out of Spain daily heading for the UK.Brittany ferries have cancelled all of there sailing’s until the 11,12,13th of April. The financial implication’s must be
mind boggling for some of these companies.Buzzer and Graham will no doubt be able to give us more info about how much stuff these RDC’s have in storage ?
Home grown fresh “common” veg is packed this morning for delivery to RDC today for distribution to supermarkets for sale tomorrow. By “common” veg I mean potatoes, carrots, cabbage, cauli’s etc. The more exotic stuff is imported. There won’t be any lettuce coming in as all that comes from Spain until the home grown lettuce starts in May. Citrus fruit supplies will dry up. Personally I only buy British grown apples, more tasty than imported apples. In normal times RDCs do not hold stocks of fresh fruit and veg. One of my drivers didn’t get tipped with a load of veg at a main RDC on Tuesday night because all floor space was full, so they sent him away until Wednesday morning. We hauliers are getting the goods to the RDCs, but the bottleneck is the RDCs themselves. and that is partly the reason why supermarket shelves are empty.