Driver / Food shortage

Just copied this from a post on Facebook, and it is so true.

" So, you are running out of food on the shelves, fuel in the garages, you can’t buy things you need, because the shops can’t get their supplies.
Why is that?
A shortage of goods? No
A shortage of money? No
A shortage of drivers to deliver the goods? Well, sort of.
There isn’t actually a shortage of drivers, what we have, is a shortage of people who can drive, that are not willing to drive any more. You might wonder why that is. I can’t answer for all drivers, but I can give you the reason I no longer drive. Driving was something I always yearned to do as a young boy, and as soon as I could, I managed to get my driving licence, I even joined the army to get my HGV licence faster, I held my licence at the age of 17. It was all I ever wanted to do, drive trucks, I had that vision of being a knight of the roads, bringing the goods to everyone, providing a service everyone needed. What I didn’t take into account was the absolute abuse my profession would get over the years.
I have seen a massive decline in the respect this trade has, first, it was the erosion of truck parking and transport café’s, then it was the massive increase in restricting where I could stop, timed weight limits in just about every city and town, but not all the time, you can get there to do your delivery, but you can’t stay there, nobody wants an empty truck, nobody wants you there once they have what they did want.
Compare France to the UK. I can park in nearly every town or village, they have marked truck parking bays, and somewhere nearby, will be a small routier, where I can get a meal and a shower, the locals respect me, and have no problems with me or my truck being there for the night.
Go out onto the motorway services, and I can park for no cost, go into the service area, and get a shower for a minimal cost, and have freshly cooked food, I even get to jump the queues, because others know that my time is limited, and respect I am there because it is my job. Add to that, I even get a 20% discount of all I purchase. Compare that to the UK £25-£40 just to park overnight, dirty showers, and expensive, dried (under heat lamps) food that is overpriced, and I have no choice but to park there, because you don’t want me in your towns and cities.
Ask yourself how you would feel, if doing your job actually cost you money at the end of the day, just so you could rest.
But that isn’t the half of it. Not only have we been rejected from our towns and cities, but we have also suffered massive pay cuts, because of the influx of foreign drivers willing to work for a wage that is high where they come from, companies eagerly recruited from the eastern bloc, who can blame them, why pay good money when you can get cheap labour, and a never ending supply of it as well. Never mind that their own countries would suffer from a shortage themselves, that was never our problem, they could always get people from further afield if they needed drivers.
We were once seen as knights of the road, now we are seen as the lepers of society. Why would anyone want to go back to that?
If you are worried about not getting supplies on your supermarket shelves, ask your local council just how well they cater for trucks in your district.
I know Canterbury has the grand total of zero truck parking facilities, but does have a lot of restrictions, making it difficult for trucks to stop anywhere.
Do you want me to go back to driving trucks? Give me a good reason to do so. Give anyone a good reason to take it up as a profession.
Perhaps once you work out why you can’t, you will understand why your shelves are not as full as they could be.
I tried it for over 30 years, but will never go back, you just couldn’t pay me enough.
Thank you to all those people who have shared this post. I never expected such a massive response, but am glad that this message is getting out there. I really hope that some people who are in a position to change just how bad it is for some drivers, can influence the powers that be to make changes for the better. Perhaps some city and town councillors have seen this, and are willing to bring up these issues at their council meetings. It surely cannot be too much to ask of a town/city to provide facilities for those who are doing so much to make sure their economies run and their shops and businesses are stocked with supplies. I never wanted any luxuries, just somewhere safe to park, and some basic ablutions that are maintained to a reasonable standard. I spent my nights away from my home and family for you, how much is it to ask that you at least give me access to some basic services.
There are tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of licence holders just like me, who will no longer tolerate the conditions. So the ball is firmly in the court of the councils to solve this problem."

Well Said that man

JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb] or get off the pot.

DCPCFML:
JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb] or get off the pot.

I am not droning on and on, just posting something I read on Facebook. And for your info, I was driving Hgv1 for nearly 40 years and now been retired for the last 3 years. Get off your high horse and stop reading the posts then.!!!

malmaz:

DCPCFML:
JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb] or get off the pot.

I am not droning on and on, just posting something I read on Facebook. And for your info, I was driving Hgv1 for nearly 40 years and now been retired for the last 3 years. Get off your high horse and stop reading the posts then.!!!

Don’t worry about it the D is notoriously short-tempered…

(…try not to prove me right with your response DCP…hmmm…that’s got you puzzling hasn’t it…

DCPCFML:
JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb] or get off the pot.

I have a better idea, when it is blatantly obvious from the thread title what its going to be about why don’t you resist the temptation to read it, its not compulsory to read every thread and it’ll save you the time typing out yet another post ■■■■■■■■ about it.

There’s certainly no shortage of threads about the shortage.

Harry Monk:
There’s certainly no shortage of threads about the shortage.

I agree but as far as i know there is no rule about how many threads members can post on a single topic so its down to members to exercise restraint and not open them

Bin Man:

Harry Monk:
There’s certainly no shortage of threads about the shortage.

I agree but as far as i know there is no rule about how many threads members can post on a single topic so its down to members to exercise restraint and not open them

Or the whingers could put their energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT rather than shouting into the void making 10 new threads a day repeating the same thing, hoping for a different response.

DCPCFML:

Bin Man:

Harry Monk:
There’s certainly no shortage of threads about the shortage.

I agree but as far as i know there is no rule about how many threads members can post on a single topic so its down to members to exercise restraint and not open them

Or the whingers could put their energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT rather than shouting into the void making 10 new threads a day repeating the same thing, hoping for a different response.

I had a feeling that would be your reply, as far as i am aware its not against the rules so instead of ■■■■■■■■ if you don’t like the thread title don’t open the thread its not compulsory show a bit of self control.

Bin Man:
show a bit of self control.

Not…

His best quality.

DCPCFML:
JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb] or get off the pot.

Thanks. As a wannabe…after reading a huge diatribe, it’s nice to know that there is an alternative, positive, hopeful view for life as a professional driver.
Cheers

We should be more worried by the breakdown of the “Threads” I reckon…

I’m thinking BBC 1984 film by Barry Hines of “Kes” fame…

Can’t post the video, as it seems to have been purged in it’s full version from Youtube…

It occurs to me though that a truck driver with a truck full of fresh food whilst everyone else has nowt - might want to tool up to protect what he has there… “Survival of the Fittest/Smartest/Best Armed” - doesn’t respect P’s and Q’s - nor Liberal Western Ethos, come to that…

I dont think the BBC give full films from their archive to youtube. I can never find much old bbc stuff.

They would simply lure the driver outside with a bacon sarnie then beat him about the head and neck till he fell over. Then empty the wagon.

DCPCFML:
JH Christ . Another day, another 10 new topics about the “driver shortage” and how utterly torturous the job is. Here’s an idea : instead of endlessly droning on and on and on and on about it, why don’t you leave industry and go and do something you enjoy and are content doing? It boggles my mind why on earth people stay in jobs they clearly hate and spend every waking hour whinging, complaining and moaning about it. It’s really became quite tiresome. Either [zb]

Thanks for your comment, as it goes, I was the person who posted this on facebook, and had you read it, you would see that I have left the industry. I guess you are happy to see your fellow professionals being treated like ■■■■. Personally, I am happy to speak up about it though

DCPCFML:
Or the whingers could put their energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT rather than shouting into the void making 10 new threads a day repeating the same thing, hoping for a different response.

Making that post has done something, it has so far had 53,000 shares, averaging 150 per hour, I have been approached by both local and national papers, and have also been invited to speak to my local council leader about what they can do to improve thins locally.
What exactly do you suggest people do, rather than make their feelings known? Please offer some ideas that you think will make any impact

jimti:

DCPCFML:
Or the whingers could put their energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT rather than shouting into the void making 10 new threads a day repeating the same thing, hoping for a different response.

Making that post has done something, it has so far had 53,000 shares, averaging 150 per hour, I have been approached by both local and national papers, and have also been invited to speak to my local council leader about what they can do to improve thins locally.
What exactly do you suggest people do, rather than make their feelings known? Please offer some ideas that you think will make any impact

They won’t do [zb] all. “Sharing” this guff is all people are prepared to do. If it involves doing anything that can’t be done from their comfort of their armchair and keyboard, such as clicking thumbs-up buttons with their mouse, forget it. Plus, you’re saying all this like it’s some new thing. There have been hundreds and hundreds of threads, posts, petitions and god knows what else over the years. All of them have amounted to nothing. Being approached by local and national papers means nothing except they want to sensationalise whatever guff you give them to make the problem sound 1000x worse than it actually is in order to keep the general populace in a heightened state of fear which in turn gives them tens of thousands of clicks and ad revenue. If you think they actually care about “improving conditions” (whatever the ■■■■ that means) then you sir are extremely deluded.

What will make an impact is voting with your feet and leaving all the companies that pay [zb] money. Let me them eat cake. Go do Sainsburys store deliveries for £27 an hour on agency and stick a firm middle finger up to all the bottom-feeders paying £10,11,12/hr who refuse to put the money up and hope that dangling some £500 bonus carrot on a stick that may or may not be payable at some point in the distant future, so long as you behave yourself, is the way to retain their drivers. You are your own worst enemy. You’ve got the chance of a lifetime to FORCE a big change in the pay, but instead you sit on your fat arses saying “meh, it won’t last, there’s no point, whine whine whine, they’re the best of a bad bunch, what can you do? just got to put up with it” and then wonder why nothing changes. Thick as ■■■■, the lot of you.

DCPCFML:

jimti:

DCPCFML:
Or the whingers could put their energy into DOING SOMETHING ABOUT IT rather than shouting into the void making 10 new threads a day repeating the same thing, hoping for a different response.

Making that post has done something, it has so far had 53,000 shares, averaging 150 per hour, I have been approached by both local and national papers, and have also been invited to speak to my local council leader about what they can do to improve thins locally.
What exactly do you suggest people do, rather than make their feelings known? Please offer some ideas that you think will make any impact

They won’t do [zb] all. “Sharing” this guff is all people are prepared to do. If it involves doing anything that can’t be done from their comfort of their armchair and keyboard, such as clicking thumbs-up buttons with their mouse, forget it. Plus, you’re saying all this like it’s some new thing. There have been hundreds and hundreds of threads, posts, petitions and god knows what else over the years. All of them have amounted to nothing. Being approached by local and national papers means nothing except they want to sensationalise whatever guff you give them to make the problem sound 1000x worse than it actually is in order to keep the general populace in a heightened state of fear which in turn gives them tens of thousands of clicks and ad revenue. If you think they actually care about “improving conditions” (whatever the [zb] that means) then you sir are extremely deluded.

What will make an impact is voting with your feet and leaving all the companies that pay [zb] money. Let me them eat cake. Go do Sainsburys store deliveries for £27 an hour on agency and stick a firm middle finger up to all the bottom-feeders paying £10,11,12/hr who refuse to put the money up and hope that dangling some £500 bonus carrot on a stick that may or may not be payable at some point in the distant future, so long as you behave yourself, is the way to retain their drivers. You are your own worst enemy. You’ve got the chance of a lifetime to FORCE a big change in the pay, but instead you sit on your fat arses saying “meh, it won’t last, there’s no point, whine whine whine, they’re the best of a bad bunch, what can you do? just got to put up with it” and then wonder why nothing changes. Thick as [zb], the lot of you.

Did you miss the bit-

Thanks for your comment, as it goes, I was the person who posted this on facebook, and had you read it, you would see that I have left the industry. I guess you are happy to see your fellow professionals being treated like [zb]. Personally, I am happy to speak up about it though

Wiretwister:
Did you miss the bit-

No, and it’s irrelevant. The point still stands. Drivers get exactly what they deserve because they’re all too bone idle to do what’s required to force the changes they endlessly whine about.

Strange how the biggest topic in the industry would be heavily discussed on a dedicated truck driver forum.