Due to the constant rumours regarding a ‘Driver Shortage’ in Sept due to the cpc qualification being introduced,(noticed there are a few although be it, a few firms) who are now offering overtime rates at time and half and premiums for bank hols etc.
After years of firms abusing the words ‘There is a recession’ are Drivers now back in the driving seat as firms may now start to worry if there are not enough drivers available in Sept, thus resulting in firms starting to give a little more incentive to work for them,years its been a case of recession and if you dont like it there is the door etc.
To be honest everyone I know either has their driver card or will have it by Sept so will there be a shortage at all,I guess there might be some agency guys who may have to pay for their own and decide to bin it off, but a mass shortage■■?
Any thoughts■■? or just I guess it will be the same …mmmnnnn 
The september deadline has companies on the run wondering whether they will be alright for drivers. I guess it is only those companies that are short of drivers now that will struggle. If you have a full complement, you probably aren’t all that worried. I would add that you may worry if your an employer who is expanding and needing drivers for new positions.
lightning:
The september deadline has companies on the run wondering whether they will be alright for drivers. I guess it is only those companies that are short of drivers now that will struggle. If you have a full complement, you probably aren’t all that worried. I would add that you may worry if your an employer who is expanding and needing drivers for new positions.
I would suggest that companies with a full compliment should be worried in case their drivers are tempted away by a better offer of pay/conditions by the soon-to-be understaffed companies due to the upcoming september deadline.
I would hope good drivers are already in good work and being paid appropriately, only the really short sighted would jump ship on a flash in the pan offer from another company who have otherwise been keeping their wages at rock bottom for all recent memory.
this is the best chance we have to get a decent rate of pay for what we “professionals” do…
if we were professional in any other trade we would be on twice the money we are on now.
its time these companies stopped screwing us for the benefit of their shareholders sitting on their arrisses raking it in.
come the revolution wolfie.
I’ve heard a few firms are bricking it, I think it will be manageable though. Wages might go back to what they were before the recession I’d say & that is all.
Trukkertone:
this is the best chance we have to get a decent rate of pay for what we “professionals” do…
if we were professional in any other trade we would be on twice the money we are on now.
its time these companies stopped screwing us for the benefit of their shareholders sitting on their arrisses raking it in.
come the revolution wolfie.
Trouble is Trukkertone there are far too many that do not act like professionals and unfortunately we are on view from every tom ■■■■ and harry.
There will be no driver shortage or any pay rises because the biggest majority of drivers have already got their DCPC.
It’s only the firms not putting there drivers thru that are worrying. out of around 800 at the firm I work for iv not heard of anyone not doing it . If drivers do jump to firms that then have vacancies more fool them. what happens in five years time when it comes up for renewal again and said firm won’t put them thru it. there will be a few retire but no shortage
The agency I work for is desperately short of drivers to work the good jobs - Class one, easy work, not too far away - but the non-family friendly shifts - suitable therefore for those with grown up families, or no kids… You get paid a “right through” rate, so shifts tend to be longer rather than of shorter length, eg. 23:00-11:00 Sunday night into Monday morning is all paid at Sunday rate. This might be considered to “work against you” on Friday nights, but I’ve been covering Friday nights myself with no bother - it’s the mid-week late starts I can’t do myself. 
Other start times include 18:00-20:00 (parcels, palletliner trunks), and of course 12:00-17:30 starts on supermarkets seem readily available midweek. The only “general haulage” work I have much association with is working out of the paper mills for Downtons. 06:00 & 18:00 seem to be the most common shifts there, and 12 hour ones at that.
Anyone in the Aylesford area looking for midweek/nights work in particular in about a 20 mile radius from there might like to drop me a PM, and I’ll fill you in. Last year, the only work generally available to “outsiders” was P&H/3663/Brakes Delivery type work on class 2. Now it’s Fedex and other trunks along with the more run-of-the-mill supermarket work on class one. I’d say that’s a step-up, and Mainstream have recently upped the rate for Tescos I understand as well. Come and fill your boots… 
Nearly all the work is Parcel & Food trunking rather than what I’d call General Haulage btw.
Some staff have returned home in the past few months (be that up north, or abroad), some have been made up to full timers, and hardly any new blood has signed up, despite the workload increasing over the same period. As you’ll all know from my other posts, pay rate for mid-week nights class 1 is still £10ph minimum 8 hours paid, but that’s good enough if the job is only across town from you I reckons. I didn’t even get a “null January” this year, so I’m getting all the work I want, plus some I’m now starting to turn down, 'cos it overruns my home commitments. Who wants? 
albion1971:
There will be no driver shortage or any pay rises because the biggest majority of drivers have already got their DCPC.
+1
…but the expanding firms are finding that such “DCPC Done” drivers are already flat-out, as this year is so much more busy than the last. Full timers are salaried into 55 hour weeks more and more, meaning there’s little capacity for overtime, so more agency bods get called in to cover - the holiday & planned leave, rather than just the last minute sickies and workload spikes as was the case last year.
If there are X drivers and Y jobs and you increase Y, then each X has to work more hours - or you have to increase how many X you have.
There are legal limits to how long we can work, so if if you double Y, then you can’t just say X’s hours go up from 55 to 110pw to cover. 
At present, that extra slack is taken up by agency. Now the agencies are running out of drivers - at least around my way - so then what?
You increase the pay, you try and trick newcomers onto restrictive contracts, or you go without and eventually get dropped by the client yard because you consistently cannot fill shifts. Sure, wages rising is the last thing that will happen, but the short of drivers is already squeezing, and can only get worse as we approach September. 
I always said that pay rises will appear at agencies first. Full timers will be nailed down to “pay rises linked to inflation” as usual. Such wages cannot therefore react to a very big spike in the demand/supply curve anywhere near quick enough, because of all the legislation already in place.
Expect more “tacho infringements” over the coming months, as more yards push their drivers to run bent - those that won’t play it straight, and just take on more drivers, and/or increase the pay of those already there… 
How many drivers are part time retired or going to retire early because of it? There are a lot of drivers doing 3 shifts a week to top up their pensions and i cant see them bothering. Or the moonlighters who do a shift every week or 2.
rumour is that VOSA (or whatever they are now calling themselves) are expecting 25% of drivers to run without DCPC in September. They will be pulling everyone in for the first few weeks after the deadline and i currently run to cairnryan 3 times a week. You know they will be busy at Girvan and Carlisle catching our Irish friends
I have to agree with Winseer on this (mainly because he knows what he is talking about). I’m only signed up with one agency and they are ringing me non stop even though they know I have a proper job and only work weekends .
The agencies will feel it first, those that talk poop and have drivers on the books thinking they can call up someone who they haven’t bothered with for 6 months are going to be very dissapointed.
Late September to December will be panic stations for the agencies as they will lose contracts because they will not be able to cover the workload and the companys will try another agenecy.
Supply will outstrip demand in this period, there is no doubt and I’m half expecting my agency to offer me a retainer fee to stay loyal (think I will ask for one next time they call).
Hardest hit will be those firms that pay f-all (sub £7 PH) as drivers may realise there are greener pastures out there.
Just my opinion but lets wait and see.
Lets face it the average truck driver is stereotyped as not the most educated of folks (although i know some with degrees), so when applying for jobs don’t be afraid to negotiate your pay- you don’t ask you don’t get, the revolution is coming, all hail the CPC
I think agencys have just about had there day now the economy has picked up. All the big boys around Kent, Morrisons P&H, Downtons, Waitrose ect are all advertising for drivers direct with better terms than the agencies
I really want to see agencies go bust big time, and their lying arse ‘consultants’…ooh get you darling…slung out on their pasty ears.
When they call, in sales pitch mode, its so nice being equally polite to them and reminding them of their behaviour at the time i left.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Things are changing having 2 agency both offering long term work emmmmm What they up to
Agency 1 3 months work with the same company and every other Saturday
emmm that up to September cpc dead line
Agency 2 2 weeks confirmed work with same company they never done that before
(Show me the money)
it’s a sellers market now.
Bottom line (money) only go for the best rates offered £10 ph should turn in £13 ph onward and upwards
All the agency drivers we have at our bit love it. Asked them many a time do you fancy stable employment and the answer is a categorical no chance! If agy’s are desperate for drivers its going to be even more difficult to ween them off the ■■■ !
‘‘If’’ there is to be a mass shortage of drivers it could infact be more bad thing than good as many haulage firms could potentially go under as they would be forced to pay out more to cover the extra wage demands.
Trukkertone:
this is the best chance we have to get a decent rate of pay for what we “professionals” do…
Just like the last time we had a chance to get a decent rate of pay when the WTD was introduced. Look how well that turned out.
ajt:
If agy’s are desperate for drivers its going to be even more difficult to ween them off the ■■■ !
I wonder if it’ll return to the early 2000’s where most places I went to as an agency driver my basic rate from the agency was that company’s overtime rate. I don’t think we’ll see a return to triple time on bank holidays as I used to get from one agency though.
chester1:
I think agencys have just about had there day now the economy has picked up. All the big boys around Kent, Morrisons P&H, Downtons, Waitrose ect are all advertising for drivers direct with better terms than the agencies
…obviously the wrong agencies then. Are not some of the above still palming off full timers with less than a tenner per hour?
Last year I did a couple of shifts @ Firmins to pull around some Morrisons trailers. The agency (E---- S—) (no, not “eeasy street” ) ■■■■■■ me around by lying about what rate I got for working sundays, so I don’t work there any more. Fast forward to the present, and it seems that agency might have lost Firmin’s business, judging by the fact that Demon are now picking up firmins work direct, and not having to sub via some other agency any more. I wouldn’t be surprised in the least to see ES go ■■■■-up in the months ahead… They used to have lots of Lehnam Storage work as well, but after lots of Umming and Ahhing from them regarding the hourly rates again, I decided to leave it on the shelf with the rest of their work last summer. 