6 months time when this virus is under control, the driver shortage will be a thing of the past, most small firms and owner drivers will have disappeared and driving jobs will be hard to come by, a glut of unemployed drivers who will be forced to work for minimum wage.
In recent years there has been a massive shortage of drivers and many of them have been getting up at stupid o’clock in a morning for less money than Tesco shelf stackers earn per hour.
Worst thing that drivers did was to allow employers to count their night out money as wages, when your expenses were claimed and paid separately you knew how much you were really earning.
Looks good when you’re banking in excess of £800 a week but when you’ve had 7 nights out at £35 a night and been weekended, you realise that you’re working for less than minimum wage.
I’m pleased I’m out of it and got myself a shunting job on fair wages.
The thing with firms going out of business is that it leaves opportunities for others to slip in.
So when Canute went bust other firms took their work.
Coronovirus brings many opportunities for those who are not riddled with debt.
I dunno what the future will hold. But I know when this is over people will still want food, houses will still need building and people will still be buying stupid crap off the internet.
I suspect people will still be buying cars as well.
adam277:
The thing with firms going out of business is that it leaves opportunities for others to slip in.
So when Canute went bust other firms took their work.
Coronovirus brings many opportunities for those who are not riddled with debt.
I dunno what the future will hold. But I know when this is over people will still want food, houses will still need building and people will still be buying stupid crap off the internet.
I suspect people will still be buying cars as well.
adam277:
I dunno what the future will hold. But I know when this is over people will still want food, houses will still need building and people will still be buying stupid crap off the internet.
I suspect people will still be buying cars as well.
I think an enormous number of people will be in financial difficulties whenever it is over, and it will take several years before they have the money to spend which they had pre-virus. I’ve got no doubt that 2020 will see the beginning of the deepest, longest recession any of us will have ever seen.
And what if, say, global financial markets decide that interest rates need to rise sharply?
I’ve held the same opinion from Day 1. Humans are the virus, Coronavirus is the cure. This is Mother Nature making a long-overdue correction.
Grumpy_old_trucker:
Worst thing that drivers did was to allow employers to count their night out money as wages,
No they haven’t. What the more stupid drivers have decided to do is decide to count their night out money as wages, often because they’re living a life they can’t afford paid for with loans and credit cards and by counting their night out money as wages it allows them to think they’re not actually insolvent.
adam277:
I dunno what the future will hold. But I know when this is over people will still want food, houses will still need building and people will still be buying stupid crap off the internet.
I suspect people will still be buying cars as well.
I think an enormous number of people will be in financial difficulties whenever it is over, and it will take several years before they have the money to spend which they had pre-virus. I’ve got no doubt that 2020 will see the beginning of the deepest, longest recession any of us will have ever seen.
And what if, say, global financial markets decide that interest rates need to rise sharply?
I’ve held the same opinion from Day 1. Humans are the virus, Coronavirus is the cure. This is Mother Nature making a long-overdue correction.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
+1
i pirated and watched this last night…quite apt methinks…( not the worst film either)
There’s going to be some good deals on new tackle, for those that can afford to buy, Cancelled orders be very common,and sales staff discounting for the sale… Going to be a buyer’s market.
Let’s hope that the rates will rise due to a shortage of rate cutters that have gone by the wayside.
isaac hunt:
Be interested to know how many trampers are on £35 a night,
and how often a uk only tramper is weekended.
Where did I say the word “uk” in my post?
I never said you did. However, if you are talking about Brits tramping round Europe or beyond, then that will be a pretty small sample size these days.
My take on it is that people are sat at home now, building a reliance on online buying. I see losses in the retail sector, as people are will be more inclined to buy online with quick delivery. As opposed to getting in the car and driving to a shop. Integrators and logistics linked to e-commerce (DHL, DPD, FedEx, etc) will have a boom, leading to more jobs in RDCs, pickers, home delivery drivers, etc.
Things tend to balance out. There are winners and losers. If people have less money, they stop shopping at Waitrose, and start shopping at ASDA. As one door closes, another one opens…
Instead of the early eighties fashion of buying a tractor unit and going it alone guys will be buying transit vans for the home delivery market instead. No tacho and sleeping in your own bed is the upside.
3 wheeler:
Instead of the early eighties fashion of buying a tractor unit and going it alone guys will be buying transit vans for the home delivery market instead. No tacho and sleeping in your own bed is the upside.
Hhmmm.
The ability (necessity) to work 24hrs a day in order to make it pay is an “upside” ?
Some say that the early 1980’s were a boom time for the uk road transport industry.Just walk into any yard saying gissa job and you’d be off up the road within an hour of speaking to the guvnor.Name your price and he’d pay it.
A bit like he idea that this cluster zb was caused by a Chinese peasant with a liking for cold live bat soup.
3 wheeler:
Instead of the early eighties fashion of buying a tractor unit and going it alone guys will be buying transit vans for the home delivery market instead. No tacho and sleeping in your own bed is the upside.
Hhmmm.
The ability (necessity) to work 24hrs a day in order to make it pay is an “upside” ?
Not in my world…but being a local delivery driver for local companies on own account work?, now that the world wants everything delivered. Still under Regs just no tacho. The world will change after this crazy episode is over I think.
3 wheeler:
Not in my world…but being a local delivery driver for local companies on own account work?, now that the world wants everything delivered. Still under Regs just no tacho. The world will change after this crazy episode is over I think.
Probably more reliant on a 7.5 t payload in a 3.5 t van to make it work than a 24 hour shift.As for local ‘delivery’ more like 120 ‘deliveries’ all expected to be done in the few hours when the customers are at home.
Meanwhile join the queue for the point to point full or bulk load distance jobs.At least those like me will be able to park the thing up waiting for the right jobs .Unless the Commys nick the house and we end up having to pay rent like all the rest.If not herded into a ‘quarantine’ centre and never heard from again.
3 wheeler:
Instead of the early eighties fashion of buying a tractor unit and going it alone guys will be buying transit vans for the home delivery market instead. No tacho and sleeping in your own bed is the upside.
Hhmmm.
The ability (necessity) to work 24hrs a day in order to make it pay is an “upside” ?
Not in my world…but being a local delivery driver for local companies on own account work?, now that the world wants everything delivered. Still under Regs just no tacho. The world will change after this crazy episode is over I think.
I do agree that things may well be very different this time next year.
But I dont see that "white vanning" generally will be much good. There will be exceptions, such as som own account work, but that applies equally to own account truck driving. Although you are correct again, that vans still have regs, currently they seem under enforced, hence some work excessive hours and force rates down. If van work is good for you that is fine, but for the majority I dont see it as much good.
.
(I can`t see the apparent under enforcement of regulation for vans continuing, by the way)
