The EE’s are back…
They changed their minds about going home in a fit of pique over IR35 changes, and are now harvesting the £20ph+ rates to be had on agency at this time of the year…
Thus, alas - there’s now a shortage of shifts for the regular home-grown agency drivers… 
Had two shifts cancelled this past week… And yet I’m being asked what my availability over Christmas is already before any mention of Premiums or even available shifts are likely to be… 
I’d say to measure the temperature of the jobs market right now - we need to have a few posts from anyone working in the Trafford Park area right now, agency or full time…
Wot’s it like there then?
I guess I’ll find out the hard way next year…
Regardless of what the media say, either work is available or it isn’t.
@Truckulent: why is it harder this year? The pandemic just slowing things down? That seems at odds with the whole “driver shortage” argument.
I’ve still yet to hear an explanation for the shortage in the USA. Is it societal in that people don’t want to do the job?
TruckerGuy:
I’ve still yet to hear an explanation for the shortage in the USA. Is it societal in that people don’t want to do the job?
Contrary to the usual lies the truth is that the coast to coast full load run is mostly history because the train is doing it by intermodal containers or piggy back and no one rightly wants to do the short haul tramping, which means being out for weeks/months to make a living, or the local LTL/intermodal dross that’s left.
Canada US long haul traffic is hanging on because ot the lack of North South rail links.
FWIW at our place we didn’t have a pay rise (agency drivers did but that’s probably not 100% within the company’s control) yet we’re constantly finding ourselves with more drivers than we need (work is steady and regular/predictable volumes etc.) so some are now leaving because they’re tired of hanging around for 8 hours a day as ‘‘spares’’
Needless to say the firm gave in to the panic hiring of drivers and now have more than they need although rates were above average at the time so attracting them was probably not too difficult.
Winseer:
I’d say to measure the temperature of the jobs market right now - we need to have a few posts from anyone working in the Trafford Park area right now, agency or full time…Wot’s it like there then?
For months been a banner outside old k&n now run by gxo /xpo advertising for drivers.
Akw/kinaxia have recently put a banner up advertising.
Green group have a board outside advertising for drivers and warehouse staff.
yourhavingalarf:
Sidevalve:
The biggest and (to me) most obvious being Walkers Crisps. Apparently their IT system screwed up big time; methinks this is code for serious cockups in the buying department.It’s gonna…
Possibly be a while longer before the ‘grab bag’ returns. They’ve had a fire at Leicester.
I’ve never been one for conspiracy theories, but that does seem a little too “convenient”.
edd1974:
Winseer:
I’d say to measure the temperature of the jobs market right now - we need to have a few posts from anyone working in the Trafford Park area right now, agency or full time…Wot’s it like there then?
For months been a banner outside old k&n now run by gxo /xpo advertising for drivers.
Akw/kinaxia have recently put a banner up advertising.
Green group have a board outside advertising for drivers and warehouse staff.
Speaking from recent past experience I suspect the cast majority of Kinaxia places will require at the very least a banner.
edd1974:
For months been a banner outside old k&n now run by gxo /xpo advertising for drivers.Akw/kinaxia have recently put a banner up advertising.
Green group have a board outside advertising for drivers and warehouse staff.
Ours have a banner outside too, two actually, despite like I said above there are more drivers atm than needed. It’s just that no one can be arsed to go remove it (it;s outside the estate so a few hundred meters walk 
) Or maybe they keep it because it also invites warehouse workers to apply and that they can use some more of
fuse:
no one mentions driver shortage now ,I think it was all blown out of proportion
This is what I was thinking and why I started the thread. It just seems weird why there was pandemonium on every news channel about it for a couple of weeks and now nothing!! They have moved on to shortages in other industries now.
If you google ‘HGV shortage UK’ the last bit of news is from October
Just seems weird how it can go from national mass panic to total calm in the space of a month
the nodding donkey:
NorthernApe:
So I gather that there is a shortage in your areas then?Are you an agency driver?
No I am registered with a few but just do weekends only direct for a company. They do contact me and I could earn more money but happy as I am
NorthernApe:
fuse:
no one mentions driver shortage now ,I think it was all blown out of proportionThis is what I was thinking and why I started the thread. It just seems weird why there was pandemonium on every news channel about it for a couple of weeks and now nothing!! They have moved on to shortages in other industries now.
If you google ‘HGV shortage UK’ the last bit of news is from October
Just seems weird how it can go from national mass panic to total calm in the space of a month
Thats the news cycle tho isnt it - you cant put “truck driver shortage” on the frontpage for more than a few days without boring everyone to death.
Still a massive driver shortage according to the job ads/pay rates.
Carryfast:
manalishi:
Still seeing sizeable produce unavailability at my local supermarkets though.This can’t be unconnected to anything but; shortages of HGV personell ? something strange afoot mithinx.There again the lavish feasting on foreign for over a decade seems to be the, arguably hiding in plain site explanation, with this particular conundrum
Hard to pin it down.
It’s not panic buying unless people are very selective in their ‘panic’.
If it’s a truck driver ‘shortage’ there seems to be no shortage of drivers delivering loads of the lowest quality stuff possible.
No shortage of tough salty lean bacon.
No shortage of processed cheap rubbish meat formed to look like the real thing and so lean that it can’t possibly be natural.
Also no shortage of veggie non meat made to look like the real thing why.Also propaganda telling us we all need to go vegan to ‘save the planet’ while we export tonnes of beef and pork.
Christmas turkeys to order strangely seems to be a problem with anything larger than 6kg sizes.
If you like fish it’s a constant supply of haddock and hake or at best laughably small rationed portions of Cod.Want some turbot forget it.
Even in the case of a simple packet of crisps plenty of all the usual over salted suspects but if you want some Walkers optional salt and shake no chance.
Obviously ‘wheoever’ is getting all the best meat and fish etc also doesn’t like salted crisps.
There were ONLY 2 Pukka vegan steak and onion pies left in our local Tossco this morning,and I bought them both…panic buying indeed 
Baggie:
There were ONLY 2 Pukka vegan steak and onion pies left in our local Tossco this morning,and I bought them both…panic buying indeed
Obviously the ‘steak and onion’ on the pack fooled em all.If everyone supposedly wants to go vegan why try to lie about the contents.
Like the this isn’t bacon rashers scam why even the need for the suggestion of bacon rashers on a non bacon product.
So the train driver obviously didn’t want to do a weekend shift vegan or not.
Conspiracy theory indeed.
I think they are short of cod because they are overfished.
If the shortage is over before even the usual Christmas build-up, then I guess January doldrums is going to replace December pressure this year, in which case Christmas is indeed Cancelled already…?
maybe just coincidence but it seemed like there was far fewer jobs being advertised after the ‘fuel crisis’
JeffA:
I think they are short of cod because they are overfished.
Basically we’re short of the best of everything that ‘other’ countries want because we’re too eager to give away what we’ve got and what’s ours.Whether it’s oil and gas while we go nuclear and burn trees or Turbot and Cod and seemingly the best meat.
Which means natural as it was cut off the bull or pig with plenty of equally natural fat content.Or a proper turkey which means more than 6 kgs.
Let alone vegan crap being described and dressed up as meat and constant propaganda telling us that we must stop eating meat so they can give it away together with the oil and gas and fish.
Driver shortage indeed.
No real world shortage
Just drivers not made proper use of
3.5 hours I was in Lidl Severn Beach today to self tip 20 pallets
Synopsis of my morning…
Arrive 0755
Book in after waiting in line til 0830
Go on bay 20 and self tip
Finish that about 0930
Park
Phone call
Back to bay 20
Load wrong 3 pallets back on (not my fault, the wrong stock was loaded)
Repark opposite
Finally get phone call at 1130
Kept waiting in line to collect paperwork
Leave site at 1135
Seriously there is no driver shortage just ■■■■ poor organisation of places like these!
JeffA:
Still a massive driver shortage according to the job ads/pay rates.
daffyd:
maybe just coincidence but it seemed like there was far fewer jobs being advertised after the ‘fuel crisis’
There certainly seems to be a difference throughout the country
In my area in Manchester it just seems to have gone back to normal, quite a few ads popping up on Indeed but most seem to be agencies. After hearing from a few that have applied for some of the jobs it seems that it all goes quiet once they have registered with the agencies
One of my pals did this and when the agency told him the name of the company the job was for, it turned out my pal knew a few drivers there. After telling the agency lad this, the phone went quiet for a moment and within 5 minutes of the phone call ending, the job was removed off Indeed.
Some may call me sceptical but could that job have been a false lead just for signing drivers up to the agency?..perhaps?..maybe?