Contraflow:
Up next; how socialism ruined the haulage industry, an essay by Carryfast.
FTFY
Followed by in depth knowledge of aviation. And then the internal combustion engine.
Then back to Thatcher.
Its not my responsibility to increase revenue . its the fat persons in the new range rover .
The real problem with transport industry is revenue is limited to maximum miles a vehicle can legally cover in a year X income/mile .
There is very little opportunity to increase revenue with value added services
So it comes down to fatso to increase the rate he gets /mile .
If he cant do that he should realise business is business and not a hobby and cease trading .
Then supply and demand will increase rate for remainder .
Drivers can do their bit by putting as much pressure as possible on hauliers , by leaving regularly and submitting excessive wage demands .
Only the best will survive
I will order the flowers for you then.
eagerbeaver:
Followed by in depth knowledge of aviation. And then the internal combustion engine.Then back to Thatcher.
I suppose we could nip it in the bud by agreeing to blame the con, lab, libdem bs pro immigration stance, coupled with the French fn party partnered with ukip being the only thing that can save the industry. Did I miss anything out?
Carryfast:
nothing
If Carlsberg did Carryfast posts…
Yep, you missed the miners dispute Bill.
Yo EagerTroll .
I bet u r an old hand with the pansies huh
Yo■■? Is that one half of a childrens toy?
Talking of which, go and brush your teeth and get ready for bed. You have school in the morning.
boredwivdrivin:
I better shoot off as Mum says dinner’s ready then I’ve got me homework to do. I’ll log in after as Wolly. Wish I was a wagon driver, hate Mr smith in maffs class
Yeah I agree old chap. Well admitted.
eagerbeaver:
Now look what you trolls have gone and done.
It’s a bit like Fawlty Towers on here,…Don’t mention the war’
On here because of Carryfast, it’s ‘Don’t mention the 70s’ 
I actually like Carryfast’s posts, even though we come at things from different angles CPI, RPI so many economic measures its a case of pick one to suit your point all of which are bollox.
What did happen in the 70’s was inflation running at over 25% (RPI, 74/75), the UK government grovelling to the IMF, 3 day week, rubbish piled above head height in the streets, bodies unburied and piled up in commercial cold stores, days without electricity, no-one could travel anywhere because the trains/buses were on strike, my gran who was on holiday with us going from Dumfries home to her home in Kent with a suitcase of bread cos they couldn’t get any down south …
To bring it all back on thread, as far as I can see the only way to get more drivers is to make it more attractive as a career with better pay, hours and prospects, the only way that’s going to happen is if/when haulage rates increase.
chicane:
For the hard of thinking2.5% pay rise with inflation at 0.4% gives a net increase of 2.1%
a 16.5% sounds great increase but with inflation at 17% gives a net LOSS of 0.5%
sure we’d all like a bigger rise but you have to take things in context.
Fuel costs have reduced.
As ever I expect that as ever insurance costs have risen. As I would think have replacement, maintenance and compliance costs.
CPC has added to costs for hauliers who pay for their drivers.
Pay rises have to come from operational savings, increased turnover or higher rates but as long as Stobart and the like keep leading the race to the bottom that’s not going to happen. How much have haulage rates gone up in the last 12 months if at all?
God preserve us from the insanity of the 1970s.
Not actually true. When inflation is running high, those with debts do well, and those with savings do badly. Getting or not getting pay rises that are above or below the inflation rate for the day is better disguised when inflation is low like now, than when it is high. If one recalls the 1970’s… It was actually BLOODY HARD for ordinary workers to borrow any money at all. High inflation makes lending money damned expensive for the banks. Nowdays, the same thing applies not to personal debt - but electronic retail. A shopkeeper might buy stock that he does not sell quick enough, and guess what? 6 months later, it has been superceded by something better - and he can’t sell it except at a loss - if at all by this point. Retailing electronic goods has become riskier than playing the property market (that used to be much riskier) or even the stock market (where you can pick and choose your own risk comfort level even now)
Putting it another way… A 16.5% pay rise with inflation @ 17% is NOT a “0.5% cut” in real terms, since the basket of items that makes up that inflation rate will actually be varied to the individual so that more of the cheap stuff and less of the overpriced stuff is purchased. Someone’s PERSONAL inflation rate might therefore be 7% here, thus a 16.5% pay rise is the sort of lifetime uptick opportunity that allows people to do things like take a foreign holiday that year, or perhaps get that deposit saved up for a house…
A pay freeze with inflation @ 0.4% however is DISASTEROUS by comparison. It looks like one is only losing 0.4% - but the average worker is going to borrow to make ends meet - and that debt eroding at “only” 0.4% keeps the debt at a level where it escapes one’s static wages over time, and therefore crushes the indebted household. As Einstein said “Compound interest is the most powerful force in the Universe”.
He wasn’t talking about investment or debt interest here - but the bigger picture of accretive build which can destroy stars over time, and create planets out of dust…
Of course, if you are a person who can say “Yippee! A pay freeze - I can EASILY afford that, because I’ve got £100k in the bank!” - then this scenario clearly doesn’t apply. I can’t say I know any workers who are that cash rich though. Anyone who does have a bit of money - has it ■■■■■■■ in Property, Pensions, or ISA type investments.
My own recollection of the years 1975 when the property & stock markets crashed - Those with money left when the smoke cleared did VERY well over the next decade.
My recollection of 1979… My parents who were struggling with the mortgage - suddenly found it a lot easier to pay with passing years past 1979… Law and Order got Thatcher elected around my neighbourhood rather than any promise to “crush Unions”. Lack of a war “Cull” had created too much industrial capacity in the 70’s - so Thatcher moved us off industry and onto a service economy. This didn’t do the likes of me any good, as I went to what was then called “Technical School”. To this day, Science, Engineering, and Transport - have been consistently neglected by governments left and right. Arty-■■■■■, Showbiz, and Sports have had all the attention. Hence, our kids don’t want to learn anything complicated - they want the easy bucks that come from being connected well, and gettign started in the “people” industries. We’ll probably need a world war to get those that can actually DO stuff and INVENT stuff - back into vogue again.
So in summary :
A driver shortage exists when real term take home pay increases relative to expenditure …
Not when a truck is parked in yard looking for a driver …
I agree with almost all that you say, winseer. Inflation can erode the ‘real’ amount borrowed on things like mortgages and other long term investments (land, housing) provided that the borrowing is at a long term fixed rate, QE erodes it even quicker and why it has been used by governments as a quick fix. The prospects for property are at best confused, commercial properties even around the M25 are not that great just now, housing is (thought what effect the new landlord legislation will have remains to be seen) and should be a decent bet until the government provides stimulus for a massive amount of house building. I can also tell you that borrowing money is bloody hard today let alone the '70s.
I would also suggest that those who have cash savings are seeing that eroded because the income from ‘interest’ paid on those savings which used to be enough to live on is no longer sufficient and they are now having to eat into their capital, to live. That can only go on for so long. When you think how much QE has been pumped into the global economy and yet we still see sub 1% inflation then things really are in a mess.
boredwivdrivin:
Come on you clever boys …List these great ‘T&Cs’ you get …
Im a nervous wreck waiting to find out what im missing out on with my terrible mercenary attitude !!!
Face facts : you idgits get no more or less then i do
company car / fuel card / share save scheme where I get double for every £1 I put into it / decent wage and working hours and conditions / satisfaction of assisting others / pension / ability to progress if I want.
oh and monthly bonus, but your right its still ■■■■. 
boredwivdrivin:
a truck is parked in yard looking for a driver …
Can the load not be delivered the next day?
Pimpdaddy:
boredwivdrivin:
a truck is parked in yard looking for a driver …Can the load not be delivered the next day?
More than likely, yes. You only get the odd incident like that in the busy Christmas period.
It hardly says there’s a driver shortage, does it lol.
A driver shortage would be; half the transport companies HGV fleet parked up, every day-year round, with the shop shelves half empty.
By that point, the lorry driver’s wages would be going up and up. They certainly wouldn’t be £7, 8, 9, 10 (whatever), like they are at the moment.
I can’t see anything changing in the foreseeable future, that’s for sure!
Bloody hell, its only the start of page 8 and a full house already.
V40LLY:
More than likely, yes. You only get the odd incident like that in the busy Christmas period.It hardly says there’s a driver shortage, does it lol.
A driver shortage would be; half the transport companies HGV fleet parked up, every day-year round, with the shop shelves half empty.
By that point, the lorry driver’s wages would be going up and up. They certainly wouldn’t be £7, 8, 9, 10 (whatever), like they are at the moment.
I can’t see anything changing in the foreseeable future, that’s for sure!
+1, you’d think its the end of the world the way some people are banging on about it lol. Everything I want is on the shelf or its delivered on time, every time!