Conor:
James the cat:
Conor:
whilst I, the agency gimp with a limp and a headset,.so, you do admit you actually have a limp and a headset.
Have a limp but no headset. Trucks have bluetooth head units fitted in them so no need to have the blue light of shame beaconing my status of agency ■■■■■ to everyone who overtakes me… 
[
For me, that is the quote of the year so far, class 
Around rugby Coventry Leamington its 10ph class 2
With some of the things I’ve seen and heard in the last year I think something is happening in the jobs market for HGV drivers.
I’ve been contacted twice by an agency I haven’t worker for since 2010 asking if I’m available for work.
I’ve seen job adverts from hauliers for trainee HGV drivers.
Talking to a local farmer a few weeks ago, he was saying he has a truck standing because he can’t find a driver for it.
I know a few motorsport teams who have struggled to fill vacancies for truckies.
The team I work for we used to have four people who could drive our trucks, since the DCPC we now only have 2 people as the other 2 didn’t get a DCPC.
There probably enough licence holders to fill the vacancies, but they don’t for various reasons discussed here many times, want to drive trucks.
But also the average age of the hgv driver is increasing and fewer people than before are getting licences (I believe there was a small rise this year, but it doesn’t make up for the shortfall in other years.)
However the industry has known about this potential problem for years, (I remember an article in a trucking mag in 1996 about the impending drivers shortage) instead of doing something the industry has stuck its head in the sand, they were worried a few years ago but then thousands of cheap East European drivers and then a downturn in the economy meant they didn’t have to deal with the impending problem.
The industry leader now want the government to spend taxpayers money on solving a problem they’ve failed to tackle, but I’m sure what will happen in the end is not wage rises and better conditions, but the government will make HGV drivers a special case and allow companies to recruit cheap labour from outside the EU, to keep wages down.
muckles:
With some of the things I’ve seen and heard in the last year I think something is happening in the jobs market for HGV drivers.
I’ve been contacted twice by an agency I haven’t worker for since 2010 asking if I’m available for work.
I’ve seen job adverts from hauliers for trainee HGV drivers.
Talking to a local farmer a few weeks ago, he was saying he has a truck standing because he can’t find a driver for it.
I know a few motorsport teams who have struggled to fill vacancies for truckies.
The team I work for we used to have four people who could drive our trucks, since the DCPC we now only have 2 people as the other 2 didn’t get a DCPC.There probably enough licence holders to fill the vacancies, but they don’t for various reasons discussed here many times, want to drive trucks.
But also the average age of the hgv driver is increasing and fewer people than before are getting licences (I believe there was a small rise this year, but it doesn’t make up for the shortfall in other years.)
Ironically that example is probably more evidence that shows that there is a shortage of drivers prepared to accept certain types of work.Which is nothing new.IE the job of race team truck driver long ago got the reputation of pit labourer/tyre fitter/etc etc with an LGV licence. 
As for the rest of the industry it’s now more a case of the east Euros have taken a lot of the ‘right’ work leaving the UK industry with too much of the ‘wrong’ type of work.That’s in addition to other issues like speed limiters increasing the length of the working day and the inflexibility of hours and tacho regs.
I remember seeing a job advertised for a race team i think it was a tyre company but it mentioned obviously weekends away from home im sure there would be better sleeping facilities than in a layby but it doesn’t interest me i work to provide for my family the last thing i want to do is be away from them all week or even a night therefore if im looking for work i am more restricted than other drivers i only want localish work and have gone out and found exactly that i think this contributes to the shortage that mamy young drivers do not want a job were they have to sleep in a metal box for £20
I think the fact that I have had four full time permanent job offers this year speaks volumes. Especially as I only returned to driving this year after a long break away from the industry. Never even used a digi tacho till this summer. 
If you look direct on companies web sites, many of them are actively trying to recruit drivers for permanent roles, some with more success than others, dependent on the reputation of the company of course.
3 wheeler:
truckman020:
3 wheeler:
Plenty of gimps with a limp and a headset …but they are steering wheel attendants only who do not work directly for who they drive.
Real proper drivers will be in so short a supply in a few years time it will be unreal or perhaps not…Cameron and co will put up retirement age to 106 so it won’t happen.what do you consider to be a real proper driver 3 wheeler,i myself am full time as well as agency in the past,i have seen agency drivers just as good as full time,drivers like you do make me laugh,if all you can do is slate someone trying to earn a living as opposed to being on benefits then you must be one sad individual
I wish to [zb] you sad [zb] learned to read…never did once I use the word AGENCY.
But if that’s your opinion …that’s up to you.
I am talking about halfwits who have not got a clue how to drive and always seem to me have an earpiece in and limp about in a pathetic manner .They are steering wheel attendants who somehow somewhere got a licence .
I stand corrected chap and apologise,you are right I based it on assumption not fact
3 wheeler:
Plenty of gimps with a limp and a headset …but they are steering wheel attendants only who do not work directly for who they drive.
Real proper drivers will be in so short a supply in a few years time it will be unreal or perhaps not…Cameron and co will put up retirement age to 106 so it won’t happen.
The self -importance of this muppet :D:D
You’re a driver. That is all.
Gotta love the delusion though
3stepsaheaduk:
…young drivers do not want a job were they have to sleep in a metal box for £20
+1
Tis true.
We’ve lost a few drivers recently,for one reason or another.
The drivers that are replacing them…won’t have nights out.
commonrail:
The drivers that are replacing them…won’t have nights out.
Why should they, nights out are zb…!
Don’t think this lot will have a shortage of drivers somehow.
Pimpdaddy:
commonrail:
The drivers that are replacing them…won’t have nights out.Why should they, nights out are zb…!
I like them
damoq:
Don’t think this lot will have a shortage of drivers somehow.
43k sounds good
damoq:
Don’t think this lot will have a shortage of drivers somehow.
Dead mans shoes…[emoji16]
commonrail:
I like them
Well good for you[emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]
Pimpdaddy:
commonrail:
The drivers that are replacing them…won’t have nights out.Why should they, nights out are zb…!
I would imagine that nights out can certainly be ■■■■. It all depends on how you take your nights out tbh. We have guys where I work who’ll tell me that nights out are crap and when I ask them where they parked they will say “oh in a layby on the A blah blah blah, or in such and such services” and I say “yeah, they’re crap when you’re an idiot and park in them places”.
The secret is to not run until 9 hours 50 minutes and then look for somewhere to park, find somewhere earlier, park up, go for a walk, find a nice pub, have a meal and a couple of pints and actually talk to strangers! Yeah, scary thought innit? Seriously, nights out are what you make them, if you lack imagination or the bottle to go off the beaten track then they will be dismal and dreary affairs. You get out what you put in.
chicane:
damoq:
Don’t think this lot will have a shortage of drivers somehow.43k sounds good
Sure does, and its only a 35hr week too.[emoji22] I’ve applied twice in the past and never even got past the application process, so I took the hint and didn’t bother my arse trying this time.[emoji3]
the maoster:
find a nice pub, have a meal and a couple of pints and actually talk to strangers! Yeah, scary thought innit?.
Scary for me yeah now that you mention it…[emoji1] wow that’s opened my eyes/mind.
I’m gonna adopt you Pimpdaddy, and once I’ve got you under my wing I’m gonna shake that negativity out of you, get you unbelievably drunk, get you laid by a lady of questionable morals and show you that life can actually be a great deal of fun if you put the effort in.
the maoster:
Pimpdaddy:
commonrail:
The drivers that are replacing them…won’t have nights out.Why should they, nights out are zb…!
I would imagine that nights out can certainly be [zb]. It all depends on how you take your nights out tbh. We have guys where I work who’ll tell me that nights out are crap and when I ask them where they parked they will say “oh in a layby on the A blah blah blah, or in such and such services” and I say “yeah, they’re crap when you’re an idiot and park in them places”.
The secret is to not run until 9 hours 50 minutes and then look for somewhere to park, find somewhere earlier, park up, go for a walk, find a nice pub, have a meal and a couple of pints and actually talk to strangers! Yeah, scary thought innit? Seriously, nights out are what you make them, if you lack imagination or the bottle to go off the beaten track then they will be dismal and dreary affairs. You get out what you put in.
Spot on.
As soon as i get my job,i know where i want to be that night,and plan my day around it