DCPCFML:
You definition of “a mint” must be different to mine as I don’t consider £15 to be one.
This is true. You can get an ex-factory NOS Nokia 6230i for £15, still in the original box.
My kids laugh at it and show me what they can do on their smartphones, but out in the countryside my Nokia still gets a signal long after they have lost theirs. Go figure. 
Gone are the days where one could
earn a mint at Trebor.
Harry Monk:
Just had this text come through on my rather funky Nokia. Seems to be going up by the day now.
Even Tufnell’s is offering £18 ph on agency 
Renowned low payers…
Our lot have just increased our rates again… Third time in what, 6 months? And added a tax free meal allowance.
Still driving a Craptros though…
It’s not just haulage. We went Devon on holiday and had waits at most places we went to eat with apologies that they were short staffed.Maybe Pubs , restaurants, and holiday parks have got to do the same and pay a living wage not the national minimum.
12 hgv jobs available in a 25 mile radius from where I live at Christmas (half agency)
87 hgv jobs available today (only 5 agency)
Speaks for itself plus the firm I work for has upped our wages 12% and given us attendance and “thank you” bonuses where previously it was like getting blood out of a mountain.
the old timer:
It’s not just haulage. We went Devon on holiday and had waits at most places we went to eat with apologies that they were short staffed.Maybe Pubs , restaurants, and holiday parks have got to do the same and pay a living wage not the national minimum.
All the Eastern European’s have gone home.
Conor:
Winseer:
I’ve seen many a depot offering a so-called “Warehouse to Wheels” thing, but I’ve yet to see a single warehouse person I’ve ever met - actually go on to become a driver of anything larger than a puddle jumper, or tail lift 7.5t… Does ANY firm train up car licence holders to become C2 and C1 drivers any more?Yep. A few years ago Howdens did a driver apprenticeship which they offered to non-driving staff, putting them through their Class 1 and then on the road. Once they’d passed their test they were put on shunting for a few weeks so they could get the hang of going backwards before doing the job for real. One of them after doing it a couple of years ended up in the office and is now a transport supervisor and because of first hand experience is a good one. They’ve put up posters recently saying they’re running it again.
Gregory’s did put a few warehouse staff through class 1&2 but they’re now struggling to get decent WH staff and forkies so they are trying the apprentice scheme again but it’s a slow process and a lot of the people who come through it are only looking to move on ASAP.
Gavv8:
the old timer:
It’s not just haulage. We went Devon on holiday and had waits at most places we went to eat with apologies that they were short staffed.Maybe Pubs , restaurants, and holiday parks have got to do the same and pay a living wage not the national minimum.All the Eastern European’s have gone home.
That is the primary driver behind it and that is why any truck driver with two brain cells to rub together voted for Brexit in 2016.
Harry Monk:
Gavv8:
the old timer:
It’s not just haulage. We went Devon on holiday and had waits at most places we went to eat with apologies that they were short staffed.Maybe Pubs , restaurants, and holiday parks have got to do the same and pay a living wage not the national minimum.All the Eastern European’s have gone home.
That is the primary driver behind it and that is why any truck driver with two brain cells to rub together voted for Brexit in 2016.
You might think that all the remoaners would be thanking the brexit voters for their nice uplift in pay but not seeing anything. Are you, Harry? 
DCPCFML:
Harry Monk:
Gavv8:
the old timer:
It’s not just haulage. We went Devon on holiday and had waits at most places we went to eat with apologies that they were short staffed.Maybe Pubs , restaurants, and holiday parks have got to do the same and pay a living wage not the national minimum.All the Eastern European’s have gone home.
That is the primary driver behind it and that is why any truck driver with two brain cells to rub together voted for Brexit in 2016.
You might think that all the remoaners would be thanking the brexit voters for their nice uplift in pay but not seeing anything. Are you, Harry?
Increased pay because of the driver shortage? Ok.
But
bifa.org/news/articles/2018 … -of-europe
And
smart-trucking.com/truck-driver-shortage/
.
Is Brexit having an effect? I expect so.
Is Brexit the only cause of any driver shortage? Clearly not, its widespread.
^^^ we lost a vast number of EE drivers where I work. Speaking to them not one of them even mentioned Brexit as the reason for them going, to a man they all cited IR35.
One of our good EE drivers and yes we have a few, a really decent funny bloke too, is considering leaving the country too, not going back to his home country, but to Ukraine.
He isn’t the only one i work with either disturbed at the recent seismic political shifts in Britain which to them have all the hallmarks of totalitarianism, which either they have witnessesed personally or their parents have and they know and can see the dangers and they want nothing to do with, unlike sadly too many Brits who can’t see past next week.
the maoster:
^^^ we lost a vast number of EE drivers where I work. Speaking to them not one of them even mentioned Brexit as the reason for them going, to a man they all cited IR35.
The English speaking ones at Turner’s who I got friendly with never mentioned IR35 - the reason was because Brexit resulted in a 22% drop in the value of the pound vs the Euro, thus making it uneconomical to work here and send their money home when it was worth so much less once converted into their local currency. Presumably they have done their sums and calculated that they are now better off either working locally in their home country or working for companies in neighbouring EU countries where the economics are more favourable.
IR35 as the reason makes no sense if they’re filing their accounts correctly as the overall tax due vs PAYE would be roughly the same. Now if they were ltd co and were planning to flee back to Poland without filing any accounts, then I could understand IR35 being the reason 
. I’m sure that isn’t the case, though… 
Obviously, if you are on PAYE then that temptation is taken away from you.
Juddian:
One of our good EE drivers and yes we have a few, a really decent funny bloke too, is considering leaving the country too, not going back to his home country, but to Ukraine.
He isn’t the only one i work with either disturbed at the recent seismic political shifts in Britain which to them have all the hallmarks of totalitarianism, which either they have witnessesed personally or their parents have and they know and can see the dangers and they want nothing to do with, unlike sadly too many Brits who can’t see past next week.
Given the current US/NATO/Russia/Ukraine sabre-rattling going on, I’m not sure moving to Ukraine is a wise move right now.
Driver shortage…the perfect storm … Brexit, Covid and IR35 reforms.
What with agencies unable to put bums on seats, firms that always filled jobs without advertising now having to advertise, as an example in my area Air Products, DHL Tesco Goole and Doncaster advertising on the radio for class 1 drivers, wages going up, bonuses paid, refer a friend payments, surveys carried out the list goes on. Sounds to me like there’s a shortage of Drivers. If people choose not to drive due to poor pay and conditions, then in my mind that makes for a Driver shortage. Simples.
Juddian:
One of our good EE drivers and yes we have a few, a really decent funny bloke too
Blimey, imagine that
switchlogic:
Juddian:
One of our good EE drivers and yes we have a few, a really decent funny bloke tooBlimey, imagine that
I know
I thought all they did was claim benefits, cram 50 to a house and pop out kids at minimum intervals so as to get more benefits, cram more in a house and so on.
Oh and take allllllll doctor appointments 
switchlogic:
Juddian:
One of our good EE drivers and yes we have a few, a really decent funny bloke tooBlimey, imagine that
Got a link to back this claim up? Sounds like rumour to me.
robbo99.:
Driver shortage…the perfect storm … Brexit, Covid and IR35 reforms.What with agencies unable to put bums on seats, firms that always filled jobs without advertising now having to advertise, as an example in my area Air Products, DHL Tesco Goole and Doncaster advertising on the radio for class 1 drivers, wages going up, bonuses paid, refer a friend payments, surveys carried out the list goes on. Sounds to me like there’s a shortage of Drivers. If people choose not to drive due to poor pay and conditions, then in my mind that makes for a Driver shortage. Simples.
What kind of retarded man maths is that? An ample supply of drivers willing to work for good pay and conditions - but not for poor pay and conditions - does not equate to a shortage of drivers.
A very simple test to prove or disprove the proclaimed driver shortage would be for all hauliers to put class 1 rates starting at £20/hr. I am willing to bet that within a few weeks once the word got around, the hauliers would have drivers for all their shifts along with several names on a waiting list. I’m also willing to bet that a lot of those who retired from the industry would come back to work part-time as well. The rate would also see a lot of newbies coming into the industry too.
Tesco at Goole have been advertising for drivers ever since the day they opened. Even if they offered £30/hr they still wouldn’t get many as the place is in the middle of nowhere unless you live in the crap-hole that is Goole town and the work itself is also crap. Much the same reason for Sherburn as well. Why travel all the way over there when there are 3 million haulage companies to choose from at Whitwood all in competition with each other over pay.
Air Products only have 1 ad on Indeed and their own website and that’s for a bulk driver at Didcot. No pay rates mentioned on either = 99.9% of viewers skip straight past. They don’t do themselves any favours.
Not seeing much increase in the rates for the majority of hauliers round here from a quick look at Indeed. Expect Dist still paying ■■■■ and wanting 100 hrs per week. Great Bear £11.04/hr class 1. Campeys of Selby £12. Asda £15.30 nights & lots of weekends. Wincanton £12.09. Gregprys £30k nights doing store dels. XPO £11.23. Newcold £12.01. Viamaster £10/hr “drivers urgently needed” PMSL!. Morons £12.25. Longs £31k for 70 hrs and must work every saturday. Downtons £11.60. The agencies are still trying to get away with £11-12/hr but there’s an increasing number now starting at £15/hr but the rates offered by the full-timers above are the same as they were last year so as usual, it’s a load of old cobblers, there is no driver shortage and once again you’ve all been suckered into believing the guff written by Commie Motor and the RHA.
