nick2008:
We’re having problems filling agency slots at the moment to cover holidays and sickness.
Not just the driving side but in the warehouse too.
I know Culina struggle some days to cover their work with agency
Yes we struggle some days God knows what Xmas will be like, and the standard of some of these agency drivers has definitely took a dive especially on weekends when all the regular good agency drivers are resting up.
BreakerOneNine:
I guess it depends where you are. I live in the Midlands and there seems to be plenty about. I recently left a company who are really struggling to find drivers. Ok, the job is bloody hard and physical but I was earning over 30k for a 45 hour week, but nobody wants to work there. I know other companies in the area are also struggling to find drivers, a couple have big banners outside saying so.
I know of a couple of Midland companies where I could walk into a HGV job tomorrow. Needless to say nobody in their right minds would want to work for either of those outfits, not if they valued their license or their sanity.
I see very few ‘proper’ driving jobs advertised, just the usual weekly repeated non existent agency bullpoop scams just to get people’s names on their books.
An update. I’ve just watched BBC South news (whilst resting in my tin box) and the shortage of drivers could mean empty shelves at Xmas!
Flipping good! Bah humbug!
Been into a few places where they are struggling to find drivers. Also heard of a number of vacancies locally. Agency drivers on here keep boasting how much they are being offered. No idea if there is a shortage but there is certainly a lot of work available at the moment.
fredthered:
An update. I’ve just watched BBC South news (whilst resting in my tin box) and the shortage of drivers could mean empty shelves at Xmas!
More like the shortage of drivers willing to spend their careers running between a supermarket RDC and the local supermarkets or doing local multi drop could mean shortages at the supermarkets and shops at Xmas. 
I am actually starting to come round to the idea that the driver shortage may actually be real. Too many companies crying out for drivers, including many decent firms.
This is a situation brought on my the industry itself though, people can blame the CPC and cost of training all they like. Many firms have made driving a largely unattractive employment arena, what with the lousy rates, poor/non existent benefits, the expectation that drivers, non tramping, work 70 hour weeks etc. And they expect people to shell out 1000s to train themselves up to do such dubious honours. Why aren’t more haulage firms doing what the bus companies do and train drivers themselves? For the likes of the FTA to campaign for tax payers to sort the problem out so hauliers don’t have to is outrageous.
rob22888:
I am actually starting to come round to the idea that the driver shortage may actually be real. Too many companies crying out for drivers, including many decent firms.This is a situation brought on my the industry itself though, people can blame the CPC and cost of training all they like. Many firms have made driving a largely unattractive employment arena, what with the lousy rates, poor/non existent benefits, the expectation that drivers, non tramping, work 70 hour weeks etc. And they expect people to shell out 1000s to train themselves up to do such dubious honours. Why aren’t more haulage firms doing what the bus companies do and train drivers themselves? For the likes of the FTA to campaign for tax payers to sort the problem out so hauliers don’t have to is outrageous.
DCPC was never intended to be employer funded or on the job training. A large reason being that it was designed to create the maximum number of BS DCPC trainer non-job businesses, of which there would be a lot less if it was just employer provided training as, all but the smallest, would do it in-house.
It’s a shame DCPC trainers can’t train themselves as I’ve a feeling there’ll be a surplus of them looking for work soon. Christmas turkey tastes so much better when the governments just scrapped the thing your whole business is based on.
After a lifetime in the industry and I have reached my very early 70s and am still driving all be it part time , Iam certain theres plenty of drivers out there who have now seen the light of day and have moved on to better things . Its very noticeable from my own recent experiences that drivers are being asked to perform miracles in the form of silly o`clock starting and finishing times , work 15 hr shifts , etc etc need I go on , until drivers working days are similar to other trades and industries the driver shortage will go on for evermore , and flinging money at the problem is not the answer .
Own Account Driver, my point about training was regarding actually putting people through their tests. You can argue afterwards whether a driver should have to fund the upkeep of his own DCPC.
You never hear the public transport industry bleating on in the press about the lack of ready trained bus, tram and train drivers. Asking for government funding to train drivers up so they can then exploit them for peanuts. They sort themselves out and the haulage companies should do the same.
Want more drivers? Train more drivers. Then, offer them good working conditions.
fredthered:
An update. I’ve just watched BBC South news (whilst resting in my tin box) and the shortage of drivers could mean empty shelves at Xmas!Flipping good! Bah humbug!
Entry pantry shelves at home - if no firm wants to dig deep into their pockets, and actually employ us all…
rob22888:
You never hear the public transport industry bleating on in the press about the lack of ready trained bus, tram and train drivers. Asking for government funding to train drivers up so they can then exploit them for peanuts. They sort themselves out and the haulage companies should do the same.Want more drivers? Train more drivers. Then, offer them good working conditions.
^^^ I agree, major bus companies have to do just this…take on young staff with car licence & put them on training wage until they pass their PCV test, then their money goes up and they are up & running. I think there is some sort of claw-back agreement that the newbie will cover half the cost of training, if they quit for pastures new within 1 year, 25% if they leave before 2 years…They’ve been doing this for years - they’ve obviously had to…It ain’t difficult - why can’t the haulage ‘big boys’ do this■■? Surely this in-house training can be off-set against tax etc…
I was reading in MT this morning that Bibby’s are launching an apprenticeship scheme covering Logistics…great, I thought, until I read they have took on FOUR trainees on a pilot scheme…that’s not gonna be a game-changer then!!!
rob22888:
You never hear the public transport industry bleating on in the press about the lack of ready trained bus, tram and train drivers. Asking for government funding to train drivers up so they can then exploit them for peanuts. They sort themselves out and the haulage companies should do the same.Want more drivers? Train more drivers. Then, offer them good working conditions.
Sums the situation and the solution perfectly.
I’ll be hanging up the keys for the last time either at Christmas or early new year. The job is easy enough but most of the start times are becoming silly and the runs are getting longer.
Unfortunately, these training schemes are usually part of some sort of scam because generally they self police the system and the urge to take short cuts would be too great for some organisations to get their trainee earning for the company and in periods of high demand they will call it hands on experience even if they have barely got their toes wet! And of course they would be a cheaper alternative to an agency bod!
I would support any training scheme that was genuine and properly structured with proper theory, practical and basic academic requirements passed and confirmed with a real certificate of competence on offer for the successful and more training for those that don’t reach the required standard. This should also be conditional that they complete 2 years on the job training after passing to consolidate the basic skills acquired. This training should be available from 18 yrs old onwards and affordable. Make loans available to those that genuinely want a ‘logistics’ career to help them get started and reduce the numbers of poorly trained and non English speaking arms and legs being used to undercut the real value of the job.
From a transport manager’s viewpoint, no, there isn’t a serious driver shortage. there was a lot of scaremongering in August and September about the consequences of the DCPC and potential driver shortage. Accordingly we gave our drivers quite a substantial pay increase. September was very busy with work, October has been much less busy. Many of the busy Christmas companies such as RDCs have been trying to book trucks and drivers for Christmas, such was, and is, their panic. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had agencies ringing up daily offering drivers, and we don’t use many agency drivers at any time because our work is quite specialised. I’ve had several speculative walk-ins from drivers looking for work, so you get the picture, no driver shortage around here. (North Manchester)
gingerfold:
From a transport manager’s viewpoint, no, there isn’t a serious driver shortage. there was a lot of scaremongering in August and September about the consequences of the DCPC and potential driver shortage. Accordingly we gave our drivers quite a substantial pay increase. September was very busy with work, October has been much less busy. Many of the busy Christmas companies such as RDCs have been trying to book trucks and drivers for Christmas, such was, and is, their panic. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had agencies ringing up daily offering drivers, and we don’t use many agency drivers at any time because our work is quite specialised. I’ve had several speculative walk-ins from drivers looking for work, so you get the picture, no driver shortage around here. (North Manchester)
‘‘Substantial pay increase’’, that couldn’t be anything to do with you not having a driver shortage i suppose?
Does beggar the question though, why did it take the possible loss of them for you to realise their value.
chicane:
I’ll be hanging up the keys for the last time either at Christmas or early new year. The job is easy enough but most of the start times are becoming silly and the runs are getting longer.
So go find work that suits you better. Most I do is 12hrs at an absolute push but usually averaging 10-10.5hrs, no nights out. I prefer nights and the latest I start is 7pm. I’m usually done by 4.30am with the longer runs starting a bit earlier. Earn enough an hour to have a reasonable living wage on a 4 day 40hr week.
gingerfold:
In the last couple of weeks I’ve had agencies ringing up daily offering drivers, and we don’t use many agency drivers at any time because our work is quite specialised. I’ve had several speculative walk-ins from drivers looking for work, so you get the picture, no driver shortage around here. (North Manchester)
That is just your company though. If you’re lucky to be at one which is seen by drivers as “dead mans shoes” for getting a job then you’re not going to notice any shortage but for the average company there most certainly is.
gingerfold:
From a transport manager’s viewpoint, no, there isn’t a serious driver shortage. there was a lot of scaremongering in August and September about the consequences of the DCPC and potential driver shortage. Accordingly we gave our drivers quite a substantial pay increase. September was very busy with work, October has been much less busy. Many of the busy Christmas companies such as RDCs have been trying to book trucks and drivers for Christmas, such was, and is, their panic. In the last couple of weeks I’ve had agencies ringing up daily offering drivers, and we don’t use many agency drivers at any time because our work is quite specialised. I’ve had several speculative walk-ins from drivers looking for work, so you get the picture, no driver shortage around here. (North Manchester)
Your post implies you’re not a busy Christmas company though and that is where the issue is. DCPC won’t cause any issue for employers that invest in employees long term and I doubt anyone with a decent job would jack it for a short spell on better paid agency.
Supposedly one big parcel company is looking at TV adverts to warn Christmas online buyers that there may be delays.
I notice at present, there seems to be some kind of recruitment drive going on for actual full timers to be trained up for the multidrop rigid work.
Thing is, unlike all the johnny foreigners we see sniffing around the C+E work, these “applicants” are in their late 30’s, Home grown for a change - BUT - seem to be as green as grass?
Is it still the case that people with a car licence can get 7.5t driving rights (having not ever had any training!) if they have held their car licence long enough?
…A lot of vehicles are getting bonked onto parked cars, gateposts, etc. Tail lifts getting ripped off, lenses panel smashed up on high kerbs - all the things we’d associate with some rigid driver who’s never driven one before you might say… 
gingerfold:
We gave our drivers quite a substantial pay increase. (North Manchester)
Care to tell us how much?