Merry Christmas everyone!!!
Is there a shortage in lorry drivers at the moment or will there be after Brexit?
I’m about to get a Class 1 license and just thinking about the future and if there will be a shortage.
Seems to be plenty of jobs out there at the moment or am I wrong?
There’s never been a shortage of drivers.
There is however a shortage of good experienced drivers who are not willing to work for ■■■■ wages.
Advertised jobs in the main are agencies, and companies who struggle to keep staff.
It does happen that decent jobs are advertised but the above are more common.
None of us have a clue what difference, if any, the next decades of utter balls ups in our industry (whether we get Brexit or not, no difference) will bring.
Those who own the govt of the day will not allow a real labour shortage to happen in our industry, they learned their lessons years ago with the miners about letting a group of essential workers have some organised clout, and arguably the train drivers/workers are currently the last in British industry to have any sort of group strength (so far, their time will come too sadly), and those who own the country won’t allow it to happen again.
There will be no real shortage of any manual workers in any industry, whether we leave or stay.
Juddian:
Advertised jobs in the main are agencies, and companies who struggle to keep staff.
It does happen that decent jobs are advertised but the above are more common.None of us have a clue what difference, if any, the next decades of utter balls ups in our industry (whether we get Brexit or not, no difference) will bring.
Those who own the govt of the day will not allow a real labour shortage to happen in our industry, they learned their lessons years ago with the miners about letting a group of essential workers have some organised clout, and arguably the train drivers/workers are currently the last in British industry to have any sort of group strength (so far, their time will come too sadly), and those who own the country won’t allow it to happen again.
There will be no real shortage of any manual workers in any industry, whether we leave or stay.
Probably the best synopsis of the future for the working man I have ever seen.
Having spent a lifetime in transport the changes have really come from the customers the industry serves , gone are the days when a haulier was given a load on say Tuesday at mid day and asked to try and deliver it by the end of the week , now the same customer give you a load on Tuesday at mid day and must!!! deliver the load at 08-15 the next day not more than 5 mins early or 5mins late or its The Tower of London for 5 years , and who carries the brunt of all the flack , the driver !!! .
shugg:
Having spent a lifetime in transport the changes have really come from the customers the industry serves , gone are the days when a haulier was given a load on say Tuesday at mid day and asked to try and deliver it by the end of the week , now the same customer give you a load on Tuesday at mid day and must!!! deliver the load at 08-15 the next day not more than 5 mins early or 5mins late or its The Tower of London for 5 years , and who carries the brunt of all the flack , the driver !!! .
Before people was agree parcel 3-5 day.Now people and lorry drivers as well want buy trousers today and get tomorow.Company wsnt icrease cash flowing.
Andrejs:
shugg:
Having spent a lifetime in transport the changes have really come from the customers the industry serves , gone are the days when a haulier was given a load on say Tuesday at mid day and asked to try and deliver it by the end of the week , now the same customer give you a load on Tuesday at mid day and must!!! deliver the load at 08-15 the next day not more than 5 mins early or 5mins late or its The Tower of London for 5 years , and who carries the brunt of all the flack , the driver !!! .Before people was agree parcel 3-5 day.Now people and lorry drivers as well want buy trousers today and get tomorow.Company wsnt icrease cash flowing.
Same as all things, when it was 28 days for delivery, you planned ahead! Only things you really needed urgently could usually be found at the local scrapyard.
Companies/Agencies want the best of both worlds, drivers on tap to meet peaks in their businesses e.g. Christmas.
But will not guarantee work/wages outside this period.
So drivers who have bills to pay choose full time employment.
The RHA/FTA then moan to all who will listen that’s there is a driver shortage, when companies paying low wages or demanding long hours can’t get drivers!
The only shortage is of employers who pay a proper wage under good terms and conditions who value good people and do their best to retain them.
There is never a shortage of licence holding imbeciles and suitable employers never has been never will.
The current trend seems to be taking on full time staff before the border closes and the endless supply of cheap EE drivers ends.
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnav
mike68:
The only shortage is of employers who pay a proper wage under good terms and conditions who value good people and do their best to retain them.There is never a shortage of licence holding imbeciles and suitable employers never has been never will.
The current trend seems to be taking on full time staff before the border closes and the endless supply of cheap EE drivers ends.
I have seen this first hand.
They literally come in via the van load.
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnav
Oh dear god, no doubt another old driver that thinks he’s so much better. Get over yourself, you drive a truck so what. There are idiots in all lines of work this one being no different.
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Cabotage will be coming to an end when we leave the EU so there’ll be lots of inter-UK loads within the UK currently delivered by foreign hauliers under cabotage rules which will need delivering by British ones. I also expect that there will be a rise in unaccompanied freight coming into the UK as well so it may be an opportunity for those living near ports to become owner drivers.
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnav
Says the person who can’t punctuate a sentence to the level of a 5 year old or spell simple two letter words. I bet you didn’t have a clue which way to go when you started unless people told you even if you had a map and could read it. I bet you don’t take the same routes now between places which you did when you first started and realised that you’d made a rubbish decision. And we had plenty of steering wheel attendants before Satnavs which is why after decades of the general public being subjected to the aftermath of rocket scientists like yourself the DCPC was brought in and VOSA have clampdowns on load security.
wrighty1:
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnavOh dear god, no doubt another old driver that thinks he’s so much better. Get over yourself, you drive a truck so what. There are idiots in all lines of work this one being no different.
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dont need too get over myself oh great one, you just need too look on here at all the posts on here and in the news of all trucks hitting low bridges, it not rocket science to find out the height of you trailer or load.
most drivers cant strap a load correctly thinking pulling the curtains closed is sufficent enough too hold a heavy load so yeah most are just steering wheel attendants but in there defence the people they are driving for should make sure they can do the job competently before letting them loose with a truck
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnav
how true is that ^^^^^^ My 28 year old step son was on the phone to me panicking because his sat nav stopped working and he couldn’t work out how to get to Bedford from his drop at luton and to make matters worse he has done it loads of times before following his sat nav . Clueless is the word which sprang to mind.
Sidevalve:
There’s never been a shortage of drivers.There is however a shortage of good experienced drivers who are not willing to work for [zb] wages.
That’s about the strength of it in a nutshell
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scotstrucker:
wrighty1:
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnavOh dear god, no doubt another old driver that thinks he’s so much better. Get over yourself, you drive a truck so what. There are idiots in all lines of work this one being no different.
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dont need too get over myself oh great one, you just need too look on here at all the posts on here and in the news of all trucks hitting low bridges, it not rocket science to find out the height of you trailer or load.
most drivers cant strap a load correctly thinking pulling the curtains closed is sufficent enough too hold a heavy load so yeah most are just steering wheel attendants but in there defence the people they are driving for should make sure they can do the job competently before letting them loose with a truck
Well at least we agree on the seemingly total lack of training by some firms.
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Conor:
Cabotage will be coming to an end when we leave the EU so there’ll be lots of inter-UK loads within the UK currently delivered by foreign hauliers under cabotage rules which will need delivering by British ones. I also expect that there will be a rise in unaccompanied freight coming into the UK as well so it may be an opportunity for those living near ports to become owner drivers.scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnavSays the person who can’t punctuate a sentence to the level of a 5 year old or spell simple two letter words. I bet you didn’t have a clue which way to go when you started unless people told you even if you had a map and could read it. I bet you don’t take the same routes now between places which you did when you first started and realised that you’d made a rubbish decision. And we had plenty of steering wheel attendants before Satnavs which is why after decades of the general public being subjected to the aftermath of rocket scientists like yourself the DCPC was brought in and VOSA have clampdowns on load security.
well with 30 years experience behind me driving, 4 years before that spent in the yard loading, sheeting, securing loads, only bought a sat nav 4 years ago but dont use it that much as i’v covered most of the uk so sat nav used too get into unfamiliar drops.
rubbish decision? no best decision i made, i’v seen place’s i would not have if i did a warehouse job, i’v woke up in a rubbish strewn layby but have the most fantastic view which i would not have seen if i woke up at home, i have made some great life long friends all over the country through being a driver.
yes there were steering wheel attendants back in the day but they normally did not last very long unless they was in a big firm.
as for the dcpc being the older generations fault i think not, back in the day drivers were taught how to secure loads with ropes not ratchet straps, drivers were taught too cover loads correctly not pull two tarpaulings on a curtain rail with 30 buckles each side to clip on but the biggest fault for the dcpc is the owners of the firms whom just seem to throw the keys at anyone with a licence and send them out the door
regardless.
i still use roads i was using 25 years ago to get too places because they are normally the most direct route with less hold up’s saving on fuel and time.
yes you are correct on one thing though, i left school with no qualification, i am partially dyslexic but i dont let that stop me if i’m unsure i ask it not rocket science as you say.
i’ll just sign off by wishing you and your family a happy Christmas and a prosperous new year
wrighty1:
scotstrucker:
wrighty1:
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnavOh dear god, no doubt another old driver that thinks he’s so much better. Get over yourself, you drive a truck so what. There are idiots in all lines of work this one being no different.
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dont need too get over myself oh great one, you just need too look on here at all the posts on here and in the news of all trucks hitting low bridges, it not rocket science to find out the height of you trailer or load.
most drivers cant strap a load correctly thinking pulling the curtains closed is sufficent enough too hold a heavy load so yeah most are just steering wheel attendants but in there defence the people they are driving for should make sure they can do the job competently before letting them loose with a truckWell at least we agree on the seemingly total lack of training by some firms.
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some firms seem too think that because you have licence too drive a truck that they know what they doing.
some drivers dont help themselves either by lieing there way through the interview.
sadly it seems to be the way of the world nowadays and sadly it proably all our own doing
elsa Lad:
scotstrucker:
you dont get drivers now (occasionaly a gem will come through) only steering wheel attendants whom have no clue which way too go unless they can type the postcode into there car satnavhow true is that ^^^^^^ My 28 year old step son was on the phone to me panicking because his sat nav stopped working and he couldn’t work out how to get to Bedford from his drop at luton and to make matters worse he has done it loads of times before following his sat nav . Clueless is the word which sprang to mind.
sat nav’s seem to have turned people brains to mush hence why i only use mine for unfamilair drops which is 40% of the job we do