The truck driver is an expensive fixed cost in many businesses, there are an estimated 320,000 truck drivers in the UK. These wages are lowest when undermined with cheap labour from abroad, so that’s why the Tories are running off to find other drivers to cut costs and gain extra labour. To me this tanker driver shortage seems fake, I remember it as being one of the best paying jobs int the industry. Just because companies like BP and Waitrose need drivers and are advertising for them doesn’t mean they haven’t been swamped with applications. Any experienced driver knows it’s time to jump ship and find your perfect permanent employer, anyone that offers 4 on 4 off and 50K a year is never going to struggle to find a driver, but that’s probably what they are afraid of becoming an industry norm. I call BS on this tanker shortage, it’s just a clever way to justify the U-turn as last resort.
OK so now we are here, but what could be better than going to Romainia and pleading wouldn’t it be better to just change the law so UK car licence holders could just drive a 7.5 tonner. Then they could retrain loads or rigid drivers that have good skills to be class one. If I was in the government I would introduce a ladder system for driving. 1 year 7.5 tone government assessment and one week’s free training upgrade to rigid, then another year and class 1 after another assessment. Also if you are going abroad why not just open the applications to countries like Hong Kong, Kenya etc? With technology these days we could get them to stick gopros on their lorries over a shift, and say yes or on their driving with an online assessment over 4G.
from what i understand (admiteddly very little) the issue in the sueze canal is still having a knock on effect at least as far as shipping containers so it doesnt take much imagination to see that fuel tankers will be affected too. Driver shortage has become a sound bite to blame everything on. Nind you i guess if there is a shortage of lorries/drivers then that will impact on those cadging a lift to england maybe thats why the cheap workforce has disapeared.
The top rate seems to be £20-23 an hour. You can get that on supermarkets without carrying combustible goods.
So why would you wanna go through the hassle of getting your ADR and PDP.
lewn777:
The truck driver is an expensive fixed cost in many businesses, there are an estimated 320,000 truck drivers in the UK. These wages are lowest when undermined with cheap labour from abroad, so that’s why the Tories are running off to find other drivers to cut costs and gain extra labour.
You have a bit of an obsession with tory bashing don’t you? The Tories aren’t running off to find other drivers to cut costs and gain extra labour at all. For the last several months they have actually been telling the haulage industry that there are plenty of drivers and it’s a commercial issue if businesses can’t find them that’s nothing to do with government and that they weren’t going to issue visas. They’re only possibly being forced to, and I say possibly because so far all we’ve got are “people familiar with discussions” saying they are, because of the public putting pressure on after a media blitz organised by the haulage sector, retailers and manufacturers who relied for the last 15 years on cheap labour.
These big companies only have themselves to blame for three reasons (1) Farming out to the likes of Stobart etc on fixed term contracts to avoid employment responsibilities and vehicle requirements.Contractors who cut each other throats to get a contract, hence the need to keep wages as low as possible to be viable.(2) Keeping Driver levels to a minimum and using Agency Drivers as and when they need them. (how many times have you been in a RDC Drivers room and Agency Drivers sitting around twiddling their thumbs)
Neither of the two reasons encourage anybody to take up driving as they don`t give security of employment (3) Lack of “in house” Driver training
Way I see it. Past few months been no shortage of job adverts paying a fortune.
Ok some are agency’s and fake adds just to make news headlines.
But I’m sure there’s been a lot of decent paid jobs advertised lately mainly for supermarkets.
Now if your a tanker driver and are seeing jobs advertised for more money than your on . For just driving staying in your cab at a rdc
instead of out in all wethers getting wet and cold filling up tanks. Your head is bound to be turned.
So my guess is many have left the profession for an easier job on better money.
The supermarkets are happy as there getting staff and food on the shelves.
Consequence now shortage of tanker drivers . So obv next step increase tanker wages to stop them leaving . Resulting in drivers from other areas leaving there role to go on tankers on better money .
Is a big roundabout at the minute.
Lots.of.jobs about so people are going to follow the money it’s the way humans are. No loyailty on trucking anymore if can get more money for an easier job then why not
corij:
have yet to see a tanker driver who is smiling and doesnt look to be moody .
That’s because they are all zoombies because of their ridiculous shift patterns
could be yes! ive been trying to thinking of which angle of trucking do i see folk happy in their work,quite a few smilers or whistle -while- you -work -types . certainly not tanker driving
They are already on there way
What should be done is to have a minimum fixed wage on the Visa and a good one
That way it won’t effect other drivers it might even improve things
I would imagine this is more about the likes of Wincanton, Stobart etc not being best pleased about rising wages for HGV drivers across the sector as a whole and creating an artificial fuel shortage in order to pressurise the Government into increasing immigration and force wages downwards.
lewn777:
The truck driver is an expensive fixed cost in many businesses, there are an estimated 320,000 truck drivers in the UK. These wages are lowest when undermined with cheap labour from abroad, so that’s why the Tories are running off to find other drivers to cut costs and gain extra labour.
You have a bit of an obsession with tory bashing don’t you? The Tories aren’t running off to find other drivers to cut costs and gain extra labour at all. For the last several months they have actually been telling the haulage industry that there are plenty of drivers and it’s a commercial issue if businesses can’t find them that’s nothing to do with government and that they weren’t going to issue visas. They’re only possibly being forced to, and I say possibly because so far all we’ve got are “people familiar with discussions” saying they are, because of the public putting pressure on after a media blitz organised by the haulage sector, retailers and manufacturers who relied for the last 15 years on cheap labour.
Sorry to insult your team, Tories can’t do anything wrong. Keep voting against your own interests.