Harry Monk:
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.
It was clearly an unecessary media driven panic buying spree.It would take naivety to new levels to think that it’s not all part of the government’s plan to placate the Brexit vote while actually delivering business as usual to suit the employer classes in the form of an over supplied labour market.
In this case it’s doubtful if they’ll find many takers who’ll want to drive a Brit truck in what remains of the degenerate Brit ‘road transport industry’ let alone in an economy with a rigged labour market based on minimising wage levels.
Especially one that’s about to be hit by the implications of being a fully paid up member of the anti fossil fuel use agenda as opposed to staying in a more energy cost friendly exempt ‘developing’ country.
JeffA:
You do hear a lot of old tories on the board trying to spread the “the tory is for the working man” cow dung.
Helped by their ‘labour’ party counterparts spreading the it’s racist, to oppose an over supplied rigged labour market in the employers’ favour, cow dung.
Harry Monk:
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.
Spot on. Although I find it hard to believe that any Tory has been ‘forced’ in to do something against their friends the workers. More likely their rubber arm was twisted gently because it was a u-turn against their Brexit ideology.
lewn777:
Sorry to insult your team, Tories can’t do anything wrong. Keep voting against your own interests.
Are you under the impression that Labour are anything other than Conservatives in red ties?
No Harry they are far worse than that.With such glaring stars as Callaghan, Jenkins and I admire Thatcher Blair as for Gordon Brown.
It’s obvious that we’ve got an institutionalised problem in that people like IDS, David Davis and Peter Shore aren’t allowed to get near the leadership job.
We know as that inconveniently shoots your / JeffA or whatever username you want to use argument down in flames.
On topic - from what I hear from people who do the job, there isn’t a shortage and its simply BP having a few problems down south. Of course that doesn’t sell papers so they make out its a maasive crisis until Katie Price does something uninteresting and focuses their attention away.
One thing that this isn’t helping is actually getting the trucks moving. Our local Keyfuels / UK fuels garage ran out last night. Not sure if more trucks filled up early or the diesel tanks aren’t as seperate as I thought. If they don’t fill up by Monday, half our fleet will be screwed. Oops.
We know as that inconveniently shoots your / JeffA or whatever username you want to use argument down in flames.
On topic - from what I hear from people who do the job, there isn’t a shortage and its simply BP having a few problems down south. Of course that doesn’t sell papers so they make out its a maasive crisis until Katie Price does something uninteresting and focuses their attention away.
One thing that this isn’t helping is actually getting the trucks moving. Our local Keyfuels / UK fuels garage ran out last night. Not sure if more trucks filled up early or the diesel tanks aren’t as seperate as I thought. If they don’t fill up by Monday, half our fleet will be screwed. Oops.
Hoyer has a shortage, thanks to their ■■■■■ reputation.
The media ran with a story of a few BP sites getting rationed down south, plus a government warning not to panic buy, next thing forecourt sales are trippled over night so obviously their current well staffed supply chain can’t keep up regardless of supplier. (Remember the bog roll fiasco)
Media stir more because it’s something different to report on. Next thing the country is outraged, so gladly welcome back migrant workers.
Like ■■■■■■■■ migrants are covering fuel work, they will drive down the rates of general haulage, and make hoyer look more attractive without changing one jot.
Good drivers leave general haulage when the rates drop, get a job on the fuel because it’s a better earner now.
Back to square one, but now the haulage industry knows it doesn’t have to change. All the big boys that kept their contracted wages low and just paid more for agency get to carry on as before.
The decent firms that increased customers rates and employees pay are now dead in the water, too expensive to keep the work, can’t afford the drivers pay rates…that’s their thanks for being decent employers.
fridger:
Hoyer has a shortage, thanks to their [zb] reputation.
The media ran with a story of a few BP sites getting rationed down south, plus a government warning not to panic buy, next thing forecourt sales are trippled over night so obviously their current well staffed supply chain can’t keep up regardless of supplier. (Remember the bog roll fiasco)
Media stir more because it’s something different to report on. Next thing the country is outraged, so gladly welcome back migrant workers.
Like ■■■■■■■■ migrants are covering fuel work, they will drive down the rates of general haulage, and make hoyer look more attractive without changing one jot.
Good drivers leave general haulage when the rates drop, get a job on the fuel because it’s a better earner now.
Back to square one, but now the haulage industry knows it doesn’t have to change. All the big boys that kept their contracted wages low and just paid more for agency get to carry on as before.
The decent firms that increased customers rates and employees pay are now dead in the water, too expensive to keep the work, can’t afford the drivers pay rates…that’s their thanks for being decent employers.
For the love of [zb] tell me I’m wrong…
Surely it will take weeks or months for any visa scheme to get started, then how much dent you can make in 320,000 drivers by getting in 5000 extra? I doubt the extra drivers will have any economic effect, but it will change drivers perceptions and make negotiations harder and pay offers lower.
Never ever believe a figure given by a politician and/or reported faithfully by the media.
How many EE migrant workers were we told would be coming, how long to flatten the curve, you could come up with dozens of similar examples of estimates that were lies simple as.
fridger:
Hoyer has a shortage, thanks to their [zb] reputation.
The media ran with a story of a few BP sites getting rationed down south, plus a government warning not to panic buy, next thing forecourt sales are trippled over night so obviously their current well staffed supply chain can’t keep up regardless of supplier. (Remember the bog roll fiasco)
Media stir more because it’s something different to report on. Next thing the country is outraged, so gladly welcome back migrant workers.
Like ■■■■■■■■ migrants are covering fuel work, they will drive down the rates of general haulage, and make hoyer look more attractive without changing one jot.
Good drivers leave general haulage when the rates drop, get a job on the fuel because it’s a better earner now.
Back to square one, but now the haulage industry knows it doesn’t have to change. All the big boys that kept their contracted wages low and just paid more for agency get to carry on as before.
The decent firms that increased customers rates and employees pay are now dead in the water, too expensive to keep the work, can’t afford the drivers pay rates…that’s their thanks for being decent employers.
For the love of [zb] tell me I’m wrong…
Surely it will take weeks or months for any visa scheme to get started, then how much dent you can make in 320,000 drivers by getting in 5000 extra? I doubt the extra drivers will have any economic effect, but it will change drivers perceptions and make negotiations harder and pay offers lower.
Where did the 320,000 figure come from? Do you have a link to the source please?
Motor Transport say that there are 320,000 truck drivers currently operating in the UK. But the growing demand for drivers is massively out-weighing the number of available operators, and next-day deliveries could be a thing of the past. Brexit has the potential to be a ticking time bomb for the lorry driver shortage.
Googled it. I can’t really argue with the numbers, because if there is a supposed 100,000 too few drivers, then 320,000 would seem near the mark.
Motor Transport say that there are 320,000 truck drivers currently operating in the UK. But the growing demand for drivers is massively out-weighing the number of available operators, and next-day deliveries could be a thing of the past. Brexit has the potential to be a ticking time bomb for the lorry driver shortage.
Googled it. I can’t really argue with the numbers, because if there is a supposed 100,000 too few drivers, then 320,000 would seem near the mark.
So I don’t understand how 320,000 drivers currently operating are part of the shortfall. Looks like a unconnected statistic if we’re looking at the alleged shortfall that the 5,000 will solve (it won’t). I wonder if there is a typo in the article & the 320,000 figure is the number of licence holders NOT operating which would make more sense.
Harry Monk:
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.
Nail hit firmly on head.
It’s a given that there are few, if any agency fuel tanker drivers. Therefore, it would only take a small shortfall in available staff to put a few deliveries off for a couple of days.
I do a lot of work into Calor, and at one of their sites there’s a machine which checks your temperature to detect a possible Covid case. These are now pretty common in bigger companies. If perhaps one driver at a fuel terminal tests positive, it’s a safe bet that some of his workmates will be told to isolate. That’s at least half a dozen drivers down for the week. No replacement staff, there’s your shortfall.
Sidevalve:
If perhaps one driver at a fuel terminal tests positive, it’s a safe bet that some of his workmates will be told to isolate. That’s at least half a dozen drivers down for the week. No replacement staff, there’s your shortfall.
Just a guess; but I bet I’m not far off the mark.
How convenient that they all supposedly suddenly went down with Covid at the point when cases and admissions have fallen enough to end restrictions and when the UN is calling for us to speed up the switch from fossil fuelled vehicles to EV’s.
Also the government chose not to put a media blackout on supply issues to prevent ‘panic buying’.
Not going to be much future for the present number of tanker drivers anyway in the new nuclear and biomass fuelled utopia.
So the government says how do we convince fossil fuelled car users who are reluctant to give up their proper cars and we have to do it quick.
False flag incoming.Domestic gas supplies to be hit next.
cooper1203:
another factor is i belive fuel tanker drivers have to do an annual refresher course for thier pdp. what with covid etc have these been happening?
It is every 5 years and the last time I looked it was £620 with 28 hours CPC but the wages are on par with general haulage so I as well as hundreds of others will not be renewing my ADR. I don’t think it is worth rhw hastle to be honest.
Juddian:
Never ever believe a figure given by a politician and/or reported faithfully by the media.
How many EE migrant workers were we told would be coming, how long to flatten the curve, you could come up with dozens of similar examples of estimates that were lies simple as.
This 5000 number being mentioned…
Don’t believe anything out of the RHA neither.
They’ve been no friend of actual drivers - in living memory!
Yeah - I never heard the RHA moaning when their members were paying drivers minimum wage - they were all going on fancy holidays. You can hear the cries in boardrooms all across the land.