I’m speaking as per a driver that lives and works here in France.
(used to live and work in the UK )
We have problems here too of a “driver shortage”
As per the majority of Europe.
Usual things :
retirement
young aren’t interested
wages
BUT and a very big BUT, our shortages of drivers are as above !
We haven’t had the influx as per the UK of foreign drivers coming here to work
and then returning to their countries of origin, with big fat wallets and bank account,
leaving because rules have changed.
To work here , rules are very strict, intégration into the tax system, proof of residence. I could go on.
Our shortages are home bred, nothing to do with driver importation to suit the industry.
Those of you that travel through France, Germany, Belgium, Holland etc etc, know very well how strict it is in Europe. !
I’ve said it before on other threads and i’ll say it again
There is a shortage all over Europe because of whatever reason
wages, conditions, hours, but to me I find that in the UK >>>>
the bosses of haulage companies have exploited the industry to the extreme of
my pocket, my bank balance, to KEEP wages down !!!
edited:-
Can I please add,
all this nonsence of queues at petrol stations is MEDIA HYPE,
let’s create a real DRAMA to frighten the public
AND it seems that it’s working.
I’m not there in the uk but do watch the news on my tv
Any drivers over there anyway? Poland is short by 120,000 and other European nations have shortages too.
No drivers shortages in Poland , this is only propaganda and Brexiteeres dreams. Just come back from Poland…
2 polish lads at my place went home 2 weeks ago, from a job paying them very well, to work in Poland because they are desperate for drivers there.
We’ve had three Polish drivers leave this year, all three had lived in England for a long time, enjoyed living here and were well-regarded at work. All three went back to Poland as wages there are almost at parity with the UK now. Going back 15 years, Poles could earn seven times as much in the UK as in Poland. It’s just not like that any more.
Harry Monk:
The driver shortage in Poland is well-documented, and not by pro-Brexit media. This from the IRU for example… iru.org/resources/newsroom/ … age-europe
The cheap…
Goods we’ve all been having, have been provided because ALL of us drivers have been screwed down on wages. UK drivers were just lucky we didn’t get screwed down as hard as our Euro/ex Commie block buddies did.
3 months out and only paid loaded, I’m amazed they stuck it as long as they did.
Zac_A:
All this talk of unemployed learning to drive… Mostly pointless
Training schools have a backlog of customers who already have the required money to pay for their tuition, the problem is test availability. I’m sure the guys from PSTT would back me up on this.
Even if there were funded C+E tuition for the unemployed who wanted it, there’s still the “two years experience” issue
It’s now six months at the agency i work for . Plus £ 200 referral
RealDave:
It’s now six months at the agency i work for . Plus £ 200 referral
It’s amazing…
How quickly insurance companies can move the goal posts when it suits them.
2 years, 2 years, 2 years, 2 years, 2 years… 6 months.
I was at the services the other day and I saw a bilboard ad from who else but Wecantwin it was something along the lines ‘‘are you a newly qualified driver come to us we teach you how to drive pair you up with a mentor start your career with us’’
Since I’m an experienced (somewhat…) driver looking to change jobs it obviously ddin’t apply to me as they’re only interested in attracting newbies for £9.89 per hour or w/e they’re paying these days.
Another ad I looked at recently 43 000 per year, 12 hour shifts; comes out to £13.80 p.h. 2 years experience required
M65Chris:
2 polish lads at my place went home 2 weeks ago, from a job paying them very well, to work in Poland because they are desperate for drivers there.
Poland has a larger market share and productivety of the European road transport industry than UK, France and Italy combined.I’m guessing that they didn’t go home to drive a Hiab Wagon for the Polish version of Travis Perkins etc or work on the dock handballing artics at a UPS hub.
robroy:
Only just skimmed through this thread, maybe this has been said…but just think if we were all members of a strong Union, the likes of what the train drivers benefit from on a regular basis.
Ok, I know to some if you I may as well ge talking a foreign language or using a dirty word (Union) to those of you who have swallowed the propaganda, but could you imagine if train drivers jobs were threatened, do you think their members would just sit back and let the foreigners come in.
No chance.
I was expecting another pay raise in next few weeks, but after all this, again no chance.
Ironically train drivers like the TUC in general paints all truck drivers as strike breakers who run picket lines.
Also train drivers have a god given right to all the best work and cash on offer and they are exempt from the general union view that immigration is good for the workers.
The unions aren’t the friend of road transport.They hate it and see it as poaching the jobs of train drivers.
That’s the only thing that has stopped cabotage being lifted completely to finish off what remains of the UK road transport industry.
'Earlier this week, Brussels committed to a financial package to building new truck parking areas with improved facilities across the EU.
Last year, the EU also introduced new rules on road transport to end the distortion of competition in the sector while providing better working conditions for drivers.’
Not a single word about our conditions or treatment from our government.
If anyone from Westminster say’s they’re gonna re-open the Blue Boar at Watford Gap, I’ll personally drive down and punch them in the gob.
Boris Johnson demands pay rise for lorry drivers
Government clashes with business as panic buying drivers trigger chaos on forecourts across Britain
25 September 2021 • 9:00pm
The Government’s intervention came as petrol stations up and down the country, such as this forecourt in Ashford, Kent, experienced long queues of worried motorists panic buying fuel
Boris Johnson has warned firms to increase lorry drivers’ wages, as ministers urged 40,000 retired HGV licence holders to return to work to help refill petrol stations and deliver supplies to supermarkets.
A senior government source said that a temporary relaxation of rules allowing more EU workers to help replenish a shortage of drivers in Britain would only “run up to Christmas” because “we need to be paying these people more rather than just flooding the market with cheap labour”
M65Chris:
2 polish lads at my place went home 2 weeks ago, from a job paying them very well, to work in Poland because they are desperate for drivers there.
Poland has a larger market share and productivety of the European road transport industry than UK, France and Italy combined.I’m guessing that they didn’t go home to drive a Hiab Wagon for the Polish version of Travis Perkins etc or work on the dock handballing artics at a UPS hub.
Ah yes because they are the only two domestic jobs that exist of course.
pierrot 14:
I’m speaking as per a driver that lives and works here in France.
(used to live and work in the UK )
We have problems here too of a “driver shortage”
As per the majority of Europe.
Usual things :
retirement
young aren’t interested
wages
BUT and a very big BUT, our shortages of drivers are as above !
We haven’t had the influx as per the UK of foreign drivers coming here to work
and then returning to their countries of origin, with big fat wallets and bank account,
leaving because rules have changed.
To work here , rules are very strict, intégration into the tax system, proof of residence. I could go on.
Our shortages are home bred, nothing to do with driver importation to suit the industry.
Those of you that travel through France, Germany, Belgium, Holland etc etc, know very well how strict it is in Europe. !
I’ve said it before on other threads and i’ll say it again
There is a shortage all over Europe because of whatever reason
wages, conditions, hours, but to me I find that in the UK >>>>
the bosses of haulage companies have exploited the industry to the extreme of
my pocket, my bank balance, to KEEP wages down !!!
edited:-
Can I please add,
all this nonsence of queues at petrol stations is MEDIA HYPE,
let’s create a real DRAMA to frighten the public
AND it seems that it’s working.
I’m not there in the uk but do watch the news on my tv
IS IT REALLY THAT BAD ■■?
Yes the fuel crisis really is that bad here locally. Hopefully only a short time but I took this photo myself tonight at 6pm (24 Hr garage with no fuel) and reports in the nextdoor app are that lots of other local stations are empty.
All the stations in my area are dry, and talking to the attendant at a couple, both are skeptical of the reasons given. Last week, no problem getting tankers and fuel.
Any tanker drivers been told quietly not to show up for work this week■■? Anyone willing to speak who actually does the job? Strangely quiet.
This whole situation stinks, and it isn’t a shortage of drivers.
TruckerGuy:
This whole situation stinks, and it isn’t a shortage of drivers.
It’s hard to tell without data - have oil imports fallen? Refineries output decreased? Overall consumption increased? Oil tankers waiting to be unloaded at the ports because refineries are full and can’t get deliveries out to make space? Who knows
TruckerGuy:
This whole situation stinks, and it isn’t a shortage of drivers.
It’s hard to tell without data - have oil imports fallen? Refineries output decreased? Overall consumption increased? Oil tankers waiting to be unloaded at the ports because refineries are full and can’t get deliveries out to make space? Who knows
An easier way would be to go to the depots and see how many trucks are parked up…for days.
