Panic buying fuel again
- Thread starter Pondy
- Start date
Brexit is great though ammarite?
By the seaside...
Much as certain people would like to blame Brexit for everything, I'm not sure the entire driver shortage situation can be laid at the feet of Brexit as it's been EU-wide for some time nowFlyingfifer said:
https://www.ft.com/content/0c4f9876-1ec5-41e1-b774-4abd2b58dde9In a recent article (linked below) said:
And a warning from BIFA in 2018 that an EU-wide driver shortage was looming
https://www.bifa.org/news/articles/2018/dec/truck-driver-shortage-crisis-now-spreading-across-the-whole-of-europe
PerryGunn said:
Yet all of a sudden its effecting us
aper: Wouldnt be anything to do with the disaster getting through and back through the border, no no its purely a covid thing... honest.
Also noticed yesterday that there were a lot of empty shelves and freezers in Tesco and Asda
sp3ctre said:
Enjoy
Enjoy2
Enjoy 3
"Some 14,000 EU HGV drivers left employment in the UK in the 12 months to June 2020, and only 600 have returned in the past year, according to analysis of Office for National Statistics labour force data commissioned by Logistics UK."
Brexit has made the problem worse and with the additional problems it introduced the already short supply are far less inclined to want to drive to and from here.
A more balanced view here:
https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supply-...we-cant-blame-it-all-on-brexit/659841.article
https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/supply-...we-cant-blame-it-all-on-brexit/659841.article
I didn't say that Brexit hasn't had an effect on the number of HGV drivers working in the UK but it's misinformative to infer that it's the sole cause.
The haulage industry estimates that there's a 100k shortage of drivers, from [ref]Flyingfifer[/ref]'s stats above there's been a net loss of approximately 13.4k EU drivers - taking those figures, Brexit may have accounted for up to 13.4% of the current driver shortfall. This may have been enough to turn a 'just about coping' situation into a 'shitstorm' situation but the straw that broke the camel's back is never the sole cause of its fractured spine.
It's a problem that seems to have been building for years, there aren't many people who want to spend days on the road, sleeping in a truck cab, away from friend & family. It probably won't go away until fully automated trucks are allowed on the roads.
The haulage industry estimates that there's a 100k shortage of drivers, from [ref]Flyingfifer[/ref]'s stats above there's been a net loss of approximately 13.4k EU drivers - taking those figures, Brexit may have accounted for up to 13.4% of the current driver shortfall. This may have been enough to turn a 'just about coping' situation into a 'shitstorm' situation but the straw that broke the camel's back is never the sole cause of its fractured spine.
It's a problem that seems to have been building for years, there aren't many people who want to spend days on the road, sleeping in a truck cab, away from friend & family. It probably won't go away until fully automated trucks are allowed on the roads.
PerryGunn said:
Agreed, I didnt mean to suggest it was the sole reason but I do think it is probably a primary one, the gov have shoved covid to the front as a sort of shield for the truth. Covid is undoubtedly a contributing factor but the lions share of the damage to the already precarious situation came from brexit.
The automated trucks thing is interesting and again I agree but it creates this weird limbo where young people wont want to go into HGV driving because its entirely possible that within 20 or 30 years they will be automated and out of a job yet right now we are desperate for them.
It is not just that younger people don't want to become LGV drivers. There is a huge backlog of driving tests for lower age group and DVSA have just completed a recruitment drive for 40 extra LGV examiners, but they won't be trained before Christmas. The Government are also allowing Army Examiners to conduct tests on the public to try and bring down the huge waiting lists. Also DVLA are extremely slow processing Provisional licences for LGV entitlement at the moment. All applications require a medical examination completed by a doctor and drivers over 45 have to have a medical every 5 years. Doctors often make errors on these forms or forget to 'tick a box' and the forms are returned by DVLA after possibly 5 weeks, for the form to be corrected and returned for another 5 week wait. DVLA blames Covid and staff shortages for these problems. A problem with this and a problem with that, has created the mess we are in today. I have heard today that the Government is sending out letters to all LGV drivers who have not renewed licences, to ask them to go back into the industry.
Out of interest all LGV and PCV drivers must have 35 hours Driver CPC training every 5 years. A driver may hold an LGV licence but if he/she has not done any Driver CPC training they will have to pay for that themselves. That means 5 days classroom training or online training for 7 hours per day. They will also need a digital Tacho card from DVLA at a cost of £32.
Out of interest all LGV and PCV drivers must have 35 hours Driver CPC training every 5 years. A driver may hold an LGV licence but if he/she has not done any Driver CPC training they will have to pay for that themselves. That means 5 days classroom training or online training for 7 hours per day. They will also need a digital Tacho card from DVLA at a cost of £32.
Southwestz4
Member
Does anyone know a person who works for the media ....get them to run a story saying z4's are dying out and ours will be worth a mint 
Attleborough, Norfolk
With regards to standard driving tests, we got my son a driving test in January to take for last week, so almost October. The backlog is just immense. Thankfully he passed as I would dread to think of getting a retest . Theory tests last only 2 years, which seems reasonable but in the current climate learners might have to resit that again.
IR35 had been bad for most industries. It's typically not something that people are aware of as it's only talked about in niche outlets.
I personally have chosen to work less as a result of IR35 and I know a lot of others who are doing the same. It's just not worth getting out of bed when you have to pay income tax on your entire earnings. Higher rate income tax combined with NI and the business costs incurred when working away from home mean that you end up being much more selective when taking on projects. It was designed as a cash grab but I think it's backfired on them.
This fuel shortage is actually getting pretty serious. All but 1 station that I passed on the way home tonight was closed. How can anyone commit to a long journey at the moment unless they have enough fuel for the entire trip? If business were struggling with staffing before, they are going to be fucked now.
I personally have chosen to work less as a result of IR35 and I know a lot of others who are doing the same. It's just not worth getting out of bed when you have to pay income tax on your entire earnings. Higher rate income tax combined with NI and the business costs incurred when working away from home mean that you end up being much more selective when taking on projects. It was designed as a cash grab but I think it's backfired on them.
This fuel shortage is actually getting pretty serious. All but 1 station that I passed on the way home tonight was closed. How can anyone commit to a long journey at the moment unless they have enough fuel for the entire trip? If business were struggling with staffing before, they are going to be fucked now.