I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

[Geecee68]

My brother has been an HGV and PSV driver for a number of years, his view is that it was a problem in waiting. Relatively low pay and poor conditions, especially when you compare the UK with the EU and particularly Germany where truck driving is considered a skilled profession, have led to a shortage of drivers and an ageing profession. Brexit and Covid have made the situation a lot worse. The increases in wages for white van delivery drivers has not helped other industries, as they are now having to catch up. The same is true in a lot of other areas and it is likely to get worse. My brother’s company just gave them a £4/ hour pay rise, imagine being a nurse or other key worker and seeing that. idiotic statements telling UK companies to pay more is just going to lead to a wage war which will lead to massive inflation and then probably rising interest rates. All very well if you are rich and have plenty of savings, not so good for the rest of us.
Maybe that was the plan all along.

Jak...exactly this. Spot on.

The UK has benefitted from economic migrants from all over the EU accelerating growth in our economy. Whether its in HGV, or plumbers, or farming. We had access to that big pool of labour. Soon as you close the door on that....you get this situation.

Your last few lines is what will happen (from an economic perspective it has to).

Wage rises mean general cost rises, then inflation. Salaries go up, but your cash savings decrease in value. If you are loaded you don't really care, and you will probably leave the country anyway.

Thanks for watching!

Gav

[garyboy]

I don't think that employers are going to increase wages just coz boris told them to, but it looks like the markets will cause increases and inflation anyway, .. shortages etc but also all that tory borrowing , spending on mates businesses, etc world beating apps .etc . all unnecessary IMHO, lack of forward planning etc .
We in for a long hard few years to come .. perhaps even worse than the unjust Austerity.. just sayin like .. lol

[garyboy]

PS great video .. very informative

[Geecee68]

I don't think that employers are going to increase wages just coz boris told them to, but it looks like the markets will cause increases and inflation anyway, .. shortages etc but also all that tory borrowing , spending on mates businesses, etc world beating apps .etc . all unnecessary IMHO, lack of forward planning etc .
We in for a long hard few years to come .. perhaps even worse than the unjust Austerity.. just sayin like .. lol

It'll happen naturally, its a normal economic market response to bring everything back into equilibrium.

If you have a load of cash in the bank put it into bonds, or non UK assets, or even gold. Actually its a good time to get heavily into debt, so perhaps get a mortgage even.

Interestingly for me there is no reason whatsoever why Petrol should be £1.40 a litre. No middle east wars, no pipeline problems, nothing. Those rip off Big Oil b*stards!

[Geecee68]

A further factor driving people out of the industry is the snide demonisation of drivers by those who should no better.

Transport for London sends out press releases about getting killer lorries off our streets (conveniently ignoring the deaths caused every year by its own buses).

Kent County Council talks about using weapons against lorry drivers.

Then they wonder why there's a driver shortage.

My old man used to say 'If you got it...it got there by truck'. They DPD and Hermes and Amazon drivers kept me going through lockdown.

[Hugh]

Greetings,

The Government are now sending out letters inviting ex drivers to return, pity they didn't show the same concern some years ago!

hgv.jpeg (112.52 KiB) Viewed 1921 times

TTFN

Hugh.

Ps They will probably giving out Green Shield stamps next!

[beany]

got my letter yesterday aswell hugh, it went in the bin.

[Peirre]

My brother, cousin and grandad where not hgv drivers, so that’s out the way, BUT I am one. No one wants to work the equivalent of two weeks work for 1 weeks wages, live in a tin box all week getting stressed out wondering if you will make it home alive at the end of the week, or be prosecuted or jailed for doing the job. They miss seeing their children grow up, are unable to plan the simplest of things such a dental appointment, see a doctor or even attend a parents evening as they are “down the road” Divorce is is high among couples who have a truck driver in the family.
There are an estimated 100k uk hgv license holders who have hung the keys and decided to stop driving and pursue a different career, partially because they are fed up with the crap day in, day out, furlough showed them that there is a better life for only a little bit less income.
Brexit isn’t the cause of the driver shortage, as there’s a global shortage of drivers, many of the east European drivers where working self employed under the IR35 scheme and they where being chased by the taxman for huge sums of money, so I doubt that they will come back as the government will want the money back.
As for fuel tanker drivers, Hoyer has killed off the job in pursuit of profit, and they’re done that by driving down costs inc wages and drivers are leaving in droves. Afaik there are at least 7 different pay rates at hoyer for doing the same thing. I know of one Dewsbury haulier who pays 59p above NMW for class 1 drivers

[garyboy]

I think this globalisation effect is across the board in UK, and probably eu too, engineered by collaborative governments and big firms, for more profit. At least Mr Johnson is pledged now to put an end to that, and improve our standard of living.. to put right what the .. er .. tory government has been complicit in.

As for using extra hgv drivers.. I cannot see why any hgv driver can not use colour coded feed pipes for each fuel compartment (seems they do anyway?) . Extention pipes if reversing is difficult, even onto to roads if needed, even with police escort, . Or why single chamber tankers can not be used, with one tanker doing several garages?

I don't think this has been thought through!!

Or perhaps it HAS (elec is best?)

[bill_qaz]

I think this globalisation effect is across the board in UK, and probably eu too, engineered by collaborative governments and big firms, for more profit. At least Mr Johnson is pledged now to put an end to that, and improve our standard of living.. to put right what the .. er .. tory government has been complicit in.

As for using extra hgv drivers.. I cannot see why any hgv driver can not use colour coded feed pipes for each fuel compartment (seems they do anyway?) . Extention pipes if reversing is difficult, even onto to roads if needed, even with police escort, . Or why single chamber tankers can not be used, with one tanker doing several garages?

I don't think this has been thought through!!

Or perhaps it HAS (elec is best?)

You need ADR as well as your LGV licence to drive a fuel tanker