Bad tempered people and petrol queues.

Thanks NotSpaghettit, I really didn't know!

Sarnia I saw that video too. We searched, using the name of the fuel provider on the pump. It was an idiot woman in the USA. So, fuel idiots everywhere!

But we’ve been told for months there will be shortages in shops and delays due to staff shortages in many sectors and lo and behold when this started hitting petrol stations people showed their lack of faith in this government with its numerous lies and u turns and headed to fill up. Perhaps those who like to believe the staff shortages in so many sectors had nothing to do with Brexit would like to explain why there are no petrol queues in Northern Ireland or in France and Germany.

We joined a long queue yesterday at a Sainsbury’s garage after the tanker had gone the staff had it all under control and fed us into the pumps as and when there was gaps. There was an NHS worker who wanted to go to the front of the queue but the garage staff politely told him to wait his turn and follow the car in front which he did. As for the lady on television with several fuel cans she was a community care manager getting fuel to top up members of her team who were making home visits to patients. The government are totally incompetent and try to avoid issues until they become a major crisis like they did with Covid waiting until people were falling like flies before having a lockdown and no PPE also they were told about the shortage of HGV drivers long ago. At the next election I will vote Labour they can’t be any worse than this lot.

Well if you think they're all bad . . .

I rather blame the managers of road haulage industry for not making good enough plans for the expected shortfall in HGV drivers after Brexit. Were they asleep? There has been plenty of time to train and employ new drivers. The government doesn’t run everything- nor should it!

I think if there is going to be a shortage of anything, that no one should let the media or the public know. The latest is a possible shortage of turkeys, what’s the betting there will be a queue for them in the next couple of weeks. The worst think the media do is to say “no need to panic buy” which has the immediate effect of panic buying. Keep it quiet then everyone has a chance to get something.

The worst thing not think

One of our local garage managers has just been interviewed and asked why none of his seven sites has had to close or has seen any of the disgraceful scenes reported elsewhere. He said that as soon as the news of possible shortages broke on Thursday he brought in extra employees so that there were two people directing traffic and speaking to drivers at each garage. They'd received their normal deliveries of fuel last Wednesday, an amount which would usually last a week. The majority of this went within two days, despite a spending cap being imposed, but he had no trouble getting extra deliveries on Friday. And his usual Wednesday deliveries have arrived today. In the interview he stated that there are as many tanker drivers now as there were pre-pandemic.

He worked on one of the forecourts himself, reassuring people that there was no need to panic. The only customers allowed to fill jerry cans were those who had broken down within walking distance of the garage.

A bit of good management and common sense goes an awful long way.

Yes- the whole scenario reminds me of Dads Army ??

I filled up last Wednesday as part of my normal routine - guage was in the red and I was planning to drive 200 miles at the weekend. On the way home I heard about the shortage at BP stations on the radio but thought little of it. The Asda forecourt I'd used was filled up immediately after I left - they put the cones across behind me - so I had no worries at all especially as normally I drive very little these days.
The weekend trip was to celebrate my ex MiL's 90th birthday and my DGS's 1st birthday. In the end 2 of the intended guests didn't come because of worries about getting fuel - very sad.

I feel a mixture of relief that I filled up when I did - the next day the queues at Asda prevented people getting in to do grocery shopping - and guilt that even after the long drive I still have about 3/4 of a tank that will last me at least the next month, possibly longer. I didn't panic buy but still feel bad for those suffering and sorry for the relatives who missed a special event. Why can't everyone simply consider others. Such a sad state of affairs!

The press doesn't do moderate. It looks for the worst and most dramatic scenario to frighten the pants off us and , sadly, it regularly succeeds. I was driving my usual route into town yesterday and made a point of investigating the four stations I regularly pass. Not a queue or closure anywhere but steady activity. Thank goodness for some sanity here up north.

HurdyGurdy

Well if you think they're all bad . . .

HurdyGurdy Thanks for giving us something to laugh at.

Can some people stop telling others what to think or say?
You know who you are????

WoodLane7

A friend who works at a fuel station says there have been shortages of drivers for many months and years. These have been managed to date; the turning point has been Bp having a supply issue at a small handful of outlets and leaking it to the media who have hyped it up way beyond the scope of the problem at that time. The inevitable result - a rush on fuel courtesy of a panicked public.
The media has a great deal to answer for

But why did BP mention there small problem to the media.
Was it to force the Government to get foreign drivers on the list of essential workers.
The minute BP made their announcement last Thursday this was always going to be the result.

After the announcement I told my son who has a plant hire and ground works company, so heavily relies on fuel, dont panic, then i said I'm panicking I'm trying not to but I am.. It is human nature to panic.

I have been very lucky living near a motorway. I went at 5.30 this morning as I do every Wednesday and got shouted at by the assistant in the shop over the loud speaker for going over £30.
I didn't know there was a limit on there weren't any signs. I put£33 in usually takes £90 to fill up.
That was at a BP garage. I'm fine with the rations but if there had been a sign I wouldn't have needed shouting at.
I don't blame the man serving for shouting at me. But I resent being made to feel I'm an entitled grabber for trying to fill up something I do every week as a car driver it's like breathing for humans.
I feel we are quite an angry society. A lot of angry men about. My gd aged 5 says she is going to lead the army when she is older and sort out all the angry men! There are a few women too who like to join in.
I don't blame drivers for filling up. But emptying water bottles that's just idiocy.
I'm dreading filling our green bottle for the lawn mower for work we will probs get judged.
I hope everyone who needs and wants fuel can get it and avoidz unpleasantness. Its maybe worth trying early in the morning.

GagaJo

An ex student of mine, now a nurse, has been driving around this morning after coming off night-shift, looking for petrol. I feel sorry for her having to do this, after working a 12 hour shift. And if she can't get petrol, she won't be able to get to work tonight.

Own goal, Brexit.

What exactly has Brexit got to do with this? More than enough fuel at depots. Someone idiot leaked a memo from BP that they were limiting a very few petrol deliveries and the media hyped it up causing panic. Not only is the UK short of HGV drivers so are Germany, Spain, France, Poland to name just a few. Brexit caused shortages there??

I see the "blame Brexit" brigade are out in force today. There is no fuel shortage, some idiot leaked something to the media and they did what they do best and blew it all out of proportion - just like last year's toilet roll debacle. The fuel companies have been stressing for days that there is plenty of fuel in UK refineries and storage facilities - but of course the sheep listen to the media and ignore good sense. There are several issues that are contributing to the lack of HGV drivers of all kinds: first around 20,000 European drivers returned home during covid to be near their families; second DVLA have a huge backlog of licences waiting to be issued; third there are thousands of potential drivers waiting to take their tests (also down to covid); and yes Brexit has had a small impact - but its a minor factor compared to the others. This hysteria should never have happened - the media have a lot to answer for!

Maggiemaybe

One of our local garage managers has just been interviewed and asked why none of his seven sites has had to close or has seen any of the disgraceful scenes reported elsewhere. He said that as soon as the news of possible shortages broke on Thursday he brought in extra employees so that there were two people directing traffic and speaking to drivers at each garage. They'd received their normal deliveries of fuel last Wednesday, an amount which would usually last a week. The majority of this went within two days, despite a spending cap being imposed, but he had no trouble getting extra deliveries on Friday. And his usual Wednesday deliveries have arrived today. In the interview he stated that there are as many tanker drivers now as there were pre-pandemic.

He worked on one of the forecourts himself, reassuring people that there was no need to panic. The only customers allowed to fill jerry cans were those who had broken down within walking distance of the garage.

A bit of good management and common sense goes an awful long way.

Actually this has alot to do with Brexit because many of the European HGV drivers have returned home and as Veganrock said at 13.26 there maybe a shortage of drivers in Europe but there aren't shortages of anything and no panics.

The British media do seem to look for one disaster after the other but maybe the demand is there from the public, afterall bad news sells better than good.

I see the denial brigade are out in force today.

The actual industry say that Brexit is the second biggest reason for the lack of drivers. But they're probably lying

Milliedog

@GagaJo
Actually this has nothing to do with Brexit. I did some research (No. Not the Daily Mail). There are 54,000 HGV licences held up at the DVLA. Also, I went on a German transport website. Lorry driver shortages in Germany. Lorry driver shortages in Poland. Our media is not reporting this....Lorry drivers in Britain and the continent are retiring (age and other less stressful jobs, wages etc) but trainee lorry drivers can't get the training they need because of Covid. And I also heard ( reliable source but haven't had time to verify this yet) that lorries / HGV vehicles arrive at the warehouses to collect goods but because of Covid (isolation knock on effect as well as actual cases) there aren't enough warehouse staff to load the lorries and HGV vehicles so the lorries and HGV are held in long queues. It's easy to automatically blame Brexit, but it's more complicated than that. But don't expect to see this in our media. Much of the media is headquartered in London - and guess what? London was heavily anti Brexit!

posted the wrong quote ,sorry

I know it's not funny, but honestly....I did laugh.

Derbyshire drivers queue for hours at closed petrol station

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-derbyshire-58721650

There is no fuel within 20 miles either side of me, some unleaded at some apparently but no diesel at all. I'd call that a shortage. Most petrol stations have just closed completely as presumably if they only have a small shop, they are working at a loss. Great there are no shortages by some of you but I'm fed up of with people just denying things are happening.

IR35 would be easily solved wouldn't it as it has only just been introduced and it's number 3 on that chart

I mean the changes to IR35 have only just been introduced

IR35 is to ensure that everyone pays their fair share of the tax they owe.

I don't think abandoning that is a good idea. Its already been put back by a year, I believe.

Has no one noticed that the general way of life now is the word SELF.
One usually puts oneself first before others.
Witness the use of Me when quite a lot of people speak, for instance, you often hear people say such things as, say for example, "me and my mum went to town yesterday" which is not only putting self first, but, is not good English language. If that statement is split into separate entities, it would be as though saying "my mother went to town yesterday" and "me went with her"' Is this good English Language, and how has it been allowed to happen?

I've been lucky to have filled up before this all started, because I needed to. First time with the new petrol, only to read that this goes off within a month, and people. Should only be filling half up, well I should need more before a month. But wonder if anyone who is stockpiling petrol ( rather than taking it for carers) knows that. Son in law who needs diesel as he travels for a living, he has been having problems
Well being a long distance lorry driver is not for everyone, recently read a description by one and it is a really unpleasant job, expensive to park at motorway services, very few places where they can park up for the night with facilities, and a good meal, lots of time away from their family too.there needs to be a lot more available to make life reasonable for drivers. I'd not want to do it myself.
The government are desperate, my daughter that has an hgv licence has had a letter begging her to take up a driving job. She needs one as a minor part of her job, and honestly wouldn't want to give up her job to become a driver.
To get a licence is expensive and takes a long time to get sorted.