shortage of HGV drivers UK

Sorry GRanny Gravy, my condoleances. We are all getting to the age when we lose just too many family and friends, sad.

A long article….. read it and weep. ?

westcountrybylines.co.uk/twenty-reasons-why-there-is-an-hgv-driver-shortage-part-one-1-10/

Ashcombe

A long article….. read it and weep. ?

westcountrybylines.co.uk/twenty-reasons-why-there-is-an-hgv-driver-shortage-part-one-1-10/

Much of this is deliberate policy by the Tory government, making it more difficult for foreign drivers and companies to operate in the UK. They simply had no idea how much the UK transport industry relied on foreign drivers or how difficult it is to train new HGV drivers.
Even if you can train them there are not many UK workers want to drive HGVs, in the same way not many want to harvest vegetables.

Kali2

We certainly noticed recently how fewer foreign lorries are on our MWays. On several long journeys recently on MWays, we never saw one Stobbart lorry either. After I noticed, we activally looked for one, and we spent many hours on several MWays recently.

Does anybody else sing the Eddie Stobart song whenever they see one?
It’s to the tune of Cwm Rhondda
?“Eddie Stobart, E- Eddie-e Stobart
Eddie Stobart, Eddie Stobart” ?
And so on. (That’s your ear worm for the day! )
You may be right and there aren’t as many although it can depend on your part of the country- I always see them on the M6 and especially as I go further north. I think their head office is based in Carlisle.
The girls used to like “spotting” the names on the lorries- rather like I-Spy.
Sadly whenever I have to use the motorways (M1,6,25,11) on weekdays I am seeing no reduction in the number of HGV’s.

Ashcombe

A long article….. read it and weep. ?

westcountrybylines.co.uk/twenty-reasons-why-there-is-an-hgv-driver-shortage-part-one-1-10/

That's a well written article clearly covering every reason for the driver shortage. Thank you Ashcombe. I believe the author is eastern European, maybe Polish?

Anyway, I currently reside in the west country and our bin collections get cancelled frequently so that we are sometimes two weeks behind. I spoke with the operators yesterday and asked why our green garden waste bins were taking priority and were collected without fail, I cynically thought it was because we pay yearly for the service!! That is part of the reason. Apparently all the older, less able men are put on that job because it is less stressful and less physically demanding. They can't cope with the other job. The younger lads who empty the black bins and recycling boxes are the ones in short supply because no younger people want the job. To me that is the most worrying thing, that being a bin man is a dying choice for people and this really needs to be addressed now.

The government has now relaxed the regulations (thank you Brexit) so lorry drivers can now work much longer hours. Given that many are over 50 is this really in the best interests of the drivers and safety concerns? Surely the limits were there for a reason.

To be honest I'm not too concerned about the changes to drivers' hours although I know that the RHA are. Similar things have been done in the past to cover periods of shortage and the change isn't dramatic. Two 10 hour days in a period of a week, instead of 9 hour days, plus a change in rest periods I think.

But now its been extended till next year. If this becomes permanent, or if they decide to loosen the rules even more, that is cause for concern for me.

Ashcombe

A long article….. read it and weep. ?

westcountrybylines.co.uk/twenty-reasons-why-there-is-an-hgv-driver-shortage-part-one-1-10/

Good article, thanks Ashcombe

Within the article there is a link to this on the same driver's blog. The not so romantic life of a truck driver:

orynski.eu/closely-watched-trucks/

Ashcombe thanks for posting that. Anne Widdecombe on J Vine this morning claiming that there is only a shortgage of 47,000 drivers and it's because of delays in hgv driving tests.

MayBeMaw I haven't been on the autoroutes since before covid. Prior to that I can't remember seeing Eddie Stobart lorries for some years. Has the company disappeared?

MayBeMaw I haven't been on the autoroutes since before covid. Prior to that I can't remember seeing Eddie Stobart lorries for some years. Has the company disappeared?

Not MawBe (obviously) but I've not heard of Eddie Stobart going bust. But last time we did any motorway journeys was last autumn. There were plenty of them on the road then (but, of course, last autumn the full glory of Johnson's Brexit deal hadn't yet burst on us)

Have been on at least five M roads over the last 6 weeks, Eddie Stobarts are still on the road. They are selling/have sold (?) their shares in Southend Airport.

Eddie Stobart transport was sold a few years back to Tesco who seem to be reducing or dropping that brand, so less trucks visible.

Stobart Aviation ceased trading June 2021

Thanks Katie59 Southend is our closest airport, it was all over local paper that they were trying to sell their interest, I obviously missed the outcome.

Interesting that Tesco has bought the HGV side.

Tesco don't own Stobart.

Culina Group own Stobart.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culina_Group

JaneJudge

found this but I'll have to contact them to get a quote

If you can also find out how to become a train driver let me know...

I once met someone who was - and I'd never heard of such a thing - a freelance train driver. Basically he was retired but got phoned up every now and then when a train needed moved from A to B.

It costs several thousand pounds to put someone through an HGV test just for starters after several years on a normal driving licence.
My niece's husband is a trucker - he is what they call a "tramper" that literally will travel from one end of the country to the end in the day, sleeping in his cab each night.
The facilities that are available to truck drivers are very much few and far between if they are not using the motorways (and he's been down to various parts of Cornwall over the last few weeks ) so they have to pick up food when and where they can . Few secure places to park up overnight as well so on more than one occasion he's had to stop in a field, down a lane, or on the side of the road, at the risk of having their load stolen overnight. In fact he posted on Facebook this morning that someone had stolen his fuel cap, last night, so had to wait until a replacement could be taken to him as he was unable to drive the truck for safety reasons.
Now he really enjoys his job, but my niece has basically had to bring up their 2 girls single handed Mon to Fri and not many women would be happy with that!
Not just stick someone in a cab, get them to pass an exam and let them get on with it ! Not everyone is suited to such a solitary life. There was a shortage of drivers before Covid and Brexit. Simpleist thing would be for qualified drivers from Europe be allowed back in the country as essential workers that would at least help some.

Alegrias1

Tesco don't own Stobart.

Culina Group own Stobart.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culina_Group

Culina bought Stobart in July 2021
It seems Tesco did not own Stobart there was a long term contract which was loosing money, it was all downhill from there.

Thanks for the explanations about Stobart which explains why I haven't seen many vehicles with that livery for several years.

Obviously haven't been looking in the right places.... [shock

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9969883/Eddie-Stobart-lorry-driver-repeatedly-rams-HGV-womans-house.html

I’ve just seen two Stobart lorries heading north on the A1(M) between junctions 51 and 52. There are seen very often in North Yorkshire often with a Tesco livery trailer.

I have just listened to James O’Brien on LCB. He was talking to a Polish driver and journalist who said he couldn’t see any European drivers taking the offer up. He said 3 months wasn’t enough to go through all the paperwork required, a passport is now needed to get into UK instead of an ID card. He said most drivers don’t need one as can travel all over Europe with their ID card. And of course he mentioned the awful run to Christmas 2020 when the foreign drivers were so badly treated.

I think there is also a shortage of trainers and examiners.

Dinahmo

Ashcombe thanks for posting that. Anne Widdecombe on J Vine this morning claiming that there is only a shortgage of 47,000 drivers and it's because of delays in hgv driving tests.

MayBeMaw I haven't been on the autoroutes since before covid. Prior to that I can't remember seeing Eddie Stobart lorries for some years. Has the company disappeared?

Hmmm! Before lockdown, just over 20,000 people a year passed HGV tests.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/856411/dvsa-com-01-summary-of-annual-tests-for-lorries-buses-and-trailers.csv/preview

Widdecombe's figures don't add up, even if the shortage is only 47,000.

25Avalon

I think there is also a shortage of trainers and examiners.

Has DVLA been given the resources to train them?

Why didn't anybody think about this five years ago?