Keep this one simple - if HGV driver from Europe, would you come to help out on a 3 months contract?

Cossy Is that post addressed to me or have you copied from another post?

Sorry, I'm a bit confused.

“ vegansrock

We didn’t import as much stuff back in the 70s. We manufactured things like cars, washing machines, textiles, just about anything. Now we import 60% of food and buy cars , machinery and tons of other stuff from EU countries, that’s why more lorry drivers needed. Plus if it’s a case of “ we need to train up our own” why wasn’t this part of the long term Brexit plan? Or maybe there actually wasn’t a plan?”

Bang on Vegansrock !

We should never ever have put such reliance on finance services and gradually shut down all manufacturing.
We also should not have allowed other countries to buy up our utilities.

Lots of “should have/would have” but due to all of those things over many years we find ourselves where we are now !

28/09/2021 14:34 FlexibleFriend

GROWSTUFF

If prices increase so be it, prices have remained static or reduced for such a long time. It's only since covid prices have started to rise it's got naff all to do with Brexit.

Sorry, price rises, staff shortages etc have everything to do with Brexit, some smaller companies who relied on both EU workers and goods brought in from abroad have been hit by lack of staff, import duties and a mass of new paperwork !

Covid coming on top of this has added an additional layer of cost and disruption.

There Ave been HGV driver shortages since at least 2015, Gov chose to ignore it, then Brexit and Covid exacerbated this and we are where we are now.

We (England specifically) need to get off our high horses, remember we no longer have an “empire” and little industry. We are a tiny and quite insignificant island with little industry propping ourselves us with financial services.

We are geographically part of Europe, they are our closest neighbours and we need them !

Germany also has a massive issue with HGV drivers. They require much better terms and conditions and in many parts of the EU they have this, they need proper overnight secure places to sleep and access hot water, toilets and showers often lacking in this country !

Quote Callistemon Wed 29-Sep-21 23:28:12
Never a good idea to stereotype us women, MayBeMaw

Does anyone remember Clara the long-distance lorry driver

True- but could we manage a whole Yorkie bar?

No

I guess we'll know in a couple of weeks whether drivers come to the UK,so we won't need to speculate.

Dinahmo

Alegrias1

sigh

Have I missed something? Seriously, have I?

Do they have to be European, as in EU?

No, of course not - how about the Vatican City, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, the former Yugoslavian countries that aren't already members or maybe further afield?

Not sure if this is being sarcastic or not...if not, apologies Dinahmo.

There are many places drivers could come from.

www.gov.uk/drivers-hours/aetr-rules

One of my grandfathers ran a haulage company. He didn't ever have an HGV licence, which was introduced in 1969. I'm not sure when artics were introduced on to our roads, but today's vehicles are nothing like those from even 20 years ago. More freight was carried by rail, so smaller lorries were just needed to take goods from the more widespread stations to their final destinations. Businesses didn't run on a "just in time" model, which requires vehicles to be flexible and carry large quantities.

Does that at least partially answer your question MrsBoot? Quite simply, the world has moved on since 2004.

We didn’t import as much stuff back in the 70s. We manufactured things like cars, washing machines, textiles, just about anything. Now we import 60% of food and buy cars , machinery and tons of other stuff from EU countries, that’s why more lorry drivers needed. Plus if it’s a case of “ we need to train up our own” why wasn’t this part of the long term Brexit plan? Or maybe there actually wasn’t a plan?

MrsBoot

However did we manage for lorry drivers before 2004 when eastern european countries joined the eu?

Probably OK but back then, home grown lorry drivers were 17 years younger. One of the current problems is that many British drivers have reached retirement age.

Alegrias1

sigh

Have I missed something? Seriously, have I?

Do they have to be European, as in EU?

No, of course not - how about the Vatican City, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino, the former Yugoslavian countries that aren't already members or maybe further afield?

However did we manage for lorry drivers before 2004 when eastern european countries joined the eu?

Never a good idea to stereotype us women, MayBeMaw!

Does anyone remember Clara the long-distance lorry driver?

Her theme song summed up what a tough woman she was: ‘Long Distance Clara drives a juggernaut, way down the motorway to the busy port. Long distance Clara, nothing’s too far away. Picking up and dropping off, load after load.

Long Distance Clara, shifts the gears; Long Distance Clara, she safely steers. Long Distance Clara, slams on the brakes; Long Distance Clara, accelerates. Long Distance Clara driving round the bend. Hot dinner waiting at her journey’s end. Long Distance Clara, driving down the road…always on time and never late.

Long Distance Clara, well, she could drive across the Sahara....pole to pole, east to west; nothing's too far away for Long Distance Clara.

Any volunteers?

Lincslass

MaizieD

No

Yet according to the radio just now, there are no shortages of fuel in the UK.

OH GAWD! Read the other threads on this.

(Sorry Kali2)

There are no fuel shortages for goodness sakes, only the specialised drivers to deliver to some places. No problems in my area, seems back to normal.

OH, FGS!

I am well aware that there is no shortage of fuel in the UK. It has been exhaustively discussed on the other threads that there is a shortage of fuel where people actually need it to be.

That is, in the tanks under petrol stations ready to be delivered to the fuel tanks of the cars which need to have fuel in them in order to move along the roads. A zillion litres of fuel in a refinery storage tank is no use whatsoever to the motorist who needs it in their car's fuel tank.

Alegrias, I'm joining you in that parallel universe. The one where people understand why there is a shortage of fuel at the fuel pumps on garage forecourts...

I would tell them to get stuffed so NO

Yes

Alegrias1

sigh

Have I missed something? Seriously, have I?

Do they have to be European, as in EU?

Such a common mistake!

Kali2

The proof will of course be in the pudding

“The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.”:Sorry but …..

sigh

Have I missed something? Seriously, have I?

Do they have to be European, as in EU?

There's quite a lot of wishful thinking on here, also some logical thought.
As has been previously stated, there is a shortage of drivers in the EU: ergo - shortage means plenty of jobs available for any unemployed drivers in the EU. Since that is the case, why would any of them want to come to the UK for a couple of months, wasting time at the border between the EU and the UK and putting up with what, by all accounts, are appalling conditions for drivers.

In the EU they can cross borders quickly, there are decent facilities on the motorways with safe parking areas and they will be able to get home to their families rather more frequently than if they are stuck in the UK.

The govt are flogging a dead horse in trying to get European drivers to cone here.

The proof will of course be in the pudding

MayBeMaw

Kali2

42 NO

8 YES

1 depends

Small anecdotal sample, but seems quite clear.

Bearing in mind the statistical sample was taken from
1) mostly over 55’s if not over 65/70’s
2) women

Hardly a representational cross section of potential HGV drivers!

? Quite!

usuallyright

A great deal of the problems arising from lack of HGV drivers is highlighted now, because of the selfish nature of people in the present fuel situation. If only people would carry on as they would normally do, and pay no heed to the "Media", which incites this sort of outlandish behaviour on a gullible public.

You have only yourselves to blame for the present situation and not the Government.

Errr! No! I'm not to blame for anything. I don't have a magically refilling petrol tank.

Petef

FlexibleFriend

10 hours is a very long time to be driving but that's only part of the job, the other hours aren't limited.

Not sure if it was Grant Shapps or Boris who said the other day the time has come to address the real issue and pay people what they deserve. Driving a Hgv is a skill and should be recognised as such. If prices increase so be it, prices have remained static or reduced for such a long time. It's only since covid prices have started to rise it's got naff all to do with Brexit. We really should address the skills shortage in this country and train our own people to do the jobs rather than rely on other countries to train and supply our labour force.

"...Not sure if it was Grant Shapps or Boris who said the other day the time has come to address the real issue and pay people what they deserve"

So I guess those two idiots will be taking a massive pay cut then!

PeteF - brilliant post, thanks. I wish - but somehow do not have much hope.

JaneJudge, this is so true, thanks.

No