Making the news today....

[sime42]

Does this seem credible: 

It's entirely credible.
I signed a petition against the government trying to change the law on lorry driver hours a few days ago. The number of dodgy things they're trying to do to rectify Brexit, Covid and other fckups is very worrying. Worse thing is we don't even know the extent of it, who knows how many things they get away with because they never even make the light of day.


​​
"""""""38 Degrees Logo ​
Dear s,

Last week, as a way of solving potential food shortages this summer, the UK Government eased strict HGV driving rules which now means HGV drivers can increase their driving hours. [1] The temporary measure could result in an increase of more driving errors and accidents. It’s potentially a very dangerous gamble to take.

Drivers, Unions and Industry experts speaking out are even stating that it ”wouldn’t make any difference” to the problem it’s trying to solve. [2] The Government has warned that driver safety must not be compromised, but changing rules which were put in place to keep drivers safe, could do just that. [3]

Dangerous laws for HGV drivers could mean dangerous roads for everyone. There are thousands of us reading this email. A huge petition signed by members of the public could persuade Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to scrap the new driving hours and help make HGV drivers and fellow passengers safer on UK roads.

So can you sign the petition now to keep our roads safe?


SIGN THE PETITION


The current driver shortage is being blamed on several things, including many not returning from abroad because of the Coronavirus crisis, Brexit, and pandemic disruption to the qualification process. [4] Industry leaders have said there could be gaps on supermarket shelves this summer, as supply chains collapse - but there must be safer solutions than increasing working hours of drivers.

38 Degrees is an online community of millions and millions of people who have shown time and time again that when we come together, we’re unstoppable. Individually it might feel impossible to change laws like this, but when we act together there’s no reason we can’t get the Government to reverse the extension of HGV drivers working hours.

So will you sign the petition today? It only takes 30 seconds.

SIGN THE PETITION

Thank you for everything you do,

David, Ashley, Robin and the 38 Degrees team

P.S - If you are a HGV driver and you would be interested in speaking to a member of the 38 Degrees team about this campaign, please tick the box on the petition page:

Grant Shapps: Keep our roads safe

38D.GS

---

On 12th July, as a way of solving potential food shortages this summer, the UK Government eased strict HGV driving rules which now means HGV drivers can increase their driving hours. The temporary...

Notes:
[1]The Guardian: Working hours rules to be relaxed to ease UK lorry driver shortage
[2]BBC News: Backlash against longer hours to ease lorry driver shortage
[3] See note 2
[4] Sky News: HGV driver shortage: 'Extended hours for 'exhausted hauliers won't fix delivery crisis', industry body warns. """""""

[Khriss]

I have my fleet of heavy lifting drones at the  ready, dont panic ( does need twinned drones fr family pack of andrex at the mo 😣)  k

[Johnsond]

1 hour ago, sime42 said:

It's entirely credible.
I signed a petition against the government trying to change the law on lorry driver hours a few days ago. The number of dodgy things they're trying to do to rectify Brexit, Covid and other fckups is very worrying. Worse thing is we don't even know the extent of it, who knows how many things they get away with because they never even make the light of day.



"""""""38 Degrees Logo
Dear s,

Last week, as a way of solving potential food shortages this summer, the UK Government eased strict HGV driving rules which now means HGV drivers can increase their driving hours. [1] The temporary measure could result in an increase of more driving errors and accidents. It’s potentially a very dangerous gamble to take.

Drivers, Unions and Industry experts speaking out are even stating that it ”wouldn’t make any difference” to the problem it’s trying to solve. [2] The Government has warned that driver safety must not be compromised, but changing rules which were put in place to keep drivers safe, could do just that. [3]

Dangerous laws for HGV drivers could mean dangerous roads for everyone. There are thousands of us reading this email. A huge petition signed by members of the public could persuade Transport Secretary, Grant Shapps, to scrap the new driving hours and help make HGV drivers and fellow passengers safer on UK roads.

So can you sign the petition now to keep our roads safe?


SIGN THE PETITION


The current driver shortage is being blamed on several things, including many not returning from abroad because of the Coronavirus crisis, Brexit, and pandemic disruption to the qualification process. [4] Industry leaders have said there could be gaps on supermarket shelves this summer, as supply chains collapse - but there must be safer solutions than increasing working hours of drivers.

38 Degrees is an online community of millions and millions of people who have shown time and time again that when we come together, we’re unstoppable. Individually it might feel impossible to change laws like this, but when we act together there’s no reason we can’t get the Government to reverse the extension of HGV drivers working hours.

So will you sign the petition today? It only takes 30 seconds.

SIGN THE PETITION

Thank you for everything you do,

David, Ashley, Robin and the 38 Degrees team

P.S - If you are a HGV driver and you would be interested in speaking to a member of the 38 Degrees team about this campaign, please tick the box on the petition page:

Grant Shapps: Keep our roads safe

38D.GS

---

On 12th July, as a way of solving potential food shortages this summer, the...

 

Notes:
[1]The Guardian: Working hours rules to be relaxed to ease UK lorry driver shortage
[2]BBC News: Backlash against longer hours to ease lorry driver shortage
[3] See note 2
[4] Sky News: HGV driver shortage: 'Extended hours for 'exhausted hauliers won't fix delivery crisis', industry body warns. """""""




 

 

Listened to a article on R4 a few weeks ago regards this and whilst people will try to politicise it, without fail the drivers spoken to complained about poor rates of pay especially from a few well known operators and use of agencies by the supermarkets. The EU drivers are split into well paid professional drivers from Holland, France,Germany etc and others, the others are what the operators seem to be missing. This was the views  the UK drivers were giving. The answer rather than run to the EU to fill gaps is to invest and train our own people, all the companies moaning  no doubt miss the cheap Labour pool that the EU offered. It always pisses me off that companies want ready made trained people regardless of where ever  they come from yet won’t invest in training our own young, short term greed that long term benefits no one. Training and investment in the young right now  should be an absolute overriding priority including skills such as HGV driving. 
HGV driver shortage is nothing new hence reducing the age limit from21 to 18 a few years back. it’s just MSM dramatising something and encouraging those who want to beat the political drum. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Johnsond

[Big J]

The driver shortage is starting to affect us now too. The main sawmill we supply in Wales is contracting it's operational radius for collecting timber to just Wales and the borders due to having 6 lorries parked up. Not good.

 

Inflation is about to explode in the UK I feel. With shortages of everything (materials and certain staff) and billions of excess currency in circulation, I can see 5% inflation happening within 12 months.

[Johnsond]

10 minutes ago, Big J said:

The driver shortage is starting to affect us now too. The main sawmill we supply in Wales is contracting it's operational radius for collecting timber to just Wales and the borders due to having 6 lorries parked up. Not good.

 

Inflation is about to explode in the UK I feel. With shortages of everything (materials and certain staff) and billions of excess currency in circulation, I can see 5% inflation happening within 12 months.

J the answer lies in training and investing in our own people and companies not existing for the bottom line only. The jenga comparison you mentioned briefly is a pretty simple way of getting across to people the problems we are gonna face in the future if we don’t change. 
That firm who has 6 lorries parked up !! offer to train some keen young lads and pay them a decent wage. Government help with tax perks for training etc of course should be in place but sadly whilst we got brexit we are still geared up to the idea of a huge pool of skilled labour  that someone else paid to train to pick from and drop as it suits. The long term strategic plan to make the best of the situation is yet to materialise unfortunately and quite frankly may  never. 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Johnsond

[scbk]

There's no driver shortage, only a wage shortage. £10 an hour, away all week, and you could spend half a day just sat waiting in a supermarket distribution centre bored out of your mind 

[trigger_andy]

Just now, scbk said:

There's no driver shortage, only a wage shortage. £10 an hour, away all week, and you could spend half a day just sat waiting in a supermarket distribution centre bored out of your mind 

When will these companies learn that people living in the UK need to be paid a wage that reflects the skills ,responsibility and as you mention time away from your family that come with the job they are doing? £10 an hour? Seriously? They might as well work in Tesco stocking shelves. 

 

I was gobsmacked when the Manager at my local Jewsons said he was on £80 a day. The discussion came about as I was in with a mate and his labourer was complaining he was hard done by being on £100 a day.

[Mark J]

1 hour ago, Johnsond said:

Listened to a article on R4 a few weeks ago regards this and whilst people will try to politicise it, without fail the drivers spoken to complained about poor rates of pay especially from a few well known operators and use of agencies by the supermarkets. The EU drivers are split into well paid professional drivers from Holland, France,Germany etc and others, the others are what the operators seem to be missing. This was the views  the UK drivers were giving. The answer rather than run to the EU to fill gaps is to invest and train our own people, all the companies moaning  no doubt miss the cheap Labour pool that the EU offered. It always pisses me off that companies want ready made trained people regardless of where ever  they come from yet won’t invest in training our own young, short term greed that long term benefits no one. Training and investment in the young right now  should be an absolute overriding priority including skills such as HGV driving. 
HGV driver shortage is nothing new hence reducing the age limit from21 to 18 a few years back. it’s just MSM dramatising something and encouraging those who want to beat the political drum. 

I agree it would be better to train up people here. They lowered age in 2009 so there's been plenty of time to invest if they wanted to.
I'm not sure what we're supposed to do in the interim though, 76,000 is a lot of drivers to train.
 

From last December: 

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THELOADSTAR.COM

 

Edited July 25, 2021 by Mark J

[kevinjohnsonmbe]

9 hours ago, Mark J said:

Does this seem credible: 

No. 
 

It’s an attempt to place the entire ‘blame’ for a long standing, multi faceted shortfall entirely upon the Brexit banner. 
 

It has no more credibility than a message on the side of a bus but there will be some that cling to it as a confirmation bias. 

[Big J]

42 minutes ago, Johnsond said:

J the answer lies in training and investing in our own people and companies not existing for the bottom line only. The jenga comparison you mentioned briefly is a pretty simple way of getting across to people the problems we are gonna face in the future if we don’t change. 
That firm who has 6 lorries parked up !! offer to train some keen young lads and pay them a decent wage. Government help with tax perks for training etc of course should be in place but sadly whilst we got brexit we are still geared up to the idea of a huge pool of skilled labour  that someone else paid to train to pick from and drop as it suits. The long term strategic plan to make the best of the situation is yet to materialise unfortunately and quite frankly may  never. 

 

They just can't find the quality of staff, and the exodus has been rapid. Previously, drivers have been on the £12-13/hr mark, and suddenly they are getting hoovered up by the supermarkets paying £20.

 

Additionally, training forestry lorry drivers isn't a quick task. They have to reach a fairly decent level of competency before letting them loose in the woods with a timber crane.

 

I don't think that this country really has labour force with the work ethic for 44t haulage. We have terrible, overcrowded roads and low wages. Why would anyone do it? I did look into HGV driving in Sweden out of curiosity and their salary is much higher for experienced drivers, as well as the job being far easier for most of the year.