Should The Government Ease The Lorry Driver Crisis By ….

[ichkeria]

… by a temporary visa system for foreign drivers?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58673567

I thought a certain Swift character known for his travels might have beaten me to this one ;-)

At least this way you get a link

[ichkeria]

BA marked not because I know it to be true but suspect it

[gulliver1]

The EUSSR need to bury the hatchet now and step in to save Britain from starvation , lend us some of your lorry drivers , ...Britain can not stand alone as we thought.

[ichkeria]

"It's not just in the driving workforce. Other industries too have slashed training budgets, and suppressed wage increases by importing foreign workers.
"

I don't think the driver shortage is anything to do with a previous prevalence of cheap labour. That would be to suggest that it's caused largely by Brexit, and plainly it is not. However Breixt is contributing to the problems of dealing with it in the short term. And that is a problem generally with short term labour issues

[teacake44]

Boris got it done, now we are getting done.

[sp1814]

The infrastructure is not currently in place to perform a massive shift from road to rail haulage. Also the logistics would need to be put in place.

A steel manufacturer in Gateshead (say) is unlikely to be able to send fabricated units and parts by rail to customers who currently rely on an established distribution model.

[gulliver1]

Grant Shapps says don't worry if your local petrol station is closed , the one down the road will be open... not a lot of people have got another petrol station just down the road Mr shapps ,... the next one could be 10/15 miles away , and one needs fuel to get there... Where do they find these Tory Mps that don.t live in a real world.

[Mamyalynne]

There should most definitely be a concerted effort to free up the backlog of HGV Tests/Results held up currently.

[choux]

Why do some persist in blaming the Prime Minister for Brexit itself? I recall voting in a referendum.

Surprised those same people don't suggest using army HGV personnel to deliver goods.

[Hopkirk]

If you use the army, just how would you decide which company deserves the economic lift it would bring?

[MWG14]

Part of the trouble is the DVLA. Our friend is a recently retired HGV driver. He and several of his friends answered the call almost three months ago, had their required medicals and passed them, then submitted their applications for renewal of their licences to the DVLA. They are still waiting to receive them and are getting more and more frustrated.

[jno]

Hopkirk, is the post-Brexit red tape at the borders deterring EU drivers from working here?

[Hopkirk]

No idea. I don't cross any borders.

[jno]

okay, thanks, just wondered if you'd heard any praise or complaints.

[Khandro]

Brexit may in fact HELP the UK in this global problem;

https://order-order.com/2021/09/24/shapps-brexit-is-a-solution-to-the-hgv-crisis-not-a-cause/

[sp1814]

Be aware of what Shapps has said:

//“What we do know is that there are a lot of people who have their HGV licences but many of which will have lapsed to come out of the market, often because there has been cheaper European labour. We want to get those people back in.”//

So - if haulage companies are to pay decent wages for HGV drivers, what happens next?

The price of goods and raw materials will have to rise and those costs will be passed onto the consumer.

If the pandemic is the cause of the illness and Brexit is the medicine, then inflation may well be the patient outcome.

[jno]

sp1814, yes, as was mentioned on this thread

https://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/News/Question1766706.html

gas suppliers are going bust because they weren't charging enough; the new suppliers will have to charge more if they don't want to go the same way.

It does highlight a broader problem with the British economy: people want things on the cheap, which means low-paying jobs ... that people don't want to take up.

[DTCwordfan]

Bringing in the Euro won't solve the garage fuel situation in the short term as special licences are given out for driving petrol and multi-fuel trucks because of the (necessary) safety training.

[DTCwordfan]

and as to van drivers, well there's a frustrating stream. Look behind most of the Amazon contractors and, yes, the pay looks great - but then read about the rates they charge out 'lease' of their vans to the drivers at (cheaper to rent from the likes of Enterprise) and then their fining systems for being late, never mind basics such a meal times, toilet times (yes, drivers both male and female being forced to pee in their trucks), never mind the 'driving monitoring software and now cameras in vans - many drivers don't even make the minimum.

[DTCwordfan]

and, yes, jno, your finger is on the pulse of 'contrat de mandat' type contracts like the French 'enjoy' in many of their deals and colonies. (caps in effect - when the base prices rise significantly above the cap, then 'chaos' breaks out - and, on LPG, I have seen consumer safety significantly compromised in markets like Morocco or Tunisia.... Why we ever thought caps on N.Gas price were necessary, well from an economic aspect, this was pretty dumb.

[Ryzen]

The leaders will do what they always do when faced with a shortage of qualified personnel ...shorten the training and make the tests easier..sorted