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Just seen this posted on linked in
There isn’t actually a shortage of drivers, what we have, is a shortage of people who can drive, that are willing to drive any more. You might wonder why that is. I can’t answer for all drivers, but I can give you the reason I no longer drive. Driving was something I always yearned to do as a young boy, and as soon as I could, I managed to get my driving licence, I even joined the army to get my HGV licence faster, I held my licence at the age of 17. It was all I ever wanted to do.I had that vision of being a knight of the roads, bringing the goods to everyone, providing a service everyone needed.
What I didn’t take into account was the absolute abuse my profession would get over the years. I have seen a massive decline in the respect this trade has, first, it was the erosion of truck parking and transport café’s, then it was the massive increase in restricting where I could stop, timed weight limits in just about every city and town, but not all the time, you can get there to do your delivery, but you can’t stay there, nobody wants an empty truck, nobody wants you there once they have what they did want.
Compare France to the UK. I can park in nearly every town or village, they have marked truck parking bays, and somewhere nearby, will be a small routier, where I can get a meal and a shower, the locals respect me, and have no problems with me or my truck being there for the night.
Go out onto the motorway services, and I can park for no cost, go into the service area, and get a shower for a minimal cost, and have freshly cooked food, I even get to jump the queues, because others know that my time is limited, and respect I am there because it is my job. Add to that, I even get a 20% discount of all I purchase. Compare that to the UK £25-£40 just to park overnight, dirty showers, and expensive, dried (under heat lamps) food that is overpriced, and I have no choice but to park there, because you don’t want me in your towns and cities.
Ask yourself how you would feel, if doing your job actually cost you money at the end of the day, just so you could rest.
Not only have we been rejected from our towns and cities, but we have also suffered massive pay cuts, because of the influx of foreign drivers willing to work for a wage that is high where they come from, companies eagerly recruited from the eastern bloc, who can blame them, why pay good money when you can get cheap labour, and a never ending supply of it as well.
I know Canterbury has the grand total of zero truck parking facilities, but does have a lot of restrictions, making it difficult for trucks to stop anywhere. Do you want me to go back to driving trucks? Give me a good reason to do so.
Perhaps once you work out why you can’t, you will understand why your shelves are not as full as they could be. I tried it for over 30 years, but will never go back, you just couldn't pay me enough.
Credit: Jim Tetheridge - former Knight of the Road.
and a few replies
I have a family member who's a HGV driver and has said exactly the same thing, there's no shortage. It's the way the industry has treated the workers. They've had enough and it's only now that it's starting to show.
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My Husband has 35yrs+ as a class 1 HGV and worked through the pandemic , all facilities were closed , all of them , no showers no toilets, no hot food (in truck with no microwave) survived for months on cold sandwiches from garage fridges , was still charged £30 just to park his truck for the night to get some sleep (he is away all week) , we would not dream of letting people live/work like this , but as a HGV driver people see it as an occupational lifestyle ! , it is not good enough , create more facilities , reduce parking charges and give them decent working conditions.
open your fridge , tap away on your laptop, watch your TV, drink your wine and wear your best clothes , because you know what? , you only have them because someone has spent the day/night in these conditions to get them to your shelves/door .
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Absolutely nailed it ! My eldest brother had his own small haulage business. My other brother was a class 1 driver for Spar and couldn’t wait to retire. My nephew on my wife’s side is a class 1 and at 38 y old absolutely hates it now . This has be culminating for years and now it’s come to a head . So many misinformed people find it’s easier to blame Brexit and the government without knowing the first thing about the industry. There’s a shortage of drivers all over Europe
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