Lorry driver shortage

76masseyman · Aug 13, 2021

betweenthelines said:
They can only check the hours you do in the truck.

I have known several drivers in rural area who had a hour's travel to and from work either side of their shift behind the wheel of a 44 tonner. Even knew one who would drive from his home in Mansfield to work in Taunton at the start of his working week, parked his car and five minutes later his tachocard was in the truck.

They don’t just check the hours you ‘work’ in the truck. I can assure you.

76masseyman · Aug 13, 2021

betweenthelines said:
They can only check the hours you do in the truck.

I have known several drivers in rural area who had a hour's travel to and from work either side of their shift behind the wheel of a 44 tonner. Even knew one who would drive from his home in Mansfield to work in Taunton at the start of his working week, parked his car and five minutes later his tachocard was in the truck.

Absolutely fine in his own car. I could drive all day until my hours are up, then get in my own car and drive two hours home. What I couldn’t do, is park a truck when my hours are up, then drive home in a company car that my employer has provided.

Ollie1967 · Aug 13, 2021

robs1 said:
How do they know you are doing some van driving or taxi shifts etc .

If they have an eye on you they have extensive powers …I have known them to check the video at the Dartford crossing almost a year earlier just to see who was driving a truck

Robt · Aug 13, 2021

Eden.Agri.AD said:
A local haulage firm owner that I am very friendly with got cornered by his 7 drivers last Friday, all wanted another 8k a year to stay.. When the lorry's return home this evening it's game over.. today is his last day as a haulier.

Every one of his driver's has spent the week trying to get him to reconsider as they like working for him and the conditions.. they want the better money that another firm is offering but don't actually want to work for them. A good reminder on wishful thinking.

Or the boss is just a greedy sod….

robs1 · Aug 13, 2021

Pennine Ploughing said:
That is getting hard, and there tightening up on it, not only the employer, but its not unknown for the national insurance lot to be at a DVSA check point

Is it any different than a driver going out partying half the night and being tired next day or playing playstation

Robt · Aug 13, 2021

hoff135 said:
Any idea what that was? I need to get my trailer test done. Ridiculous considering I've been driving tractors and trailers for years

Driving a tractor and trailer at 40kph is very very different to driving a fully loaded 3 ton trailer at 60mph!

76masseyman · Aug 13, 2021

robs1 said:
Is it any different than a driver going out partying half the night and being tired next day or playing playstation

That’s the responsibility of the professional driver to think about the type and weight of vehicle they are in control of the next day.
Entirely up to them how they dispose of their free time.
Several of us used to go on trucks on the sugar beet haulage to cover weekends. Until they started checking what we had done during the previous week. A 60 hour week ploughing didn’t go down well !!

Pennine Ploughing · Aug 13, 2021

robs1 said:
Is it any different than a driver going out partying half the night and being tired next day or playing playstation

It's totally different

robs1 · Aug 13, 2021

Pennine Ploughing said:
It's totally different

Tired is tired

serf · Aug 13, 2021

ajd132 said:
I’m 29 and it’s frightening the amount of my contempories stuff school are either working in Costa and pubs after getting degrees or still in further education seemingly doing endless degrees.

They have had it drummed into them they have to have a degree no matter what and think it just gets them the ideal job at the top of the tree without working there way up and end up shocked when that's not the case !

Yet if they had got a trade and a practical skill they would be streets ahead now with the fone red hot name ur price !

Pennine Ploughing · Aug 13, 2021

robs1 said:
Tired is tired

Maybe, but one is through choice and can please themselves, the other is not

Hilly · Aug 13, 2021

Pennine Ploughing said:
Maybe, but one is through choice and can please themselves, the other is not

Sorry your honour I fell a sleep at the wheel and flattened five family’s because I chose to play my x box all night , sorry your honour I fell a sleep and flattend five family’s because the big bad man made me work ! Tired is tired end of story.

Hilly · Aug 13, 2021

Pennine Ploughing said:
Putting a different slant on it from the lorry driver side, and I don't do it full-time,
But how would you or your staff like to be a driver on a lorry,
Average week, away Monday morning if lucky, as some away Sunday night.
Have to sit for upto 4.5 hours at the wheel before a break, and even then you cannot go far from the lorry, 45 minutes later your off again, after 4,5 hours need another break, go get a shower in a cesspit where some polish driver has left a mess after him.
grab some food out of a sh1thole of a truck stop, and back to the lorry, drive half hour to park outside the gates of tipping point next morning, wakened on and off through the night by traffic, phone home, then bed.
Next day repete the same, through to Friday night at soonest,
All along never far from the lorry, p1ssing in laybys , stuck in traffic, eating from not so good or fatty food vans or cafes, hassle from the office, and from customers where you deliver, problems getting loaded.
All the time trying to gain time by starting early about 4am, to miss traffic etc.
Then parked up at 7pm for the night, again in a layby, no toilet or food,
Call home and then bed, and about fecking 9 pm a boy racer with the latest sawn off exhaust pipe wakes you as he is off out, one would be ok, but there is usually 3 or 4 of them, fudge me around midnight there away home, same bloody noise again.
By Thursday evening you have had enough, so begrudgingly you pay for parking in a truck stop, as the company won't pay parking, fed and watered, alone with a shower, back to the lorry, phone home and then bed, just as you get off to sleep, a fecking fridge lorry parks beside you, the fridge engine runs most of the night, what a waste of parking money that is, and if it is not that, its the bloody ladies of the night knocking on the door wanting to know if you want company,
Anyhow Friday morning tipped and trundle to a farm for loading grain.
Bugger me the farmer expects the driver to sweep up in the store as loading,
Back to the mill, queue is mile long, 4 hours later your tipped, back to the yard, the gaffer wants a 5 minute job done, 2 hours later your finished at 6.30 and home for 7.
The kids and wife have missed you all week, and want to tell you everything that's happened, your mentally drained at bed time, have to make the most of it, as your away 4pm Sunday to do it again,

It at one time was a reasonable job, and made reasonable money,
However with the advent of minimum wage, then the living wage, the drivers only got rate of inflation in general, which means the wage gap has got a lot less over recent years, the night out money soon dwindles away, after buying breakfast, dinner and tea the next day, put together with the cost of getting your licence to drive, CPC training, medicals etc, its not attractive for many to become drivers as it where,
If there is an accident the police automatically blame the lorry driver,
DVSA pull lorries in and do their best to get a fine,
Tachograph has to be kept within the law, and on a break means on a break, no work is permitted,
Once was in a services on a break, 10 minutes later a plant lorry pulled in beside me,
Driver must of put Tachograph on break, got out went inside back out 10 minutes later back to his lorry, he opened the door and put something in his cab, he then walked around his lorry and pulled at the straps to check they were tight, back to the cab, the gestapo in the DVSA car came over, they checked and gave him a fine of £60, as checking his straps as it is classed as work, yet his Tachograph said he was on rest,

And that about sums it up, why there is a shortage of drivers

Have you ever watched “Destination Dohar “ ?

Renaultman · Aug 13, 2021

ajd132 said:
As woldgrain said it is as bad as is being made out. 100k drivers short in the U.K.

No they are there, just can't be persuaded to get back in a truck.
Better wages a d conditions and there would be a bum on every driver's seat.

Pennine Ploughing · Aug 13, 2021

Hilly said:
Have you ever watched “Destination Dohar “ ?

Nah,

76masseyman · Aug 13, 2021

hoff135 said:
Any idea what that was? I need to get my trailer test done. Ridiculous considering I've been driving tractors and trailers for years

Have you not needed to tow a trailer behind a telehandler on the road ?
Maybe just tractors at your place.

Alwaysinit · Aug 13, 2021

Tesco are advertising on the radio over here in N.I for HGV drivers and a £1000 bonus in sept 2022. No idea what the hourly rate is though.

Renaultman · Aug 13, 2021

76masseyman said:
Have you not needed to tow a trailer behind a telehandler on the road ?
Maybe just tractors at your place.

Header trailer is the best. I drive LGV have driven wagon and turntable drag, combines, and just about anything else that moves, still struggle with my lines with the telehandler and header trailer.

Hilly · Aug 13, 2021

Pennine Ploughing said:
Nah,

You should , and cola cowboys , proper truck drivers not just whinging steering wheel attendants.

Tanker driver · Aug 13, 2021

I must say I’m dam good at driving both a lorry and a tractor nether is that hard really .just practice and time

Lorry driver shortage

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0 %

Up to 25%

25-50%

50-75%

75-100%

100% I’ve had enough of farming!

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