Need some lorry drivers quick, we must import some more?

[Mydexta]

If you were 21 would you really want to

pay for a medical
Pay for a theory test
Pay for lessons then another test
Pay for a cpc
theb possibly have to pay for more lessons and another test to be a class 1 driver.

after that, you finally find someone to take you on, because your lack of experience puts lots of employers off, and the lad that does take a punt on you pays at the smaller end of the
scale because he knows you need experience.

your treated like dirt, arrive at an rdc 10 mins to early and your a bad guy, 10 mins too late and your a bad guy.

You eventually get back on the road, but your time is near up, so you park in a lay by, but worry about every noise outside as it could be the diesel
In the tank or the remainder of the load that someone is after, or you pay £30 to park in a service station, which charges you £15 for a burger and chips, and the last lad that used the shower before you, also washed his cooking utensils from the lorry, and clothes from the last week on the road in the same place that your trying to wash your Crown Jewels.

not the most enticing job advert in the world, but a fair review from
Friends I have in the general haulage game

 

[had e nuff]

Mitie were advertising for cleaners to work permanent nights at a blue chip company (glaxo) for £9 an hour. Ridiculous!

 

[ste]

For any truck driving job your looking at around a 60 hour working week as a standard. Last week I'd done 43 hours by the end of my 3rd shift and 65 by the end of the week. For me I earn enough to have a comfortable life, but I'd like what I'm on now for 40 hours instead of 65.

The clamp down on LTD company drivers that the IR35 regulations have brought in has done more to bring this about than Brexit or COVID. But all have played there part along with the race to the bottom on rates that the big firms have encouraged over the years.

The industry isn't an attractive one at present, yes the hourly rates are looking better, but add the hours, DVSA looking to extract money from you at every opportunity, lack of facilities and the extortionate prices they charge for bugger all, most areas not wanting you to park there (Bulk of Kent issuing parking fines for parking anywhere but a designated lorry park) etc etc. It currently costs around £2500 to gain your artic license, then another £350 over 5 years to do the DCPC (unless your firm pays for it for you as ours does but doesn't pay us for the 5 days to do it).

I still keep doing it because, for all its faults, I really enjoy the job. I've found a decent firm who pay above average, treat you with respect and kit us out very well. The work we do is not the cleanest or sometimes the most pleasant smelling but its easy work with no set delivery/collection times other than the site opening times and we're left to get on with it how we want to do it. Facility wise, most places we go to have decent ones we can use, and after 25 years I know quite a few little hidden away parking places, very rarely do I stay in truck stops and motorway services as a last resort (all parking is paid for by our firm).

 

[Wilksy]

Army camp near us trains recruits in their HGV tickets, you also see them in tankers and coaches, so I think it’s good trade for anyone leaving or retiring from the forces.

 

[Lincoln75]

,

Too many getting more on benefits than if they work ,and we are paying for them

Wrong, do your homework before making bone comments.

 

[Kidds]

Mitie were advertising for cleaners to work permanent nights at a blue chip company (glaxo) for £9 an hour. Ridiculous!

Local very expensive exclusive pub/restaurant were offering £6/hour for full time pot washers including evening work. I didn't even think it was legal.

 

[spin cycle]

of course if they got rid of half the 'clipboard charlies' there'd be plenty of happier workers in all industries

edit with apologies tp @carbonfibre farmer and all other 'proper' charlies

 

[unlacedgecko]

I'd rather sh!t in my hands and clap than do nights out in a truck. I've done 2 in the last 10 years, and that's 2 too many.

As soon as I earn enough from other sources I'll stop driving. And that day can't come soon enough.

 

[Swarfmonkey]

Wrong, do your homework before making bone comments.

It's not that bone. Family of four with two pre-teen kids living in social housing, both parents unemployed, would get as much in benefits as they'd get post-tax if one parent was working full time on £25k a year.

Run a few scenarios (the above plus variations like two parents working 16hrs a week each, 2 kids, rented house) through one of the benefits calculators and you'll be shocked at how much they can get.

 

[7610 super q]

What does the indigenous population actually do in Blighty ?
Shortage of dentists ( very well paid )
Shortage of NHS staff
Shortage of trades
Shortage of fruit/ veg pickers
Shortage of lorry drivers.......


The shitiest low paid jobs in the UK must be in farming, yet there's no shortage of farmers.

 

[Lincoln75]

What does the indigenous population actually do in Blighty ?
Shortage of dentists ( very well paid )
Shortage of NHS staff
Shortage of trades
Shortage of fruit/ veg pickers
Shortage of lorry drivers.......


The shitiest low paid jobs in the UK must be in farming, yet there's no shortage of farmers.

Farm workers pay will have to rise soon otherwise farm workers will move into other sectors in bigger numbers, getting paid double for sitting in a truck cab and getting two days a week off rather than a tractor cab for seven days a week will look like a better option to most, big changes are coming in all areas of unskilled and semi skilled work , prices will no doubt go up in many areas as well.

 

[spin cycle]

What does the indigenous population actually do in Blighty ?
Shortage of dentists ( very well paid )
Shortage of NHS staff
Shortage of trades
Shortage of fruit/ veg pickers
Shortage of lorry drivers.......


The shitiest low paid jobs in the UK must be in farming, yet there's no shortage of farmers.

you forgot 'hospitality' .......sector shrank 10% but now shorta staff

i've a friend who coaches CEO's (different world )....consensus is furlough has made ppl realise they can work and survive on less

 

[Lincoln75]

you forgot 'hospitality' .......sector shrank 10% but now shorta staff

i've a friend who coaches CEO's (different world )....consensus is furlough has made ppl realise they can work and survive on less

Hospitality staff in the lower ranks were mainly EU migrant workers but many have gone back home hence the shortage , theres also another issue , many hotels can find British staff from out of their area but they cant find accommodation for them as many property owners in holiday areas have let their worker/student accommodation to tourists at sky high rates as many tourists will holiday in the UK this year .

 

[gmgmgm]

Do you ever see a young ,,, person driving a lorry ..???.

IMHO it's also partially because anyone who passed a driving test after 1997 doesn't get a small 7.5t lorry licence as standard. So no-one under 40 has ever even tried driving a small lorry, unless they desire to go into the industry, and have the means to invest in training and licences.

It will be even worse in 10 years.

 

[Lincoln75]

It's not that bone. Family of four with two pre-teen kids living in social housing, both parents unemployed, would get as much in benefits as they'd get post-tax if one parent was working full time on £25k a year.

Run a few scenarios (the above plus variations like two parents working 16hrs a week each, 2 kids, rented house) through one of the benefits calculators and you'll be shocked at how much they can get.

Youve forgotten to add Universal Credits they would get if they were working , this makes them better off working , still totally wrong to pay UC in my view as it just subsidises businesses who pay poor salaries .

 

[melted welly]

I took on an apprentice.

A chap left and the average workforce age (me included) is now mid 50’s. Within 10yrs 50% will be retired. Kinda snuck up on us.

Going by the 50 odd applications we had for the position, there is interest and motivation amongst young folk to try agriculture. Some turned out to be total dreamers tho.

There was also a guy in mid 30s applied who reckoned he’d just do something like 16hrs a week and remain on some sort of job seekers allowance to make up his income. This is what he does at Morrison’s and I can’t understand how it can remain a long term career option.

There were also about half a dozen 15/16yr olds who applied, however the legalities of actually employing these candidates made it unrealistic. They’re limited (legally) in what they can do, how long they can do it for and needed to be supervised constantly by one (the same) person.

I don’t totally buy the “foreigners came over and took all the jobs” argument either.

What killed our local labour supply was the end of cash in hand work. You cannot employ anyone, even for a day without name, address, NI number. That’s what stopped the locals, a lot used to be on the bru and working seasonal casual cash jobs. They stopped coming overnight when we had to get their (correct) details as a couple days declared work lost them the safety net of benefits and they ended up in a worse place than if they didn’t work at all.

The reason we’ve little local labour in the system is that the folk who did it were treated like criminals for supplementing their benefits with casual work. Technically I suppose they were, but sometimes it’s better to turn the other way. There were a lot of hard workers amongst them, settled folk and travellers. There could be 4 generations of the same family in the field.

That tradition of kids working menial tasks and work ethic of casually employed locals was ended by government legislation and I bet it costs more in benefit payments and associated health/crime problems now than whatever tax they’ve ever managed to squeeze out of those who decided to go legitimate, or the organised labour providers who now fill the gap.
And as for this being the “cheap” option, is it ballcocks, you can be paying near £15/hr for someone to stand at a potato grader up here now.

 

[unlacedgecko]

There are sufficient vocational licence holders in the UK to fill every available haulage job and then some.

Lack of willing drivers is purely down to the poor pay and conditions.

 

[Henarar]

I'd rather sh!t in my hands and clap than do nights out in a truck. I've done 2 in the last 10 years, and that's 2 too many.

As soon as I earn enough from other sources I'll stop driving. And that day can't come soon enough.

I used to drive waggons 20 odd years ago only tippers through I do have a class one but I wouldn't have wanted to go to far up the road, I found it quite easy really all you had to worry about was the wagon and where you were going, only 5 or 6 days a week, can't drive them now as I haven't done the cpc rubbish but has it changed that much to be that bad, the lorries must be nicer places to spend the day? I was driving old Leylands, mind you tipper drivers were known for being a bit nuts

 

[unlacedgecko]

I used to drive waggons 20 odd years ago only tippers through I do have a class one but I wouldn't have wanted to go to far up the road, I found it quite easy really all you had to worry about was the wagon and where you were going, only 5 or 6 days a week, can't drive them now as I haven't done the cpc rubbish but has it changed that much to be that bad, the lorries must be nicer places to spend the day? I was driving old Leylands, mind you tipper drivers were known for being a bit nuts

the vehicles generally aren’t the issue. It’s the fückwits you deal with that make the day longer than it has to be. Endless waiting about because the reference number is wrong, or the load isn’t booked in.

only £300 for CPC. Get it done and earn £1k+ per week driving for agencies in Bristol.

 

[Swarfmonkey]

Youve forgotten to add Universal Credits they would get if they were working , this makes them better off working , still totally wrong to pay UC in my view as it just subsidises businesses who pay poor salaries .

Nah, not forgotten UC. I ran various scenarios, all as new claimants on UC not as those who were on legacy benefits. I guess you're talking about tax credits, which have been rolled into UC. If so, I agree with you. It grates on me that it subs businesses (many of which are large multinationals), whilst costing taxpayers close to £20bn a year.