viking7000:
… If we only could realise we have more power than pretty much any other industry but are afraid to use it…
Exactly!
He is a fairly crap job unless you are on a decent number. There will always be foreigners to exploit to keep the wages down never fear wether they be poles, bulgos or rumo’s.
I have noticed that firms have started to struggle, where I work there’s a shortage. We had a wage rise a few months ago and we’ve just had introduced a £150 bonus (this Thursday) if somebody we referred joins the company. I see no reason to do this if there wasn’t a problem finding drivers, the conditions are decent too.
I’d say the “next six months” will be the most interesting time in this industry for over a decade. 
viking7000:
Many drivers I have spoken too or heared about are hanging up their keys from September. WTD is restricting hours for those that remain.
Haulage companies have cut wages to the bone for years and there is nothing much left to reduce costs on.
A large number of foreign drivers have gone home, very few young drivers are coming in to the job and those that do quickly become disillusioned.
I see serious problems in the supply chain, increased prices and as usual, no action from Govt. until its too late. When will they understand that transport is our lifeblood?
Maybe it could be good for us in that we will once again be treated as valued and professional workers.(yeah right).
I wonder what would happen if all drivers went on strike and how long it would be before we became a third world country.
This should be a chance for Hauliers and drivers to finally earn a proper living as long as we stood together instead of clambering over each other to get the scraps.
There seems to be a change coming that may have some far reaching implications and I am curious to know what you guys think will happen.
Hey mate when have we ever been considered as valued and professional workers.I spent 32yrs on the heavies and the only time a copper called me a professional was when I did something wrong.The only time I was treated as professional was when I started running over the water
regards dave.
Just can’t see it myself but I will eat humble pie if I’m proved wrong.
the maoster:
The shortage is here and it’s starting to bite. What we do about it is entirely in our hands ladies and gents.
There is no shortage of drivers. The only thing there’s a shortage of are companies prepared to pay a respectable hourly rate to their drivers.
Left hand down!:
the maoster:
The shortage is here and it’s starting to bite. What we do about it is entirely in our hands ladies and gents.There is no shortage of drivers. The only thing there’s a shortage of are companies prepared to pay a respectable hourly rate to their drivers.
Think you’ve hit the nail on the head.
On the newly qualified driver front the situation is changing there as well.
Eastern European drivers have been and many if not most are heading home.
Silver_Surfer:
Just can’t see it myself but I will eat humble pie if I’m proved wrong.
We can all eat Pie in the Sky if “proven right” though. 
I did another Dcpc today. I asked the tutor how many new drivers he has had in the last year. Answer…1
Of the other 15 guys on the course, most knew at least 2 drivers who are hanging the keys up for retirement or other work. Curiously, in the 3 courses I have done in the last few weeks there was only one E.European guy and he is married to a local. So something is up.
viking7000:
I did another Dcpc today. I asked the tutor how many new drivers he has had in the last year. Answer…1
Of the other 15 guys on the course, most knew at least 2 drivers who are hanging the keys up for retirement or other work. Curiously, in the 3 courses I have done in the last few weeks there was only one E.European guy and he is married to a local. So something is up.
Ive done all 5 dcpc days and ive been the youngest each time by far,im 42 
I feel that there is going to be a shortage.
We are treated like lepers by the very people who depend upon us for the things they use in their everyday lives, not to mention the places we deliver to and sometimes the people who we work for.
I was casual/part time and love driving…I jacked it last week and I know of many drivers who are old who are not doing the cpc thingy, so it is not looking good.
Foreigners are a liability for their employers…And I live in and around Boston/Sleaford, Lincs.
The company I was working for was one of the best payers and I was getting more hours than I wanted in the last three months…They were becoming more demanding and along with that the usual manners went out of the window…I would say they were pretty desperate for drivers at times, as some of the drivers they were using I know to be quite useless…I no longer care, in my opinion the industry has over regulated itself and taken any enjoyment out…You have to enjoy your job, otherwise…Why do it?
att:
I feel that there is going to be a shortage.
We are treated like lepers by the very people who depend upon us for the things they use in their everyday lives, not to mention the places we deliver to and sometimes the people who we work for.I was casual/part time and love driving…I jacked it last week and I know of many drivers who are old who are not doing the cpc thingy, so it is not looking good.
Foreigners are a liability for their employers…And I live in and around Boston/Sleaford, Lincs.The company I was working for was one of the best payers and I was getting more hours than I wanted in the last three months…They were becoming more demanding and along with that the usual manners went out of the window…I would say they were pretty desperate for drivers at times, as some of the drivers they were using I know to be quite useless…I no longer care, in my opinion the industry has over regulated itself and taken any enjoyment out…You have to enjoy your job, otherwise…Why do it?
+1
I gave up because of attitude of my employer.
I was talking to a driver last week who was convinced that on September the 10 th wages are going to go up big style and we are going to have all sorts of benefits given to us overnight… I told him I think your dreaming mate , he then went on the if we went on strike the country wound come to a stand still rant,I’m sorry we play an important roll in the supply chain but some times some drivers think they single handedly run the country.
I also know one guy who has done no cpc hours because he is convinced it’s going to be thrown out,
On a positive note met a young lad other week who was 19 and driving an artic, his enthusiasm for the job was a breath of fresh air to be honeset and asked advice on things and listend…I said to him don’t believe all you are told and don’t let the doom and gloom blokes get to you.
I did an entire week’s course to get my dcpc last month. Some guys were on the course all week and others for odd days. On one day we had 18 drivers in the room. In all that week there was only ONE driver under fifty years of age and his family owned a haulage company.
Whilst a lot of guys have had the truckers bravado of “stuff the dcpc - I’ll pack it in”, there is no denying the fact that some drivers have actually done just that, either turning their back on the industry or taking early retirement.
There is certainly a driver shortage in some areas, or to be more precise a shortage of drivers that actually want to do the job. It not always to do with money either.
I’ve no idea what, if anything will change come sept 10. I don’t see anything happening in the short term as we don’t know how the DCPC will be policed, if we all start getting stopped & asked for the card then that will give you a clue as to how strict they are going to be, thereby forcing the fence sitters, and those holding back thinking they might get away with not needing it, into doing it.
I don’t see wages going up too much, let’s face it most transport companies have a reputation for not throwing cash at the drivers & I can’t see that changing soon. A place I worked at have just given their class 1 drivers a raise in the hope of keeping them, up from £8.66ph to £8.70ph, overtime rate after 12 hrs is £8.70! This after they take 45 mins pay after 12 hrs btw. They also made them pay for DCPC and attend on a Saturday, unpaid. The reason this industry will never change for the better is because drivers will accept this type of employer, happy to work for peanuts.
You will know there is a shortage coming when the 2 years experience bull, along with the proof of driving in the last six months cobblers gets dropped. There are very few young drivers around that’s for sure. My DCPC had a guy in his 30s, youngest by far, but he worked on the rigs & only did his test to give him something to do during his down time, he’s not used his licence yet. One had retired & come back as he was bored, one was 77!
BillyHunt:
I’ve no idea what, if anything will change come sept 10. I don’t see anything happening in the short term as we don’t know how the DCPC will be policed, if we all start getting stopped & asked for the card then that will give you a clue as to how strict they are going to be, thereby forcing the fence sitters, and those holding back thinking they might get away with not needing it, into doing it.
I don’t see wages going up too much, let’s face it most transport companies have a reputation for not throwing cash at the drivers & I can’t see that changing soon. A place I worked at have just given their class 1 drivers a raise in the hope of keeping them, up from £8.66ph to £8.70ph, overtime rate after 12 hrs is £8.70! This after they take 45 mins pay after 12 hrs btw. They also made them pay for DCPC and attend on a Saturday, unpaid. The reason this industry will never change for the better is because drivers will accept this type of employer, happy to work for peanuts.
You will know there is a shortage coming when the 2 years experience bull, along with the proof of driving in the last six months cobblers gets dropped. There are very few young drivers around that’s for sure. My DCPC had a guy in his 30s, youngest by far, but he worked on the rigs & only did his test to give him something to do during his down time, he’s not used his licence yet. One had retired & come back as he was bored, one was 77!
I disagree here. I don’t believe that firms would be daft enough to let any old ■■■■■■ drive their vehicles, smash them up, get them the unwelcome attention of VOSA, and drive up any insurance premiums paid - just because the firm can’t and won’t pay a bit extra according to the normal laws of supply and demand.
More likely, they’ll keep the 2 years bull in place, and put the onus upon the driver to make up their own bull by being self-employed, have a wet foreign licence, or otherwise lie along on their CVs.
Even as we speak, the main thing that yards get out of employing agency nowdays is that any ■■■■-ups can be claimed against the agency insurance instead of the yards! There’s hardly any premium to be had from agency rates over full timers rates after all, so why employ full timers at all? one might argue…
If I’m right, then agencies who’ve not put up their rates yet (ie most of them) will be inundated with work the next 6 months, until the differential between agency actual driver’s rates and full timers “secure but lower” rates are restored.
The telling signs of any potential for rate increases will be from keeping an eye on the agency ads. When you start seeing the rates rising, that’s about the time to begin your own rate increases (for those of us s/e & ltd). I’m still on the fence about this much talked about shortage that everyone seems to think will happen, but I can’t argue with the fact that there is a huge amount of agency work on offer in my area at the moment so it looks to be heading in that direction. I think if anything, there could well be a short term shortage as the “I just do it for a bit of bingo money for t’wife” brigade make their stand and hang up their keys, but after rattling around in the house for a few months with no income and nothing else to do with themselves they’ll go and get their DCPC cards and the rates will level back out to where they were/are now.
We will see.
The thing is that agency rates are usually higher than the company offers anyway. I’ve looked at plenty companies looking for class 1 drivers & the rates are poor, £7.00-£8.00ish where an agency will be offering £9 plus.
As for 2 years experience, how are you supposed to get it if nobody will take you on without it? Companies that are known as being poor payers, you all know of a few, won’t suddenly star chucking cash around just because a driver hasn’t got 2 years under his belt.
Around here, the firms paying £7-£8ph are too tight-fisted to use agencies at all!
Sure, that might well be because the agencies are full of bods like me who “won’t get out of bed for less than £10ph”, but I’m nowhere near the dearest bod on the books I can tell you!
I get all the sundays I want, because I charge less for working them. If I’m ever obliged to work “flat out” on a regular basis, that Sunday rate will go up quite substantially though. As yet, that hasn’t happened though.
It’s fair to say that I’ve turned down work a lot more often than I’ve begged for work - and not got any. It’s been that way for a year already too…