Do we regard ourselves as key workers?

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Have you noticed that all over the country there are new housing developments for what the government terms “Key workers”, the Police, doctors, nurses, teachers etc.

I’m sure we all wouldn’t mind a nice, spacious, brand-new semi for a pittance.

Taking into account the responsibility of our jobs do any of us regard ourselves as key workers? I’m not trying to put myself on a pedestal because I work in the haulage industry, but look at the facts.

The fuel protests showed that when the tankers don’t move then pretty soon the ordinary motorist grinds to a halt. Every product you see has been on a truck at some stage of its life, and without truck drivers, nothing would get delivered and the economy would collapse, it’s as stark as that!

Only a couple of years ago a mate of mine went to work for a agency in Northants, and he even got a B&B thrown in because they couldn’t get drivers from within the area to cope with the shortage.

Although I don’t expect this government to suddenly start praising lorry drivers. It’s worth a thought. Are we the lifeblood of the nation?

Dazza:lol: :laughing: :laughing:

2

Of course we’re key workers. If we don’t work then things don’t move. The absolute end result being empty shop shelves and filling stations.

The difference between ourselves and the people you quoted such as teachers, nurses etc is that we are in a mobile industry. Our place of work moves and we have the ability ot travel to the area of demand. For example that means that you don’t have to have a lorry based in say Southampton to move goods either to or from Southampton. The lorry could come from any part of the country or even abroad, meaning that the location we’re based in doesn’t matter one jot. It is not at all out of the ordinary for a lorry to travel from Aberdeen to London, make a delivery, do a couple of local collections/drops in the S.E, and pick up a load from the S.E to take back along the route to home base. HOWEVER it’s pretty unreasonable to expect a teacher in Aberdeen to travel the length and breadth of the UK to teach in various locations where there’s a shortage. In that case, they move close to where they’re needed.

3

HGV drivers no, any more than all police, Nurses or Doctors should be,
It should depend on the type of work being done,
As an example a Nurse is employed as a Registerd Nurse in a Nursing Agency, thier job needs them to be trained & registerd as a Nurse, whilst thier partner is an HGV Dustcart driver, who provides the essential service?.

4

Damned right we are. And if we all, and I mean everyone, stayed home for a week, people would see just how vital we are, a fortnight would be anarchy! Our impact would be very quick, and across the board, name another industry that would be as that? If there is one, I cant think of it right now.

5

Andy the thing you missed is that it takes up to 2+ years to become a fully qualified nurse to become a dustcart driver can take a week, one is easily replacable and one is not .

However i think truckers are very important (just as is the guy who serves your big mac to you)but fairly easy to replace compared to other industries.

Please dont give me that old chestnut about drivers shortage cos`as far as i can see it doesnt exist, a glance at the jobcentre site will prove that to you.

6

Dazza, of course were key workers, we have to unlock the cab door with a key, and then use a key to start the motor, :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: , but we wont get special housing coz most drivers spend too much time away from home :cry:
Regards
Trev

7

T&D issue before last, Sir Bill Morris had an article stating that Drivers were very important people.
Why has he only just recognised this now that he is retiring?
Where was he when Drivers were doing their go slows a couple of years ago? telling us not to do it!!!
Now that there has been a 600% increase in foreign trucks doing work within the UK without paying a penny in tax, what would Sir Bill do about it?
Where have all the unions been when drivers have been fighting to get a fair wage? nowhere to be seen, unless it was to sh/t all over us.
Yes, I am an unhappy bunny, we are being screwed over every which way we turn, and guess what, WE do nothing about it.

8

jammymutt:
Andy the thing you missed is that it takes up to 2+ years to become a fully qualified nurse to become a dustcart driver can take a week, one is easily replacable and one is not .

However i think truckers are very important (just as is the guy who serves your big mac to you)but fairly easy to replace compared to other industries.

Please dont give me that old chestnut about drivers shortage cos`as far as i can see it doesnt exist, a glance at the jobcentre site will prove that to you.

It takes a few years to become a good truck driver too. Most firms won’t even entertain you until you have 2 years driving experience. Dustcart drivers can get disgraceful pay for a very necessary job. Broxbourne Council in Herts are paying their Class 2 drivers £17,000 a year, and the Loaders get £15,000.

Anybody who works and contributes to society is important, it has nothing to do with pay or qualifications. The working class are the backbone of this country. All working people deserve the chance of an affordable home. Sort out the ‘buy to let’ merchants and other middle class chancers and things might improve for all.

I agree. The driver shortage nonsense is a complete myth, but it provides eager fodder for the driver training schools.

9

Post bumped after 4.5 years ■■? :laughing:
having a quiet weekend Ragnarok?

10

Key workers are those that cannot be replaced by the military in times of emergency or crisis. Drivers would not fall into this category, though no doubt in a national emergency there wouldnt be enough military drivers to deliver food and other esential supplies. So I guess we would be required :confused:

Tiger.

11

Ragnarok:

jammymutt:
Andy the thing you missed is that it takes up to 2+ years to become a fully qualified nurse to become a dustcart driver can take a week, one is easily replacable and one is not .

However i think truckers are very important (just as is the guy who serves your big mac to you)but fairly easy to replace compared to other industries.

Please dont give me that old chestnut about drivers shortage cos`as far as i can see it doesnt exist, a glance at the jobcentre site will prove that to you.

It takes a few years to become a good truck driver too. Most firms won’t even entertain you until you have 2 years driving experience. Dustcart drivers can get disgraceful pay for a very necessary job. Broxbourne Council in Herts are paying their Class 2 drivers £17,000 a year, and the Loaders get £15,000.

Key ■■

At the risk of being controversial :unamused: I’d say truck drivers are more than essential.

Teachers ? Doctors ? Nurses ? Police ? Truck drivers ?

By comparison, what would happen if any or each weren’t around ? - Given the way society is set up. Granted, in time I’m sure someone would come up with a workable alternative.

Or could they

Teachers ? Would “society” go back to learning from experience of life ?

Doctors/Nurses ? People would die. Natural selection ? Is this world, as some would have you believe, overcrowded as it is ?

Police ? Anarchy ? Or more natural selection/survival of the fittest ? When toerag, drug-fuelled chav burgles me - I’ll just do him. Without recourse to law, or the fear of such.

A silly way of thinking, innit ?

What do you think would happen if every truck driver said that he was taking 3 days off sick next week ?

And that it could be made, on a Thursday, public knowledge that the following week there would be no HGV movement on Mon, Tue, and Wed.

In fact - thinking about it, maybe 3 days on the sick would have more impact and worth, than any fuel protest

Fastrantiger:
Key workers are those that cannot be replaced by the military in times of emergency or crisis. Drivers would not fall into this category, though no doubt in a national emergency there wouldnt be enough military drivers to deliver food and other esential supplies. So I guess we would be required

Tiger

I know things have changed, and not always for the better, but having been a temporary fireman, a binman, and ambulance driver, and even ridden “shotgun” for tanker drivers to deliver heating oil to hospitals - I’d say that no - the military couldn’t cope. And that’s without even considering how thinly the boys are spread at the moment in different theatres.

12

Fastrantiger:
Key workers are those that cannot be replaced by the military in times of emergency or crisis. Drivers would not fall into this category, though no doubt in a national emergency there wouldnt be enough military drivers to deliver food and other esential supplies. So I guess we would be required :confused:

Tiger.

i beg to differ with you there tiger.

there might not be as many serving members of the forces to keep it up but how many drivers do you know that are in the Ta or reserves?

i believe that if it did come to it and the forces and police were forced to cover driving jobs then there would be enough for the essentials to get through (food and fuel) there wouldn’t be enough to keep the complete country ticking over but there would be enough so it wouldn’t become like Russia a few years back. a lot of the forces were actually trained on wagons for numerous things in the last 10 years (fireman strikes and foot and mouth) plus we have a lot of people that do wagon driving within the military on a day to day basis.

also not everyone would stay at home and not drive would they. a lot of people are working 45 (sometimes more) hours every week and are still on the bread line. that’s the way it is I’m afraid.

but for my 2 pence worth, i think HGV drivers are key workers as nothing, and i mean nothing, would make it into the shops if it wasn’t for the likes of me, you and everyone else on here. we should be more recognised for what we do but we wont be until this country really does need the drivers of the UK. then the brown and smelly stuff will hit the fan, if we all decide to even just take one day off. it would take weeks to recover from it as the shops would soon sell out due to panic buying then i guess the work would come fast and furious in our direction.

13

Anonymous:
Damned right we are. And if we all, and I mean everyone, stayed home for a week, people would see just how vital we are, a fortnight would be anarchy! Our impact would be very quick, and across the board, name another industry that would be as that? If there is one, I cant think of it right now.

If drivers and hauliers would stick together for just one or two weeks and stop working we would be treated differently at the fuel pumps/ rdc’s / by the police / on the road, etc, etc. but with a spineless rha we don’t stand a chance. the government knows that hauliers, drivers, and the rha will not stand together in the uk. so until this changes we don’t stand a chance of being treated with the respect we deserve.

14

Anonymous:
Damned right we are. And if we all, and I mean everyone, stayed home for a week, people would see just how vital we are, a fortnight would be anarchy! Our impact would be very quick, and across the board, name another industry that would be as that? If there is one, I cant think of it right now.

telecommunications, water boards, electricity suppliers, police, pub landlords (ok the last one was a joke :laughing: ) to name but a few

15

there is no such thing as a key worker,we are all small cogs in a big wheel,i to am sick of hearing how important every one does their bit but most dont keep telling us how important they are

16

del949:
Post bumped after 4.5 years ■■? :laughing:
having a quiet weekend Ragnarok?

Nah … just new and seeing what pearls of wisdom have gone before :smiley:

17

being a key worker doesnt apply on the driving .if you dont turn out the lorry will still go down the road ,with a diffrent driver.
theres always someone that can do the job.
if you get into a diffrent line of industry and you get a phone call for 7 days work ,NAME YOUR PRICE now thats a key worker :laughing:
and less stressfull :laughing:

18

I imagine that some segments of the industry could be called KEY, but not for the majority.

19

My neighbour is a locksmith…he’s definately a key worker.

I’ll get my coat… :blush: :blush: :blush:

20

Reef:

Anonymous:
Damned right we are. And if we all, and I mean everyone, stayed home for a week, people would see just how vital we are, a fortnight would be anarchy! Our impact would be very quick, and across the board, name another industry that would be as that? If there is one, I cant think of it right now.

telecommunications, water boards, electricity suppliers, police, pub landlords (ok the last one was a joke :laughing: ) to name but a few

All of which rely on transport to a greater or lesser degree to function.

And dont forget all workers need to eat, with no lorries how long does the food supply last eh? Food and water are the vital things in life and neither can do without road transport.