Franglais:
I do agree the fuel “shortage” is mostly caused by panic buying, and cars all having topped off tanks, when many are often kept half full or running near empty in normal times. It should settle down of its own accord soon if so. But, to say there is no shortage because the depot storage tanks are full, is akin to saying there is no scarcity of gold because the mines have tons of it. If the fuel isnt on the forecourt it isn`t available, so it is scarce.
Deluded
Thank you, for the deluded response.
Lovely sunny start to the day here so I`m off into the garden.
Me Bewick is right, you can’t just drop a class one driver into a well loaded fuel tanker and say “off you go lad”, there’s just a little bit more to it than that, I’d 40 ish years at the job and I say there’s a lot more to doing fuel deliveries safely.
grumpy old man:
Me Bewick is right, you can’t just drop a class one driver into a well loaded fuel tanker and say “off you go lad”, there’s just a little bit more to it than that, I’d 40 ish years at the job and I say there’s a lot more to doing fuel deliveries safely.
Apparantly,if you are a driver working in a terminal,loading tipping whatever,you have to hold a PDP - Petroleum Drivers Passport.However,you do not need a PDP to drive a petrol tanker or discharge it. Some drivers stated on FB that a PDP holder would load the wagon and take it away from the loading area for a non PDP holder to take.Of course,a ADR cert must be held. You don’t neeed a PDP to load other pet. products and solvents like benzene,toluene,acetone MEK etc. I did a total of 12 years on tankers carrying mostly flammable products and there was no PDP in those days,and no ADR cert until about 1977.Commonsense prevailed in those days,although I met some drivers that I would not have trusted with a drop of meths for a Mamod model.
So yes,GOM is right,there is a lot to think about when loading,driving and tipping a petrol tanker. Things went downhill when the big oil companies farmed their distribution out to other hauliers,perhaps they will bring it back in - house?
grumpy old man:
Me Bewick is right, you can’t just drop a class one driver into a well loaded fuel tanker and say “off you go lad”, there’s just a little bit more to it than that, I’d 40 ish years at the job and I say there’s a lot more to doing fuel deliveries safely.
Apparantly,if you are a driver working in a terminal,loading tipping whatever,you have to hold a PDP - Petroleum Drivers Passport.However,you do not need a PDP to drive a petrol tanker or discharge it. Some drivers stated on FB that a PDP holder would load the wagon and take it away from the loading area for a non PDP holder to take.Of course,a ADR cert must be held. You don’t neeed a PDP to load other pet. products and solvents like benzene,toluene,acetone MEK etc. I did a total of 12 years on tankers carrying mostly flammable products and there was no PDP in those days,and no ADR cert until about 1977.Commonsense prevailed in those days,although I met some drivers that I would not have trusted with a drop of meths for a Mamod model.
So yes,GOM is right,there is a lot to think about when loading,driving and tipping a petrol tanker. Things went downhill when the big oil companies farmed their distribution out to other hauliers,perhaps they will bring it back in - house?
Don’t tell me you are harbouring thoughts of re entering the tanker job Webbo
Aye your right Chris about the big fuel firms shedding their in house tanker fleets mainly because their drivers always had the upper hand and when they had had enough they just went out to the lowest tender and washed their hands of running their own fleets. Balls ups and delivery problems were no longer their problem as they just shouted at the Contractors when the s---- ever hit the fan ! I can speak from first hand experience when the transition was taking place in the early 90’s and I recall chasing a couple of Tankfreight subbys out of the depot what a pair of wrecks they( BP & Shell) were expecting me to pay top dollar for their DERV and then accept deliver of it on a heap of crap !! Those poxy tankers could have had ■■■■ knows what in the valves and hoses then we could have had a motor stopped and “dipped” by Customs and we wouldn’t have had a leg to stand on eh! Sorry for the rant but I have no sympathy with what’s happening at the moment and it’s ■■■■ all to do with Brexit IMHO Cheers Mate Dennis.
How is it possible for a garage I saw today where diesel was 169.9 a litre, no one looks at the price they just fill up what ever it costs, still looking forward to tomorrow as there wont be anyone delivering there little darlings to school near me, or will there, Buzzer.
Buzzer:
How is it possible for a garage I saw today where diesel was 169.9 a litre, no one looks at the price they just fill up what ever it costs, still looking forward to tomorrow as there wont be anyone delivering there little darlings to school near me, or will there, Buzzer.
Our local garage put their 0rices up by 7p a litre when it started to get busy , i’ve just started work and passed a garage on my way in with queues backing on to a dual carriageway
Fat chance of recruiting any LGV drivers from EU especially short term for 3 months, on the BBC news tonight Poland is 120 Thousand short, Germany 65 & France 45 thousand short. Now they are scaremongering Christmas will be cancelled as a shortage of drivers, all I can say is if you get a chance to buy an Easter egg now take it as we get closer you must think ahead or end up being without and we cant have that can we.
There are petrol shortages but only caused by the stupid motorist who are greedy to say the least, there are the same amount of tanker drivers working today as there were last week but panic buying has caused this problem we have right now, if all punters behaved normally we would not have be facing this situation just madness, it may take a few days but eventually the tankers will catch up with demand but one wonders if when that happens the price per litre will go back to what it was, I doubt it very much.
The LGV driver shortage is not new it has been evolving for some time, as our company is finding it is benefitting us greatly where customers are not arguing about any increase as they know if they can secure a truck they just take it and pay the extra cost.
The whole situation is about conditions for drivers on the road, as had been stated already there are few real services available to the modern day truckers. They dont ask for alot just safe off road parking with decent food on offer with toilet & shower facilities, maybe the Government should look at bringing back some old style cafe’s with these facilities offered but only for trucks, let the normal motorist eat Mc D’s, Pizza & Kentucky in the service areas on the motorways, we live in hope, Buzzer
> Buzzer: > The whole situation is about conditions for drivers on the road, as had been stated already there are few real services available to the modern day truckers. They dont ask for alot just safe off road parking with decent food on offer with toilet & shower facilities, maybe the Government should look at bringing back some old style cafe’s with these facilities offered but only for trucks, let the normal motorist eat Mc D’s, Pizza & Kentucky in the service areas on the motorways, we live in hope, Buzzer
It’s not difficult to provide facilities, it’s still £10 a night/24hrs for HGVs in Penzance Harbour Car Park Google Maps (not bad for a night Out)
whisperingsmith: > Buzzer: > The whole situation is about conditions for drivers on the road, as had been stated already there are few real services available to the modern day truckers. They dont ask for alot just safe off road parking with decent food on offer with toilet & shower facilities, maybe the Government should look at bringing back some old style cafe’s with these facilities offered but only for trucks, let the normal motorist eat Mc D’s, Pizza & Kentucky in the service areas on the motorways, we live in hope, Buzzer
It’s not difficult to provide facilities, it’s still £10 a night/24hrs for HGVs in Penzance Harbour Car Park Google Maps (not bad for a night Out)
Smoky Joe’s thats a memory I will never forget got took there by ■■■■ Benney while HGV training, girt big steak with two eggs aloft and home made chips, mouth is watering now, Buzzer.
Taff Griffiths on FB wants this shared. 3 parts.
The news and media keep harping on about there being a shortage of lorry drivers since brexit, it’s estimated that the UK has a current shortfall of around 100,000 lorry drivers … off the top of my head, these are a few reasons why . . . . .
The wages are really poor as a lorry driver, they really don’t reflect the responsibilities of the job.
You’re away from home, family and loved ones for days and days on end.
The initial cost of training for, and taking, and passing, your LGV test costs a small fortune.
If you want your C&CE (the old class 1) licence, you have to take your C (the old class 2) test first, before you can take the C&CE, at a ridiculous unnecessary extra cost to yourself.
You have to pay for your own medicals (more frequently as you get older) ‘just to be able to go to work’.
You have to pay for 5 days (utterly pointless) CPC training every 5 years, generally at your own cost, ‘just to be able to go to work’.
You have to pay for your Drivers Card (tachograph card) every time it expires, ‘just to be able to go to work’.
If you had any form of serious medical episode alone in your cab, who would even know?? Many drivers have been found dead in their cabs days later.
1, 2, 3am etc starts and blimmin Silly O’Clock late finishes are the absolute norm in the job.
15 hour shifts are the absolute norm in the job … who wants to work a 15 hour shift day after day? Life’s too short for that!!
The job’s so unpredictable, you think you’re getting home to your family that day, but due to any number of unforeseen hiccups, it just doesn’t happen, and you’re stuck out in a wagon overnight yet again.
No matter how hard you try to keep clean, you end up filthy, minging and stinking.
Sleeping (or trying to sleep!) in a truck is hot and unpleasant, it’s quite simply just a big metal box, where you roast and sweat and baste, (and your brain swells up, not healthy!) when the sun’s out.
Sleeping in a truck is more often than not very noisy, with constant vehicle movements all around you, fridges parking next to you, other drivers doing changeovers and talking loudly next to you with absolutely no consideration.
You never sleep properly in a truck, therefore you end up driving tired.
If whilst driving tired you unintentionally cause an accident, there’s a good chance you’ll end up in a prison cell for a long time.
Thieves steal your diesel whist you sleep.
Thieves steal from your load whilst you sleep.
Thieves steal parts of your truck whilst you sleep (a mate of mine had both his Scania headlights stolen whilst he slept!!).
Finding anywhere to park is an absolute nightmare these days (whether for a 45 min break or a 9 or 11hr daily break).
Many other HGV drivers are of a shockingly poor standard these days, especially those who have acquired their licences somewhat dubiously in parts of Eastern Europe.
Driving is dangerous, you put an awful lot of trust in other tired, distracted or incompetent drivers not careering head long into you.
Camaraderie on the road has sadly almost disappeared over the years.
Driving in bad weather, in thick fog it’s just like driving blind, you’re driving on a wing and a prayer, hoping not to plough into a pile up in front.
Driving in bad weather, black ice, snow and on slippy roads is a nightmare in an artic.
Smart motorways are just dangerous and frightening, let’s face it, they kill!
One little driving error could actually lead to a conviction carrying a long prison sentence, many many lorry drivers are in prison right now just because of an error in judgement!
Traffic jams traffic jams, never ending f*****g traffic jams!!
Diversions diversions never ending f*****g diversions!!
Driving for 4.5 hours solid before your next break is just so ■■■■■■ boring, then after a quick 45 min break, you’re driving for another ■■■■■■ boring 4.5 hours.
Retired drivers always say it was a ■■■■ job and they’re well glad they’re out of it.
The advent of self drive vehicles on motorways is a definite concern to me, vehicles run by computers ■■? Erm, where we going with that one? Don’t computers ‘crash’ ■■?hs on FB wants this shared.
Part 2
33. Planners are in general tossers, who don’t give a monkeys about drivers.
34. Having to sit in waiting rooms for hours on end for just one pallet!!! knowing you have several other drops to do afterwards is soul destroying.
35. Drivers waiting rooms are extremely unpleasant depressing places, where you’re quite frankly treated like a ■■■■■■■■■■■■■.
36. You seem to be always rushing around to meet slots and times and breaks, if you didn’t suffer stress before you started lorry driving, you soon will.
37. Other drivers hygiene is often somewhat lacking, so you end up driving minging stinking wagons.
38. You have to sleep on a bunk that other drivers who’ve never heard of soap have slept and dribbled and sweated on (and often much worse!!!)
39. Many other drivers are not the best of company, if you listen to them in drivers waiting rooms, most appear to have been thrown out of the SAS for being too ‘hard’ !!!
40. Planners hate truck drivers.
41. Delivery depots hate truck drivers.
42. Car drivers hate truck drivers.
43. Truck drivers hate truck drivers.
44. You get absolutely no respect off anyone as a lorry driver, no matter how much respect you give them.
45. DVSA love to stop you and fine you lots of your money, it’s their favourite thing in all the world.
Part 3
46. The chances of getting speeding and other motoring fines and points are obviously higher the more miles you drive.
47. Driving TIRED is horrible, and extremely dangerous, but sadly just the norm.
48. Trucks breakdown, more than ever these days with their modern electronics.
49. More and more cities are bringing in so called congestion charges, you could easily build up some extremely hefty fines.
50. Toilets in services (and most other places) are DIRE !!!
51. Washing facilities in services are on the whole DISGUSTING.
52. It’s very hard to eat healthily when you’re down the road.
53. Food in services is ridiculously expensive.
54. You get around £25 for a night out in the lorry. That makes you the lowest paid security guard in all of Christendem.
55. A required 9 or 11 hour daily break can often become a 16 or 18 hour daily break due to bad planning, that’s a long tedious time trapped in a ‘metal box’ on a lorry park that stinks of ■■■■.
56. Parking in laybys to sleep is dangerous, parked lorries are often hit by other passing lorries.
57. Kids throw concrete blocks off bridges at you.
58. Suicides throw themselves off bridges at you.
59. Nodding off whilst driving a 44 tonner is just a wee tad dangerous, but every driver’s done it from time to time.
60. You won’t be home for family events, birthdays anniversaries, family emergencies etc.
61. Waiting, waiting, always f*****g waiting!
62. Your ‘body clock’ ends up all over the place, which isn’t healthy.
63.Your eyesight deteriorates over time, due to squinting against the sun, or due to driving in the dark, looking at constant pins of light coming at you from a dark backdrop (headlights).
64. Your back and general health suffers in time through long hours of sitting and the lack of movement.
65. Many lorry drivers end up with serious renal conditions through not drinking enough water. (If your pee is any darker than straw colour, it’s most definitely not healthy for your body)
But …. Hey-ho, on the plus side, you get to have a whole 45 hour break once a week to be with your loved ones, that’s the law. Just a few reasons off the top of my head why there’s maybe a shortage of drivers . . . . feel free to share … (p.s. I’m happily retired, and loving it
My mate works for Hermes doing class 2 work . He’s been there a few years and gets the benefits of when it was run by Grattan . New starters are on a higher hourly rate than him but don’t get his holiday entitlement. They have to work any 5 from 7 days , so we all know what that means , weekends on a basic rate. They have just decided to pay £12.50 a day wage enhancement temporarily so that will go if and when the driver shortage eases. Hermes are a German company just like Hoyer , is there a pattern emerging from our “friends” in the EU
The MP for Buckingham has solved the driver shortage , he suggests that the drivers that are working on the new high speed rail link should transfer to the supply chain , Farage who i don’t normally have a problem with thought it was a great idea. It just goes to show how much politicians and the media trouble causers know about this industry. They are quick to blame but haven’t a clue about the facts. Starmer yesterday quite predictably blamed Boris , probably because he was the one that leaked the fake news that there’s a big shortage of petrol tanker drivers , which is a lie and we will have a shortage of fuel again Boris’s fault because he insisted that everyone with 1 brain cell or less should go fill their cars up. Maybe the oil companies are at fault for not having inhouse transport anymore just like many of the supermarkets. I hope it was readable to most on here
I’ve just received a letter from the D.O.T. to tell me about the excellent opportunities in the HGV sector. It’s asking if I’ve left to consider returning to the industry (I’m on a tipper for my sins) as pay and conditions have been improving recently.
I have now been waiting two months for the return of my LGV license from Swansea, IMHO this is an unacceptable covid or not. How many new drivers are waiting for a licence unable to start until they can prove they have the correct papers to drive. How long does one wait before contacting them thats if you can get through to complain, I am not actively driving trucks but thats not the point something needs to be done, perhaps we should call in the army to assist as they seem to be flavour of the month right now, Buzzer.
