Wheel Nut:
As said earlier, Woolworths cannot get drivers and have not been able to for 10 years or more.
Perhaps if they or other companies had or did pay a decent wage they would get the drivers■■?.
Not sure who I’m agreeing with and who not but my 2p worth on is thus:
There’s tens of thousands of drivers allegedly needed because of a shortage. This figure isn’t going to decrease unless something happens and that something is by putting the rates up to a sensible amount.
There are plenty of drivers about who have class 1 licences but whom refuse to work for a pittance but I’m sure would happily go back driving if the money was right.
By allowing the Eastern bloc drivers in the country all it is going to do is hold those rates down and maybe even drop the rates even further which isn’t good for us current folks who are already driving and won’t do the industry any good long term.
I would like to see the shortage remain because eventually what will happen is that the driver count would become so low that companies would have to put the money up to get any drivers at all - may the best man win and all that and we, as drivers, could play them off against each other. This is already starting to happen with some companies as they are looking at the problem with their eyes open and brains in gear, and some of the agencies are now realising that offering the same rate as the rest of the agencies doesn’t cut it and they need to put the money up to get the drivers. I mean, £8.50/hr for class 1 agency day work in W.Yorks was unheard of 12 months ago - even 6 months ago - but it won’t get offered to you on a plate, you need to do some legwork.
There’s two problems with the drivers in this country : the first is the LACK OF CAMARADERIE and the second, more important one is DEBT. The vast majority of drivers are debted up to their eye-balls and anything more a couple of weeks on a strike would ■■■■■■■ them financially and the government knows this and that’s the reason why they’re not worried about a national driver strike because like I’ve said before, it will never happen.
Sort out the problems at home rather than trying to sort by opening the floodgates to Eastern Europe… 
Sort out the problems at home rather than trying to sort by opening the floodgates to Eastern Europe…
The government dont want to sort out the problems at home Rob, theyve had a good while to do it, and thats all different mobs, labour & tory thieves, so theres the proof the will is not there. Why do you think they (EU) opened membership to impoverished countries with large ammounts of cheap labour? Compassion? Human kindness? Anyone that believes that, call me, ive got a few bridges for sale.
A few weeks ago Rob you were asking if the grass was greener else where. So what’s the difference with you wanting to drive a truck where the pay is better and a Polish driver wanting to do the same?
And the it does work both ways I’ve met many British drivers working for Dutch, Italian, Spainish, French and German Hauliers.
As for HGV licence holders coming back to haulage if the pay was better, well some may do, but it’s not the only reason that people leave the industry. After doing the job for a few years some just don’t want the the job, and don’t want the hassles. Many got their licence through the forces as it was a course to go on and they now have careers in their chosen trade and have no intention of being HGV drivers.
Another large group of unused HGV drivers is the Horsey set, Princess Anne included. Nearly makes me feel sorry for the RDC staff that tells one of theses ladies it will be 3 hours before the truck is unloaded and they can’t use the lav, 
but I don’t think it will happen. 
And the situation is going to get worse, we have the impending 48hour week and with the average age of an HGV driver being just over 50 many will retire or leave on medical grounds in the next few years.
From what I know agencies in Swindon pay more that the national average they even offer accomodation, but still can’t get enough drivers not even by targeting areas of the country were the HGV drivers are paid a lot less.
We are not in a closed market, so expecting haulage companies to keep raising wages to won’t hapen. At a certain level they will look for other options. Like distribution centres on the other side of the channel to supply most of the South East and Foreign hauliers can already undercut UK hauliers for Import/Export work.
Polish drivers can work here you can’t change that and worring about will just give you grey hairs. At the moment they are filling vacancies that can’t be filled, it’s finding ways of making sure the situation doesn’t end up as us having to work for less to keep our jobs.
Sorry that this seems to be disjointed ramblings, but it just my thoughts after reading the other posts. 
To me, the irony of it all is this.
Fifteen years ago, if you sat around in a truckstop, your average truck driver would be quick to express his opinion that Communism was an evil system “because citizens of Communist countries are not free to travel to the West…”
Vince
muckles:
From what I know agencies in Swindon pay more that the national average they even offer accomodation, but still can’t get enough drivers not even by targeting areas of the country were the HGV drivers are paid a lot less
I looked into that about 6 months ago and ADR (the main agency in that neck of the woods) were only paying £9/hr - that isn’t going to bring the drivers flooding in. Considering the alleged driver shortage in that area they should be offering £15/hr at least.
While ever people continue to work for £5/hr “because I’ve worked there for years” it’ll never change.
Refusing to work for less than £8.50 an hour is ok if you live in the centre of the country near the Motorway network, but for more rural locations it’s not realistic, the road network isn’t good enought to commute more than a few miles and there arn’t many full time jobs. If it was a choice between a bit of seasonal farm work in the winter and cleaning out boats or caravans whilst dressed up as a Yokel in the Summer or driving a truck all year. What would be you choice?
muckles:
Refusing to work for less than £8.50 an hour is ok if you live in the centre of the country near the Motorway network, but for more rural locations it’s not realistic, the road network isn’t good enought to commute more than a few miles and there arn’t many full time jobs. If it was a choice between a bit of seasonal farm work in the winter and cleaning out boats or caravans whilst dressed up as a Yokel in the Summer or driving a truck all year. What would be you choice?
I wouldn’t do either, I’d move. If you wanna do a particular job for good money then you must be flexible and prepared to re-locate. You wanna live out in the sticks where your nearest neighbour is 5 miles away then you pay the price in other ways. Swings and roundabouts…
All well and good if you’re free and single, Rob…but lads with families and roots in an area which has since become an employment blackspot (SW Dorset springs to mind here) don’t always have that option. 
Rob K:
I wouldn’t do either, I’d move. If you wanna do a particular job for good money then you must be flexible and prepared to re-locate. You wanna live out in the sticks where your nearest neighbour is 5 miles away then you pay the price in other ways. Swings and roundabouts…
Same here thats what I did and It’s easy to do if you’re single, but not always easy if you have ties to the area. And not everybody wants to move so they accept if they want to work then they won’t earn the money that can be earned in other places.
why do so many of you get so hyped up about foriegn drivers coming to the UK and working■■? I try so hard to stay well away from these threads but i can’t hold back any longer. These people are not commiting any crimes. They are not ■■■■■■ anyone. They are not robbing anyone. They are not murdering anyone or mugging elderly people. Nor are they signing on the dole or draining the social security funds. They are here to work. I find it very hard to believe that they work for much less than the rest. (Nolans in Ireland employ approx 70 Polish drivers and they are paid exactly the same as their Irish or otherwise colleagues). FACT. Why would they agree to work for any less■■?
These people want to better their lives. They want their kids to have a decent future. They want to buy decent clothes, live in decent accomodation, save up and take their familiy on holiday, drive a half decent car, walk down the street without the fear of getting slaughtered for a few pound. What the [zb] is wrong with that? If there is such a shortage of hgv drivers in the UK, aren’t these people easing the problem? I don’t know. Nor do I blame anyone who comes to the UK or Ireland in order to attempt to better themselves. I am so sick of the crap that comes out here about “bloody foreigners”. Sick of it. If you are so against the forigner doing “your” job, then go do something else. While I’m spouting off on this subject, I’m also sick of "Willi Betz this " and “willi betz that”. The increasing number of WB trucks on British roads is not the wb drivers’ fault. They are paid to go wherever their told to, whether it be UK, Germany or [zb] Afghanistan. Shame on you Canute driver who deliberatlly tried to put a WB truck on the hard shoulder last week right in front of me. Stop blaming these drivers. The problem goes well beyond them.
I agree wholeheartedly, and it’s a very emotive subject…but if you need stars to get it in, then I’ afraid it’s not allowed!!! L.
You’re missing the point totally.
Firstly, the driver shortage is nowhere near as big as they make out. There are plenty of drivers who have left the industry because of the money and the way we are treated and there are plenty more queueing up to follow them.
The bigger the shortage grows, the more the money will go up to get drivers as they become fewer and further between.
By letting the foreigners come here who are on say £1/hr for our £7/hr will do nothing to improve things from a UK drivers point of view and probably make things worse long term. It doesn’t matter what the current rate is over here, it’s more than what they’re currently getting so that’s why they want to come, plus taking full advantage of our free NHS system which is already stretched beyond limits, as an example.
That’s my rant about it; I don’t have anything against them as people, it’s purely the effect it will have on our already zebidee’d transport industry.
Like I said before - get our own house sorted out first before starting other peoples.
Completely agree Kenny.
I have noticed a pattern on all of these threads.
Anyone who has actually been to eastern Europe cannot speak highly enough of eastern European drivers- who have nothing but are still prepared to give you half of it, to get you out of trouble.
Anyone who has not, simply recycles what he has read in his favourite tabloid newspaper on TruckNet every weekemd.
Vince
no its not cheap labour over here,its cheapskate companys employing them
In reply to Big ■■■■ - I was not disputing that woolworths arent struggling for drivers, i was just pointing out that wincanton are prepared to hire polish drivers on that contract, there is nothing to stop them doing it on others, same as the other big guns, that was in reply to those blnkered eyes that dont think it will happen when it is.
In reply to Rob K - ADR are based in Bristol, the only contract they have in Swindon is the woolworths contract, which is shared with Beavers in Swindon, Beavers are the main one, and they do pay £15 an hour on sundays and £13 on saturdays.
Gurner:
In reply to Rob K - ADR are based in Bristol, the only contract they have in Swindon is the woolworths contract, which is shared with Beavers in Swindon, Beavers are the main one, and they do pay £15 an hour on sundays and £13 on saturdays.
And they wonder why they can’t get drivers offering these pitiful rates. I wouldn’t get out of bed for those rates on either day. I do know that the agency can only pay so much though as the Tesco drivers told their ‘tm’ that if the agency drivers got more than them they’d go on strike or something.
Wincanton drivers are on the same rate as the agency in woollys.
You are telling me that you would rather work two nights for £8.50 an hour than do one sunday and almost make or make the same pay, cracking idea !!
Gurner:
Wincanton drivers are on the same rate as the agency in woollys.
You are telling me that you would rather work two nights for £8.50 an hour than do one sunday and almost make or make the same pay, cracking idea !!
No, I didn’t say that at all. But I don’t work weekends unless the money is exceptionally good and Sunday’s would have to be £18.00/hr at least.
Then ill refer to my original point, let say you do 10 paid on a sunday @ £15 an hour, so thats £150, or do 10 paid at £8.50 so thats £88.50.
So to earn on a weekday what you can earn on a sunday, you would have to do about 18 hours, now can you see why doing a sunday at £15 may be the better option.
Of course at the end of the day you may just not want to work sundays, im not bothered to be honest as im a family man with a young child so i get to see him in the week anyway if i work a sunday.
oddsodz:
no its not cheap labour over here,its cheapskate companys employing them
For once and once only 
i totally agree with you Odd.