Government and councils should ‘stop passing the buck’ on truck stops,

[Nick]

Article from El País about the lack of European long distance truck drivers.
It's just a pretty awful job.
https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-10-27/why-nobody-wants-to-be-a-trucker-anymore.html

The likes of Gerry and Ducky don't want to know the facts Barry, they're quite happy with lies as long as it fits the agenda. 

[Barry]

Article from El País about the lack of European long distance truck drivers.
It's just a pretty awful job.
https://english.elpais.com/economy-and-business/2021-10-27/why-nobody-wants-to-be-a-trucker-anymore.html

[Nick]

It costs about fifty quid just to park up and that comes out of the lorry drivers wallet first.

So it should: they have spent years masquerading as self employed, even though they were issued fuel cards, uniforms and all the other PAYE perks.
IR35 has outed them and now they don't want to do the job and get subjected to PAYE.

[johnofgwent]

Anyway, these days Smurphy, there are very large distribution depots next to all the major motorways, so the call for thousands of truck stops is a bit of a red herring. In that the main trunk road such as motorways where most of the large deliveries occurs to supply the distribution depots who then like Ducky said are on more local runs anyway, keeping local stores stocked. While motorways do have overnight parking at services, that maybe needs looking at. An expansion of those maybe a better alternative than some bunch of truck stops in the middle of nowhere servicing very little traffic. The rail network is also another alternative.

When the obstinate farmer that caused years of delays joining the M4 fragments to each other north of Bath with as finally extraordinarily renditioned and his farm repossesed by the queen, the M4 was FINALLY fully complete from Tredegar Park to London. The service station at Leigh Delamere opened and Dad was a customer on its first day


It was absolutely spotless and coffee was served by a chap in a liveried uniform wearing white gloves.


Today it's a f**king shithole and refugees wouldn't use their toilets.


It costs about fifty quid just to park up and that comes out of the lorry drivers wallet first.


There are two big lay-bys on dual carriageways within 2 miles of junction 25.


Thanks to cut price Latvians and Romanians using the M4 as a rat run from Eastern Europe to Ireland instead of rolling into a ferry and using a tenth of the diesel to travel by sea,
they have for years met the same description Orwell used in "a homage to catalonia" for the mountain ranges where the fascists "faced off" against the POUM at distances about three times the effective range of their rifles.


The glinting of the sun off the distant peak was not caused by snow, but by the reflection off thousands of bully beef Tim's, and the wind blowing past the peaks bore testament to the reality that they were in fact covered in shit.

[Borchester]

Why not give the drivers a 50% pay rise, which should please them, and double the size of the trucks, which will reduce the wage bill by 25%, which will please the employers?

[HDQQ]

Nor tanker drivers, all local drops.

I don't know what the norm for fuel tanker drivers' rest stops is. There might be special rules about where they should and shouldn't stop in their regular daily work.

[Nick]

I'm not sure that truck stops are relevant to drivers on supermarket deliveries. Many drivers take their rest breaks and eat their sandwiches at or near one of their destinations. I know that's what I used to do. It's more the long distance drivers who need the truck stops.

But yes, more truck stops would be a good idea all the same.

Nor tanker drivers, all local drops.

[Sheepy]

Anyway, these days Smurphy, there are very large distribution depots next to all the major motorways, so the call for thousands of truck stops is a bit of a red herring. In that the main trunk road such as motorways where most of the large deliveries occurs to supply the distribution depots who then like Ducky said are on more local runs anyway, keeping local stores stocked. While motorways do have overnight parking at services, that maybe needs looking at. An expansion of those maybe a better alternative than some bunch of truck stops in the middle of nowhere servicing very little traffic. The rail network is also another alternative.

[Thomas]

I'm not sure that truck stops are relevant to drivers on supermarket deliveries. Many drivers take their rest breaks and eat their sandwiches at or near one of their destinations. I know that's what I used to do. It's more the long distance drivers who need the truck stops.

i agree quack. I made a similar point that i dont think rest stops in general are that relevant in why truck driving is seen as a bad job and they have problems recruiting in post 8 of this thread.

Pappysmurf is the one making the fuss .

[HDQQ]

I'm not sure that truck stops are relevant to drivers on supermarket deliveries. Many drivers take their rest breaks and eat their sandwiches at or near one of their destinations. I know that's what I used to do. It's more the long distance drivers who need the truck stops.

But yes, more truck stops would be a good idea all the same.

[Thomas]

Up until recently they have mostly been "Self Employed" The new IR35 rules have put an end to that, and that's another reason they've all left the industry.

I think there is a whole host of reasons why there is a global truck driver shortage.

In this article , it says between 2019 and 2020 there were 14 million truck driving vacancies that have gotten worse since.

https://www.globaltrademag.com/why-do-we-have-a-trucking-shortage/

Its down to the haulage industry , along with help from governments to sort out the issues short term.

The interesting thing for me though , while i have utmost sympathy for drivers and the industry in general , not to mention concern about global supply issues , once again rejoiners hysterical screaming about brexit has been shown to be at best , overexaggerated , at worst  lies.

Talk about tactical blunders and doing the same thing over and over.

[papasmurf]

Up until recently they have mostly been "Self Employed" The new IR35 rules have put an end to that, and that's another reason they've all left the industry.

Who have been "mostly self-employed?" There are many reasons people have left the industry, retirement, illness, (can no longer pass the medical.) Lack of family life, crap pay, lack of dedicated truck stops, and it is in general not a good job.
Unless pay and conditions are enhanced the HGV driver shortage will not get any better.

[cromwell]

It has conveniently for you been deleted along with many others. Which as you are well aware can only be done by a moderator.

Mod Notice

You are blatantly accusing mods of doctoring posts which is untrue.
I expect you will withdraw that or suffer another ban,don't prevaricate.

[Nick]

That should be covered by employers, with no cost to the drivers.

Up until recently they have mostly been "Self Employed" The new IR35 rules have put an end to that, and that's another reason they've all left the industry.

[papasmurf]

Yes they should but unless they pay the facilities direct

There is a facility for doing that, but as far as I can find out so far very few out of the already few dedicated truck stops   have it.