Guest Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 A few on here might follow Lawrie on YouTube. Here he explains why he's not going back on the wagons. TLDR; It's a horrible job. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johann Marsbar Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 12 minutes ago, 30801 said: Their entitlement to drive up to 7.5 tonnes would seem to be the same as my grandfathered C1 licence but I haven't had any call-up papers so far. It'll be interesting to see if those of us still with that category get a letter..... My PCV licence is still valid to next April (though I let the CPC lapse) so I might get a letter encouraging me to help out with the bus driver shortage as well ! 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2021 2 hours ago, 30801 said: I always find if funny how people are apoplectic when someone rides a bicycle up the hard shoulder of a motorway when that to me seems rather safer than riding on a dual carriageway or even most A roads. Absolutely, I saw a guy doing this on the M27 a couple of years back and my initial thought was "tired of living" but as you say, in reality safer than many narrow trunk roads. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 1, 2021 7 hours ago, admiles said: No one is excusing anything. As I said maybe they had no choice but to queue there or run out? You have no idea what amount of fuel they had any more than any of us do. But keep ranting away! I note you’re Back to your usual trolling. It’s not a rant all. If you can’t see the danger in queuing on a dual carriageway on a slow left hand bend, then you shouldn’t comment as you look like an apologist for poor driving. Prior to the garage in question the same drivers had passed several garages with fuel. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium phil-b259 Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2021 More morons! A tanker driver has told how he was tailed by about 20 drivers who were dismayed to discover he was not transporting petrol. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-58767230 1 11 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium MJI Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2021 6 hours ago, melmerby said: Had to do some driving around Redditch yesterday. I went past 3 filling stations, none had huge queues. Generally 4 or 5 vehicles waiting, nothing abnormal. One I went past twice (first time about 13:30) had increased to about 10 vehicles by 16:00, it is also the cheapest for miles, usually at least 4p/litre cheaper than the average. I unfortunately work in redditch, not seen any tractor juice at Tesco. Luckily on monday my local Tesco had tractor juice and minimal queue. I live near our Tesco and work near redditch tesco 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Titan Posted October 1, 2021 Share Posted October 1, 2021 2 hours ago, chris p bacon said: Prior to the garage in question the same drivers had passed several garages with fuel. And you wait until now to mention that? Why not mention this extremely relevant information earlier when it would have strengthened your argument? 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John M Upton Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2021 1 hour ago, phil-b259 said: More morons! A tanker driver has told how he was tailed by about 20 drivers who were dismayed to discover he was not transporting petrol. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-58767230 I grow increasingly dismayed at the growing stupidity of a significant section of the British public!!! 10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 1, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 1, 2021 1 hour ago, MJI said: I unfortunately work in redditch, not seen any tractor juice at Tesco. Luckily on monday my local Tesco had tractor juice and minimal queue. I live near our Tesco and work near redditch tesco Didn't go near Redditch Tesco, It's probably a bit out of the way for most folk, so can't comment. The VVS at Beoley X roads definitely had fuel, it's the one I passed twice and the one I use if I'm around there and need petrol. I have a feeling the BP in Washford Drive also had fuel. I actually passed 6 filling stations but wasn't especially looking as I have more than ½ tankful, I just noted some had fuel and the queues weren't too long. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hodgson Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 I went to Tesco today so my partner could have her flu jab (I can't have mine because I'm too old for the vaccine they do have and they haven't got the supplies of the geriatric vaccine). Still enormous queues for fuel and it was difficult to get into the car park. Big hand-written notice inside the shop saying we've got most products and we've got petrol, but we've sold more petrol in the last 5 days than we normally sell in 3 weeks. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeysarefun Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, phil-b259 said: More morons! A tanker driver has told how he was tailed by about 20 drivers who were dismayed to discover he was not transporting petrol. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-58767230 If I'd known about your fuel probs last week I'd have tipped youse off that the War Rig from Fury Road is up for sale here... Could be handy. https://www.lloydsauctions.com.au/madmax/ Edited October 2, 2021 by monkeysarefun 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkC Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 7 hours ago, John M Upton said: I grow increasingly dismayed at the growing stupidity of a significant section of the British public!!! "Education Education Education" worked well then. Oh, hang on... 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockershovel Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 16 hours ago, Titan said: I suspect that things might take a long time. It would appear that there were not enough drivers to satisfy normal demand prior to the panic, but because there were only just not enough, the result was that stocks in garages were very slowly reducing, until eventually a few BP garages actually ran out before getting their next delivery. So supply could not keep up with normal demand even before the panic. Now even if we could find enough drivers to satisfy the normal (not panic) demand, we actually need significantly more than that because now we need more drivers to achieve not only normal demand, but enough extra deliveries to ensure garages regain a bit of leeway otherwise we will only at best keep having the garages occasionally running out. And until people see all the garages open all the time, they are always going to fill up to the max whenever they have a chance, just in case - and remember it only took 5 closed BP garages in the entire country to start this. No, it took 5 closed BP garages plus the involvement of the national media to start this, plus an underlying problem (or several) which was (were) already well advanced. It's clear that some sort of fuel crisis was inevitable, in the fairly near future. It's like the current ballyhoo in the media about visa schemes for drivers. It was always obvious that some sort of crisis was inevitable, because the costs of training and ongoing certification, allied to ongoing wage erosion, casualisation of employment, erosion of working conditions and uncontrolled expansion of traffic volumes were all pointing that way, and a lot of informed commentators were pointing it out, long ago. The question will be, what the government intend to do about it, longer term. I strongly suspect that within the next 5-10 years the haulage sector will largely switch over to "platooning" of lorries between distribution hubs, with slightly longer transit times (because of the extra shunting) as a corollary. Employment in the sector will be substantially reduced. It will take time, because present distribution chains are stretched so taut that they cannot accept this, nor do the necessary tractors exist in sufficient numbers, but it will come. 4 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold 97406 Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) I avoided the queues for fuel thanks to a bout of insomnia at 3am this morning. I was lying there worrying about finally getting low on fuel after leaving it since this all started. I nipped out and found a garage just outside town, £35 cap, and managed to get some fuel with no queue or fuss. So if you’re getting low on fuel, this is an option. I should be fine for a couple of weeks or more, now. Edited October 2, 2021 by 97406 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold adb968008 Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) If your in my part of the world, North Surrey/M25 a local resident set up this, its a really rudimentary page, but if you get fuel, share the update where, if you need fuel take a look where its available. https://www.ziggerwebdesign.co.uk/fuel-availability Its been really useful, on our local facebook he said he’d had over 100k hits in the last week. Edited October 2, 2021 by adb968008 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Neil Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 2, 2021 Military to deliver fuel from Monday. Whatever next? The Queens Own Light Fruit Pickers? The Household Carers? 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
hayfield Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 11 hours ago, phil-b259 said: More morons! A tanker driver has told how he was tailed by about 20 drivers who were dismayed to discover he was not transporting petrol. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-58767230 I read this article and some of the dopy drivers even complained that he never stopped to tell them he was not delivering petrol I managed to top up my tank on Tuesday so I could pick up my sister from MK, then yesterday was able to top up again so I can take her back. Unless she has to dash back I should have enough petrol for a couple of weeks. My next pinch point is a funeral in East Sussex at the end of the month. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) 17 hours ago, Johann Marsbar said: It'll be interesting to see if those of us still with that category get a letter..... My PCV licence is still valid to next April (though I let the CPC lapse) so I might get a letter encouraging me to help out with the bus driver shortage as well ! I am pretty sure they are only targeting those drivers who were HGV drivers before, those that they have records for of course. I am certain I won’t be getting a letter asking me to use my C1 status (live until 2025) which I gained driving an Austin 1100 during my driving test back in 1971 Edited October 2, 2021 by boxbrownie 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcm@gwr Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 I have C1 and C1E, valid until 2028, but I'm also not expecting a call! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold chris p bacon Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 2, 2021 12 hours ago, Titan said: And you wait until now to mention that? Why not mention this extremely relevant information earlier when it would have strengthened your argument? I’m sure I’d posted that there were plenty of other garages. some had caps and 1 was hgv only, but the A1 has a succession of garages where it’s a dual carriageway. I went from Bedfordshire to Morpeth and there were plenty of garages with fuel. As an aside, when I arrived in the village I asked the local garage what their fuel situation was and they said they’d not had a problem, but were they to see someone unknown go beyond £30 on the pumps they would switch it off. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
andytrains Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 2 hours ago, Neil said: Military to deliver fuel from Monday. Whatever next? The Queens Own Light Fruit Pickers? The Household Carers? Well we have got the RCTS, (Royal Corp of Train Spotters). 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 1 hour ago, boxbrownie said: I am pretty sure they are only targeting those drivers who were HGV drivers before, those that they have records for of course. They don't hold any information like that. Hence the other bit of hilarity where ambulance drivers have been sent letters suggesting they go be HGV drivers instead. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Jonboy Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 2, 2021 5 minutes ago, 30801 said: They don't hold any information like that. Hence the other bit of hilarity where ambulance drivers have been sent letters suggesting they go be HGV drivers instead. Funnily enough that was why our local ambulance service stopped training C1 and made people acquire it privately before joining, as they kept training people only for them to depart to go lorry driving….20 years ago or so…. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pacific231G Posted October 2, 2021 Share Posted October 2, 2021 (edited) In my part of West London only one filling station has had fuel for the past few days and that was yesterday morning when I was able to fill up. I walked past it this morning and it's now dry again. It seems that London has a particular problem though I'm not sure why. I have three important trips to make next week but only have enough fuel (with a sensible reserve) in the tank for two of them so unless the situation changes one of them will have to go- the last one is the most important. It's all very well the government telling everyone to behave normally but normally I'd just make the journeys and simply fill up when the tank is low. I can't do that now because I can't be sure of getting fuel. A lot of people must be in the same situation and it's more that which is driving higher than usual demand than "panic buying" As usual the government seems to have been caught completely unawares by a totally predictable situation. I could see it coming as, at the end of August the same situaton arose with several airfields that ran out of Avgas (aviation gasoline which is different from what goes into cars) due to a shortage of tanker drivers. In that case few people needed to fly so there was no scramble for fuel and it was easy enough to phone around so the situation resolved itself very quickly. That simply won't happen with the present situation for some time. Edited October 2, 2021 by Pacific231G missing words 4 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted October 2, 2021 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 2, 2021 1 hour ago, 30801 said: They don't hold any information like that. Hence the other bit of hilarity where ambulance drivers have been sent letters suggesting they go be HGV drivers instead. Maybe, just maybe they communicated with major haulage companies who would have had records and proceed from there? They just have records from somewhere to be able to send the letters out. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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