I am aware we have a transport safety thread ongoing & that this can be slotted in there. However, there are political, economic & logistical ramifications which leaves it only suitable for this board.

I was very surprised to see that the US are suffering from similar problems & with the size of the US compared to the UK, find it amazing that such a large country would let their logistics head in that direction.

UK

Wake up call as truck driver shortage hits crisis point

Ticking time-bomb

Britain needs HGV drivers

Treat drivers better & it may solve shortage

UK's "modest budget" falls short of boosting haulage industry

Food supply threatened

Driver shortage threatens Heathrow

USA

No easy solutions in sight

Driver shortage as bad as it's ever been & getting worse

& finally, one to scare the crap out of all car drivers everywhere :-)

Sorry darling, just watching the latest DVD & will be home by the time it finishes

Oh & for those who think all freight should be by rail, bit expensive don't you think of having rail terminuses at each Tesco/Sainsbury's/Morrison/TKMax/Primark/Starbucks/McDonalds etc site.

While reading some further links from those above, found this from the New York Times...

Nice video

...15% boost to capacity year on year...

...which links in nicely to the links in the previous post on freight costs increasing due to driver shortages. Increased capacity only makes matters worse, not better in the current logistical climate.

So sirius if you have a shortage of drivers i might come back home to pommy land and work there .

Any chance you can help me out there , any jobs with the mob your with ....

Ow hang on what one of your links says there being underpay'd so how much per hour do you guys get over there so i can compare rates before coming back home to work there and lopping onto your door step with G'day mate can i stay here a few days till i get somewhere , no worry's i''l pay my way you wont have to support me and i'm not a blugger and i promise i'll move out within a year or 2 :))

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It all depends on the class & the company. There are still many out there where they pay overtime at flat rate with some at time & a quarter.

No wonder there is a driver shortage.

I saw a C1 job advertised yesterday - £8.50 per hour with some overtime available - OT rate? Flat rate.

As those Loadstar reports show, there are three serious issues with the shortage in the UK.

1: Costs in licenses & training
2: Insurance (it's nigh on impossible to get a driver under 25 decently insured)
3: Experienced drivers handing in their keys with the dCPC being the last straw.

How to cause chaos.

Operation Stack - is there a better solution?

London disruption

With most engineering work done over the weekend period, where is Health & Safety as well as the railway inspectorate on Boris' all night service?

Fantastic to see an old Bedford TK put to such brilliant use.

Transformers Mk 5

The video is excellent.

Sirius, and comments?
http://projects.aljazeera.com/2015/06/longhaul-trucking/

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Sirius, and comments?
http://projects.aljazeera.com/2015/06/longhaul-trucking/

Talking big rig tractor trailer semi trucking in Australia
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W4_84c8w68

Sirius, and comments?
http://projects.aljazeera.com/2015/06/longhaul-trucking/

Thanks for the link Gary. Very interesting. Where to start, that is the question.

1st, that report is scary. Even though our transport industry is heading the same way, we do have regulations that does make sense in a safety respect. Yours is too damned dangerous. Only 30 minutes break in 11 hours of driving?

If that was here in the UK & Europe, that break would be a legal minimum of 90 minutes - 1 45m break every 4.5 hours of driving - 4.5hrs: 45m break - 9hrs: 45m break with an extended 1 hour driving period allowed only twice a week & not on consecutive days.

Had a major argument only last week with a "so-called" transport manager - 28 years old, no HGV license or experience but plenty of "academic" qualifications. He tried telling me that under our current regulations a two man team can drive up to 21 hours.

I tried informing him that the extended hour regulation does not apply to 2 man driving crews, therefore the maximum driving allowed under the law is 18. The conversation got very interesting with other experienced drivers listening in - he lost the argument (I really am grateful for purchasing a smartphone - have every document regarding driving laws/regulations from DVSA(was VOSA).

To date, I have never had a situation where we did 18 hours - 13.5 yes (9 for me & 4.5 for my oppo), actual working day was just over 20 - we did not work the next day (needed 11 hours break).

We have the very same problem that the US has - Distribution/Warehousing. They don't give a crap about truckers, it's their way or the highway.

I love this comment in the report for the simple fact, no matter which country one is in IT'S TRUE!

“If you bought it, a truck brought it.”

"But I truly adore this one as I've said this too often in the past:

The HoS (Hours of Service) overhaul back in the early 2000's has been an incredible burden to *most* truckers from it's implementation (and the subsequent tweaks) and will continue to be, unless some flexibility is put back into it. I think the intentions were good when the studies began, but I also think they were done from the perspective of your typical white collar employee who only know the world of bankers hours."

& finally, what has become my pet hate - Many have left the industry because of it: The dCPC - Drivers Certificate of Professional Competence...

...for Christ's sake, doesn't the fact that all HGV drivers had to take extensive training followed by a tough driving test & if passed, proves that competency? Why do we need another card which we MUST carry with us at all times we are in our vehicles otherwise we get fined, courtesy of the EU & costing £350 every 5 years.

Both the US & UK really need to get their drivers united & stop driving for 3 days continuous...

..."If trucks stopped running for a day, according to the American Trucking Associations, there would be severe fuel shortages in the nation’s gas stations. If they stopped running for three days, hospital patients would die for lack of medical supplies, and supermarkets would start running out of food".

I don't know about the States, but if that happened here, the ******* bureaucrats will demand that the Army be called out.

This is also happening here:

"The big companies tend to hire young, poorly trained, badly paid drivers and pressure them to get as far as possible in their electronically monitored 11-hour stints."

Money talks, safety walks.

This is also happening here:

"The big companies tend to hire young, poorly trained, badly paid drivers and pressure them to get as far as possible in their electronically monitored 11-hour stints."

Money talks, safety walks.

Unfortunate truth. Necessity of maintaining cash flow.

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Well Sirius i'll stay here , you can stuff 8 pound 50 per hour even with the fall in the dollar that's way to low .

It's $27.50 per hour that's about 14 pound per hour . time and harf for first 3 hours then double time . More if you have Dangerous goods or other tickets . And that for only a HR licence not HC or MC

Explanation of Licenses in Australia

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Too little too late

We need a nationwide transport strike, that'll make them sit up & listen because there is no way the army can cover the whole of the UK :-)

Too little too late

We need a nationwide transport strike, that'll make them sit up & listen because there is no way the army can cover the whole of the UK :-)

Sirius in that article it say's the drivers are being fined for having the illegals on there trucks .
This sounds a bit unfair if there being threatend . Are the drivers being fined if they tell the customs people yes i think there may be some people in the back of the truck ?
That's what i would be saying even if i haven't seen anybody sneeking onboard the trailer but i would not expect to get fined for being honest about it .

Sounds like your transport Union needs to take action and if that means you strike then go for it i say .

like you say the army can't fill all the positions for truckers seeing as there are probaly a lot of owner drivers and you can't sack them

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£2k per head - it's a ****ing joke the way this country treats it's lifeblood. Without transport, nothing moves!

Drivers fined on the rise

Official line
"We require them to take adequate steps to secure their vehicles from illegal immigrants trying to smuggle themselves across the border.

If a driver does not take these steps - and is found with people hiding in their vehicle - they will be issued with a civil penalty."

Real World

"Freight Transport Association spokesman Donald Armour said he had heard reports of drivers being attacked by gangs.

"These people are really, really desperate to get across the Channel to the UK, and they're not necessarily going to let one lorry driver get in the way," he said."

S*** that's a freaking joke 2 g's per person. Ok you might be able to lock the gates on a Box trailer but what about if you only got a Tautliner you can't do skit to stop people climbing onto the trailer they expect you to have eyes in the back of your head to keep a eye out for someone climbing onto it .

Sounds like a few of your P.M need to drive a truck for a few days to see just how hard it is for the driver to know weather someone has climb onto it . Gees man what a joke not like there is already enough things for drivers to worry about .

I spose they think you can stop every 20 miles or so and check man you would never get the goods to where they need to be on time if you did that and it still wouldn't stop it all that will happen is they will wait till the driver does his checks then when he get's back into the cab that's when they will jump on .

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you watch mate it will take a driver being killed trying to stop them before the P.M relise it's not the drivers that need to be held responisble for it but the dam police and customs buy making it impossible to climb on while waiting to cross the boarder

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Well, I'm looking forward to the next time I have a Refrigerated trailer on a European run.

Well, I'm looking forward to the next time I have a Refrigerated trailer on a European run.

Just make shore you got some bloody heavy duty locks mate and a freaking machete to protect yourself , I'd say buy a gun but that might get you into to much trouble .

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Well, I'm looking forward to the next time I have a Refrigerated trailer on a European run.

Just make shore you got some bloody heavy duty locks mate and a freaking machete to protect yourself , I'd say buy a gun but that might get you into to much trouble .

Naw, let them get on, crowbar the doors then set the temp to low as possible - 5 - 7 hours to return home, wonder how long does hypothermia take to set in?