Fuel shortages are getting worse in some parts of the country, in particular London and the south-east, the chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has said.
Brian Madderson warned the shortages remained a “really big problem” in these areas.
To be clear, it's not exactly a fuel shortage. It's a labor shortage, specificially, a shortage of truck drivers. When the Brits were in the EU, citizens of other EU couontries could work there without visas. For employment purposes, it was akin to a citizen of NY taking a job in FL, except that the New Yorker could easily become a citizen of Florida and the Slovakian who was driving trucks in England couldn't take out British citizenship.
When the Brits left the EU, a lot of truck drivers returned home. This was pushed along by the pandemic, as the drivers opted to go endure the pandemic with their families.
The Brits are trying everything they can think of, incluiding luring retired guys back behind the wheel. But driving a fuel truck requires special licensing and exams and, well, you guessed it, that process is backed up. British industry needs another 100,000 truck drivers who can drive hazardous shit around and those guys are nowhere to be found.
The good times promised by the Brexiteers continue.
Military tankers are the stop gap in the game: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/british-military-help-with-fuel-deliveries-monday-2021-10-01/
ReplyDeleteAt the highest level this is getting off a network without a plan. The pandemic is ironic icing on the cake.
Reminds me of something my friend Jack once told an ex-girlfriend: "You can kick me out, but you can't kick me back in."
ReplyDelete-Doug in Sugar Pine
...and yet the common language of the EU is English. Meanwhile, the French, for all their truly wonderful aspects, have their head you know where. The Germans are doing the best at the heavy weather besetting us all. Maybe keeping your head down, keeping a lid on nationalist glory and soldiering on in a practical way is what works.
ReplyDeleteMy previous job learned this the hard way. It took a minimum of two months to get somebody trained and licensed to do the job. When the company was taken over, they instituted a hiring freeze. It takes two seconds for someone to quit or be fired, but it still took two months minimum to have a replacement. Overtime went through the roof as the months increased, and customers were not happy. I bailed after six months of this, and learned later that it took a year and a half more to get it under control.
ReplyDeleteTemporary visas are a band aid for a sucking chest wound. Britain is going to have more shocks along this line due to Brexit, but the politicians will blame the EU for being bullies instead of facing reality. Probably a black market is already up and running for goods not produced in the U.K. - like tobacco. Remoaners were “fear mongers”…and right.
It's a common blind spot.
ReplyDeleteOnce one has accepted a premise, it's hard to give it up.