[News] There's no need to panic buy petrol

[drew]

A follow up to my lorry drivers view of th e driver shortage and Brexit, this is not so much about Brexit, as that is only 20% of the driver shortage, there are still 80,000 drivers short. This started back in 2009, with the DCPC many older drivers refused to do this and gave up their licence. Government have been warned about this since, 12 years later it come to fruition.
HGV drivers are treated like shit, give us lorry parks, somewhere we can feel safe in, not these grotty services, where you would not even wash a dog in for a shower.
People are still panicking about the fuel, yes I managed to fill my truck up this morning the person on the pump down from me filled his up at a total cost of £12. He thought it was funny when I said to him that he was a bell end and causing the shortage, only to be told that it's my ****ing fault being a lorry driver.
The media have blown this out of proportion by reporting it. The shortage is only with BP and Shell because Hoyer supply them, and a lot of the drivers have left due to low pay compared with other companies.
Unless people stop panic buying fuel this will go on for a long time, all the while this is happening lorry drivers are getting low on Derv, this means more chances of empty shelves in the supermarket then more panic buying. Bring in a minimum spend at fuel pumps of £50.

Key workers are those that have the letter from the government and NHS that classes them as Key workers.

A lot of cars will fill a tank on less than £50. You're also expecting people to be down to fumes before they fill up. If there is going to be a minimum, which I agree with, charge should more likely be £30.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

A follow up to my lorry drivers view of th e driver shortage and Brexit, this is not so much about Brexit,.

France and Germany, and others, have less than their desired amount of drivers, and have done for many years, but do not have fuel or food shortages. What’s the difference?

 

[Lindfield by the Pond]

I can use one to one and half tanks of petrol a week, sometimes more. I'm sure there are plenty like me. Where I agree is that those that don't regularly use their car during the week have already topped up and don't need to again.

Yep, its those that use a fair amount on a weekly basis that are seriously affected, but I guess the point I am badly trying to make (or even light at end of tunnel I am hoping to offer those frustrated), is that if you need it, it should (by logic) be available, but you will have to queue.

Hopefully soon those panicking, will soon give up the daily £5 top up, leaving those who need £40 once a week a space?

 

[Fat Boy Fat]

Low and behold they lied/did not know/clueless/made it up as they go along.
Fuel industry saying that the situation is not stabilising at all.
Is the ability to lie with a straight face a prerequisite to getting a ministerial role?

Do bears defecate in the woods?

 

[Randy McNob]

Petrol crisis explained in 6 seconds

[tweet]1443100367290568706[/tweet]

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

France and Germany, and others, have less than their desired amount of drivers, and have done for many years, but do not have fuel or food shortages. What’s the difference?

We don’t have fuel or food shortages either. We have atypical excess demand for fuel.

 

[GT49er]

A follow up to my lorry drivers view of th e driver shortage and Brexit, this is not so much about Brexit, as that is only 20% of the driver shortage, there are still 80,000 drivers short. This started back in 2009, with the DCPC many older drivers refused to do this and gave up their licence. Government have been warned about this since, 12 years later it come to fruition.
HGV drivers are treated like shit, give us lorry parks, somewhere we can feel safe in, not these grotty services, where you would not even wash a dog in for a shower.
People are still panicking about the fuel, yes I managed to fill my truck up this morning the person on the pump down from me filled his up at a total cost of £12. He thought it was funny when I said to him that he was a bell end and causing the shortage, only to be told that it's my ****ing fault being a lorry driver.
The media have blown this out of proportion by reporting it. The shortage is only with BP and Shell because Hoyer supply them, and a lot of the drivers have left due to low pay compared with other companies.
Unless people stop panic buying fuel this will go on for a long time, all the while this is happening lorry drivers are getting low on Derv, this means more chances of empty shelves in the supermarket then more panic buying. Bring in a minimum spend at fuel pumps of £50.

Key workers are those that have the letter from the government and NHS that classes them as Key workers.

Agree with most of that, but for heaven's sake don't go wittering on about a £50 minimum spend. I don't think I could get fifty quidsworth into my car - and if I did, I'd have been running on fumes for the last few miles, constantly worrying whether I'll reach a petrol station or not.
I've never liked running the fuel down to the last drops - fuel guages haven't always been very accurate! -so I normally fill when the level drops a bit below quarter full, usually spending about thirty quid - give or take a bit depending on the ever fluctuating price of fuel. I don't think that's unreasonable, and will continue to do the same (and hopefully will do soon - I haven't made a dash to top up since this crisis befell us).
Didn't know about all that DCPC nonsense - successive governments (making no distinctions here) have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot - and more annoyingly, introducing legislation which is going to cost people (not them!) money!

 

[Weststander]

France and Germany, and others, have less than their desired amount of drivers, and have done for many years, but do not have fuel or food shortages. What’s the difference?

The French face this crises frequently - 2010, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020. Some industrial action, a stampede to top up, then days of closed stations and the country grinds to a halt. Although a different trigger, the very same human condition of “They’re all hoarding, I better too”.




My revised question is, why does Germany never face car fuel supply issues?

 

[beorhthelm]

France and Germany, and others, have less than their desired amount of drivers, and have done for many years, but do not have fuel or food shortages. What’s the difference?

read on a bit futher, another important factor provided.

...The shortage is only with BP and Shell because Hoyer supply them, and a lot of the drivers have left due to low pay compared with other companies.

no doubt brexit is a factor, just not the only one one. there's also apparently a large backlog of HGV applications with DVLA, higher number covers the shortfall in the past 2 years (bit conveniently so take a pinch of salt).

 

[jessiejames]

France and Germany, and others, have less than their desired amount of drivers, and have done for many years, but do not have fuel or food shortages. What’s the difference?

They have better working conditions. The whole of Europe have truck stops, where it's safe to park and free with a amenities to use including free showers.tipped
Sometimes I can deliver to a regional distribution centre and once booked in I have to leave my keys with them and have to sit in a drivers room, sometimes having to wait for 3 hours just to be tipped.

 

[Fitzcarraldo]

We don’t have fuel or food shortages either. We have atypical excess demand for fuel.

What's the word used if there isn't the supply to meet this atypical excess demand?

 

[BN9 BHA]

My dad queued for around 45 mind to get his this morning as had run out. Put his usual £25 in, lasts him a couple of weeks. Till operator said it was one of the highest amounts he had taken this morning, guy before him had topped up to full....£3.72!

Where was this?

 

[vegster]

Agree with most of that, but for heaven's sake don't go wittering on about a £50 minimum spend. I don't think I could get fifty quidsworth into my car - and if I did, I'd have been running on fumes for the last few miles, constantly worrying whether I'll reach a petrol station or not.
I've never liked running the fuel down to the last drops - fuel guages haven't always been very accurate! -so I normally fill when the level drops a bit below quarter full, usually spending about thirty quid - give or take a bit depending on the ever fluctuating price of fuel. I don't think that's unreasonable, and will continue to do the same (and hopefully will do soon - I haven't made a dash to top up since this crisis befell us).
Didn't know about all that DCPC nonsense - successive governments (making no distinctions here) have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot - and more annoyingly, introducing legislation which is going to cost people (not them!) money!

A £50 minimum spend would be ridiculous, far better to have a national £30 MAX spend in times of crisis. £30 gets you plenty of miles, you are quicker through the pumps and there is more fuel to go around. Obviously some people will try and cheat and go back for another £30 spend but if they are willing to queue up for another 20 minutes for a second lot of juice then you have to accept the fact that there are morons amongst us.

As for the big issue of shortages of drivers, there was a South Today interview with an ex-Army logistics officer and he said that most of our problems are down to our " Just in Time" supply lines that companies employ these days to keep costs down and to make more money. He said that the petrol supply issue could be solved long term only by spending money to put a better infrastructure in place that can cope with surges in demand and he said that " that was unlikely to happen " .

. A simple anology ... if I like to drink a bottle of wine a day it would be sensible to buy 7 days worth in one purchase rather than buy one a day. if I go to the shop on a given day and they have already sold out, I miss out on my bottle of wine. If I have bought 7 bottles and on a day when I would have bought a bottle they have sold out, I do not go without my bottle of wine. However, I have six bottles of wine paid for in advance that I don't really need. So, if I splash out, I have a safety margin, if I rely on the store being open/ having stock on a daily basis then there is always a chance I will miss out but I will have 6 bottles worth of cash to spend on other things. If the store is having supply issues on a day when I would usually buy my 7 bottles then maybe I should buy 5 bottles that day and give the store 5 days to replenish without me either buying 7 bottles or having to traipse down every day.

 

[jessiejames]

read on a bit futher, another important factor provided.



no doubt brexit is a factor, just not the only one one. there's also apparently a large backlog of HGV applications with DVLA, higher number covers the shortfall in the past 2 years (bit conveniently so take a pinch of salt).

Agree with the point about DVLA, had a driver with faulty drivers card, replacement one arrived 5 weeks after being reported, driver can only drive a maximum of 15 days without one, however when he reported it faulty he also applied for his new one, that arrived within 2 days, however he could not use it until the faulty one run out.

I replied to a thread on here regarding costs of getting an HGV someone was thinking about a career change, I did warn them that once u pass it's difficult to get a job due to lack of experience, this is because insurers only accept drivers with at least 2 years experience, so I would have to work for an agency, again when companies use agencies they want ones who the know.

 

[vegster]

My dad queued for around 45 mind to get his this morning as had run out. Put his usual £25 in, lasts him a couple of weeks. Till operator said it was one of the highest amounts he had taken this morning, guy before him had topped up to full....£3.72!

Saw the opposite on South Today, they talked to someone filling up their car ( couldn't see the model ) but they put 70 litres of juice in ! over £100 !!! Gannets !

 

[jessiejames]

Agree with most of that, but for heaven's sake don't go wittering on about a £50 minimum spend. I don't think I could get fifty quidsworth into my car - and if I did, I'd have been running on fumes for the last few miles, constantly worrying whether I'll reach a petrol station or not.
I've never liked running the fuel down to the last drops - fuel guages haven't always been very accurate! -so I normally fill when the level drops a bit below quarter full, usually spending about thirty quid - give or take a bit depending on the ever fluctuating price of fuel. I don't think that's unreasonable, and will continue to do the same (and hopefully will do soon - I haven't made a dash to top up since this crisis befell us).
Didn't know about all that DCPC nonsense - successive governments (making no distinctions here) have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot - and more annoyingly, introducing legislation which is going to cost people (not them!) money!

A £50 more minimum would stop people topping up, having a maximum of £30 would be no good for lorries, coaches and emergency services.

 

[GT49er]

A simple anology ... if I like to drink a bottle of wine a day it would be sensible to buy 7 days worth in one purchase rather than buy one a day. if I go to the shop on a given day and they have already sold out, I miss out on my bottle of wine. If I have bought 7 bottles and on a day when I would have bought a bottle they have sold out, I do not go without my bottle of wine. However, I have six bottles of wine paid for in advance that I don't really need. So, if I splash out, I have a safety margin, if I rely on the store being open/ having stock on a daily basis then there is always a chance I will miss out but I will have 6 bottles worth of cash to spend on other things. If the store is having supply issues on a day when I would usually buy my 7 bottles then maybe I should buy 5 bottles that day and give the store 5 days to replenish without me either buying 7 bottles or having to traipse down every day.

How many of them did you drink before embarking on thar particular analogy!

 

[Justice]

A £50 more minimum would stop people topping up, having a maximum of £30 would be no good for lorries, coaches and emergency services.

We just got some juice in Shepherds Bush some lunatic blocked the road trying to jump the queue we left just as it was beginning to kick off. It was a nice orderly queue before the **** arrived thinking he was above queuing in his expensive 4x4. £35 in the tank lovely. Uber drivers apparently are entitled to more than £35 now that’s a piss take IMO.

 

[GT49er]

A £50 more minimum would stop people topping up, having a maximum of £30 would be no good for lorries, coaches and emergency services.

The panic buying is a thing involving (primarily) private motorists, is it not?

Limiting lorries and buses to thirty quidsworth (which nobody has suggested) would be at least as stupid as introducing a £50 minimum for small private cars.

 

[vegster]

A £50 more minimum would stop people topping up, having a maximum of £30 would be no good for lorries, coaches and emergency services.

I'd have the £30 Max spend for private cars, coaches, lorries Ambulances and "essential " vehicles would be exempt. If everyone took enough to get by on then we would not be in the shit. There must be millions of cars now sat with full tanks that they don't really use or need but their owners are smugly thinking " I'm all right jack " .