Truck driver shortage 2021 solved by making roads more dangerous

Brexiters couldn’t answer the question “Which EU laws do you want to repeal?” They’ve finally found the answer: Further soften the limit on the hours that HGV drivers work. Tired drivers = more dangerous roads!

See video for more information

The truck driver shortage 2021

The haulage industry problems are impacting on food and other deliveries. This has been caused by a combination of Corona virus and Brexit. Six months after the Brexit rules came into affect it’s taken the Government a long time to admit that these problems exist, but they daren’t admit that Brexit is a major contributing factor. This is literally where the rubber hits the road!

The Road Haulage Association has condemned the move. “This is madness when the logistics industry has collectively and specifically advised against this,” said RHA CEO Richard Burnett. “Loading more hours on to drivers that are already exhausted is not the answer, this will only push more to leave. It also risks road safety.

HGV driver hours extended by government in bid to counter shortage – The Grocer – July 2021

Immigration and Border issues

A large percentage of UK truck drivers were actually EU citizens, a large number of whom have returned to the EU due to Brexit.

The UK has now closed its borders to unskilled EU citizens, consequently there are fewer fruit pickers.

The delays at the borders now make border crossing journeys less attractive compared with internal work in the EU.

Brexit Government refuses RHA proposal

Road Haulage Association (RHA) has a different solution, make it easier for haulage companies to hire drivers from abroad, but the Brexit government seems dead set against that.

Temporary?

Will extended drivers hours really be temporary?

Home secretary’s view

Truck driving is not a skilled occupation so won’t be given points on immigration visa applications.

Comments from the video

Philip Hilton ran a haulage firm

This is an absolutely horrendous idea. I still hold a UK operator’s license and ran a haulage firm over two years when I lived in the UK. The reason for the tachograph system and limiting driver hours was the high accident rate caused by lack of rest. This is very well understood and a very, very bad idea. Your reaction time goes through the floor when you start building up sleep debt and you micro-sleep. Simply put this will kill people.

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