What if EU drivers don't want to come work here?

JonnyHistory

Well-known member
Reading a lot the last two days regarding the governments inevitable upcoming u-turn on HGV drivers and emergency visas. It smacks of desperation and there is no guarantees that people will want to come. High inflation and infection rates still, tax rises on the way and an NHS at breaking point are not exactly selling the UK as a great place to work right now. Couple that with high living costs especially housing currently and I fear this desperation move will fall short of Boris's expectations.

I am curious as to what is the prevailing opinion on here, do you think it will provide enough plasters to cover the wound? Or is it destined for failure?
 
EU drivers have already told the haulier industry why they left and the number 1 reason was drivers being placed within ir35 reducing take home pay by about 20%.that some pay decrement. Wages have gone up so that me encourage them a bit but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
If the visa the government are offering is for only 6 months it might attract any out of work drivers, but would they quit a secure job?
 
£2000 signing on fee with an agency and 30% pay rise says they will
That would certainly help I am not sure all companies are doing that though.

Back in 1999 working in it loads of companies were offering huge bonuses for staying until 2001. It worked. Money certainly has a loud voice.
 
Of course they will come, lots of people seem happy to slag this country off but you forget how hard it is in thecountries.
 
The signing on fee won't hurt, but the short term contracts won't appeal to all and the UK is not as attractive to migrants as it once was. That's not to say its completely unappealing but Brexit has changed perceptions and this government have not treat them fairly through the process in a lot of cases.

I think its going to have some impact maybe enough to just scrape by the winter, hopefully that will be enough.
 
Money talks. They will come if the Governament make it easy for them to do so. What a great time this is for anyone who has an HGV license.
 
we need to be encouraging ex, forces,etc... who have hgv licences,also if it needs a wage increase for them then so be it!!!,,,also need to be encouraging new people to go into hgv work,and stop throwing obstacles in the way making it so difficult
 
What I call long distance lorry driving has been undervalued for as long as I remember and my own personal experience of the trade is exactly that and that was 20 years ago

I don`t believe it`s gotten any better and the current UK HGV driver shortage points directly at poor pay and working conditions

Just look at the linked article - How will Brexit affect HGV drivers

"With a valid CPC and a Cat 2 HGV licence, you can expect to earn in the region of £23,000-27,000/year, with even more being offered to those with an HGV CAT C+E licence"

Whao look at all that monies I can earn.......it`s disgusting.

The whole sector needs overhauling (no pun), better working conditions and better pay and we may start to attract more back in to driving HGV
 
So there are reports that say that over 230,000 HGV licences are held by people under 40 who have paid to pass the test but have not took up positions in the haulage industry.

"There are more 30 to 34-year-olds that fall into this category than there were total EU drivers in the UK before the pandemic.

It is unclear exactly why the numbers are so high, although working conditions, salary rates, and unsociable hours are all thought to be factors in the exodus of qualified people from the industry. Many individuals also hold an HGV licence for use in other roles such as driving distribution vans for the likes of Amazon and Ocado, while others will have moved into managerial roles. Some drivers will inevitably have stopped working altogether."

Would like to point out that Brexit has had an impact, specifically on immigration changes, "which removed the rights of many EU drivers to live and work in the UK, and Covid-19, which led some drivers to return to their home countries from where many have opted not to return."
 
Apparently, lack of drivers is only part of the problem. When leaving the EU, the Tories ideologically left everything including something called cabotage. Until 2021, a haulier could take things from mainland Europe to anywhere in Britain, then pick up another load and drop it somewhere else in Britain, before picking up a final load and heading to mainland Europe.

Leaving cabotage without any replacement has rendered haulage to Britain expensive and probably not worth doing for most, as they have to return empty.
 
Apparently, lack of drivers is only part of the problem. When leaving the EU, the Tories ideologically left everything including something called cabotage. Until 2021, a haulier could take things from mainland Europe to anywhere in Britain, then pick up another load and drop it somewhere else in Britain, before picking up a final load and heading to mainland Europe.

Leaving cabotage without any replacement has rendered haulage to Britain expensive and probably not worth doing for most, as they have to return empty.
A lot of this HGV work is by European haulier co's drivers paid by the driving hour. Border delays post-Brexit mean they're hanging around for no pay so they're telling their employers 'no thanks'. From the European haulier companies' viewpoint, there are fewer loads to take back to Europe so many of them would be returning empty. Combine this with plenty of customers in mainland Europe and it's no surprise they're choosing to give the UK a miss.
 
A lot of this HGV work is by European haulier co's drivers paid by the driving hour. Border delays post-Brexit mean they're hanging around for no pay so they're telling their employers 'no thanks'. From the European haulier companies' viewpoint, there are fewer loads to take back to Europe so many of them would be returning empty. Combine this with plenty of customers in mainland Europe and it's no surprise they're choosing to give the UK a miss.
This just shows how woefully prepared the so called Politicians of this country were. They had no idea of all the details and entered negotiations with a pompous attitude thinking it would work itself out. Have you seen the article today from Barnier's book? It's staggering how bad the Government are.
 
As a Class 1 (C+E) driver, the last few months has been a very interesting experience. We were paying our drivers an average of £11 per hour this summer, our drivers are now earning just over £16PH that's just short of a 50% increase. I have moved from our office back to driving as it pays about £5 PH more and is hourly paid rather than the office salary. I don't think I am working more now I am driving than I was when in the office, but my pay has gone up from £25k to about £40k.
I voted remain, and I would tomorrow if had the chance again, but Brexit has certainly helped improve my finances, but it's not all Brexit. IR35 is a good shout, but not because of the obvious reasons, most Europeans that was driving in the UK were self-employed and on ir35, but the reason many went, and I have spoke to lots of them was the good old bound back loan from the government, many drivers got £10k+ covid bounce back loans and simply did a runner back to the EU as soon as they were able, never to return of course because they would have to repay the loans.

Am I worried about foreign drivers coming back to reduce our pay? Nope not one bit, most won't return and even if lots did, drivers now have much better understanding of the power their have and their ability to start demanding better pay and conditions, the ability to just park up the truck is very much in the thoughts of even the most loyal driver.

C+E drivers will earn on average of £20ph+ by the end of this year(£50k) which is about the right money when you look at the job and responsibility we have and do. If you think it's an easy job, I'll keep the offer open to anyone on this site to travel with me for one day and see what having 50ft +44t of trailer behind you looks like on our roads.
 
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