Not only has the recent lack of fuel aided the proposition of electric cars, but the crisis has also highlighted the bleak state of the haulier sector as the root cause
In case you haven’t noticed, finding some fuel to put into your car hasn’t been quite as convenient lately. What would typically constitute as an easy task had now all of a sudden become a hard chore. In fact, as hard as it may be to admit, it’s been such an ordeal that it’s made electric cars look appealing and even tempting to the most devout petrolhead.
There’s no doubt that the fuel shortage that has gripped the country has played nicely into the hands of electric cars. This escapade has been a humiliating experience for petrolheads that have been stuck helplessly in queues, especially if you’re not part of the panic buying mayhem, and do genuinely need some fuel because your car is running out.
The thing is, not only did petrolheads run the risk of being seen as complicit in the idiocy, but the notion is then compounded with frustration when you see smug drivers of electric cars pass by without any worry whatsoever. It makes for a good advert for electric cars though, don’t you think? You can just imagine the footage of queuing cars, then an electric car wafting by. As marketing campaigns go, it would be rather compelling. Regardless of the PR potential and persuasive possibilities for carmakers, interest in electric cars has still spiked in wake of the fuel shortage.
And inevitably, the fiasco spilled over onto social media, which was rather revealing in terms of the extent of the problem. Scrolling through videos of queues at various locations around the country, and angry comments from people whose day had been disrupted, had nevertheless evoked a mixed response from myself. Clips of fights breaking out between people on forecourts does make for despairing viewing, as the chaotic situation was rather tragic.
"It’s not about preventing people from buying fuel when they need it; it’s about not going to fuel station when you don’t need to"
More pertinently though, when buying fuel, there is a distinct difference between topping up your car, and filling up. If you are low on fuel, so to be fair let’s say less than a quarter of a tank, then you should go and buy some fuel. If though, you have three quarters of a tank, but you want to put an extra £5 in because you’re taking Granny to B&Q at the weekend to buy a new pair of secateurs for the garden, then you don’t need to put any more fuel in your car. It’s about discerning the difference using rational reason.
It’s not about preventing people from buying fuel when they need it; it’s about not going to fuel station when you don’t need to. If people didn’t panic and act on such a selfish impulse, then most pumps wouldn’t have run out, and they wouldn’t have had to of been closed. It really does defy logic; I mean what is wrong with people? The fact that it needs to be said in the first place is really quite staggering.
Furthermore, because of selfish people acting stupidly by panic buying fuel, it then makes those that aren’t panic buying fuel feel insecure because if they don’t go and get some fuel themselves, then there might not be any fuel left for when they do need some. This wasn’t the case with me, as I wasn’t lured into a false sense of insecurity. Nevertheless, when my Vauxhall Corsa SXi did get low on fuel, I had no choice but to attempt to buy some.
For several days I waited for the empty stocks at my local fuel station to be replenished. When they were, the chaotic scenes at fuel stations across the country was at the forefront of my thoughts. With this in mind, I had decided that rather than going during the day to purchase some fuel, I’d go during the night instead. This plan proved to be optimum option given the surreal situation of unhinged panic crisscrossing the nation.
"It is not a shortage of fuel that caused the chaos, but a lack of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers"
After stopping my Corsa SXi at a functioning pump at my local forecourt at about 21:00pm one night some weeks ago, I distinctly recall getting out of my car and as I closed the door, just observing the surroundings. There were no queues, no staff instructing customers, no fights kicking off. It was strange, everything felt normal. Then I felt the chill of the air, and the darkness of the night closing in around me. And that Johnson was Prime Minister, gaslighting the entire country into decline.
After momentarily staring into this abyss, I remember reassuring myself that I wasn’t deranged like all the panic buyers, and that I genuinely needed fuel. And I remember thinking that it’s quite astonishing and perplexing that there is even a fuel shortage nationwide. How could it have come to this? Not so much teething problems, but it is in fact a full-blown crisis in the haulier sector. And yes, Brexit has made things worse.
It is not a shortage of fuel that caused the chaos, but a lack of heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers that is stretching supply chains across the country. This is compounded further for tanker drivers, as to deliver hazardous substances, you need a separate qualification. The shortfall of drivers is estimated to be 100,000 by the Road Haulage Association, but the situation has been exacerbated by several other factors, namely Brexit and the pandemic.
Brexit was in part propelled by xenophobic sentiment, and it led to the end of freedom of movement when Britain left the EU in January 2020, even though immigration can be controlled as an EU member. That resulted in 20,000 HGV drivers from the bloc leaving Britain, and they haven’t returned. In a pathetic and desperate attempt to try and lure HGV drivers back to Britain, a visa scheme of up to 5000 workers has been permitted to fill vacant roles, until the end of March 2022.
"Compounding the consequences of Brexit is the impact of the pandemic. There's a backlog of about 40,000 HGV driver tests"
However, with higher wages and better working conditions in the EU thanks to a concerted effort to resolve shortages of HGV drivers across the bloc, the incentives are unlikely to tempt back many to Britain. And that’s without mentioning the Brexit red tape costs and checks HGV drivers would have to endure as a result of Britain leaving the EU single market and customs union.
The brass neck of Tories never ceases to amaze me. Just imagine telling HGV drivers to f*** off because they are foreign, then doing a humiliating U-turn telling them to come back because of the disastrous consequences of the Brexit they campaigned for. It’s gobsmacking. It’s shocking. But it’s not surprising. The ramifications were warned of by the haulier industry prior to becoming reality.
Compounding the consequences of Brexit is the impact of the pandemic. There's a backlog of about 40,000 HGV driver tests. Yet even taking that into account, and there is still a gap to be bridged. This is to do with the fundamental issues that exist in the haulier industry that are deterring new recruits. The prohibiting factors include the cost to attain an HGV licence, which is in the region of £4000. And the other is experience driving articulated lorries, companies are less willing to take on younger drivers.
And that’s before considering the realities of working in the haulier industry, it’s brutal work. Accounts disclose that HGV drivers are expected to work 60 hours a week, sleep in a cab that’s uninsulated with no soundproofing and risk being personally mugged and their loads robbed. The demands of the job take their toll in different forms like no work-life balance and diminished quality of life in exhaustion, washing with wipes, weeing in bottles and eating leftovers.
"HGV drivers are undervalued for the crucial work that they do, and the conditions they have to put up with are medieval"
When you reflect on the hardships HGV drivers have to endure, it’s difficult to put a convincing case together to compel potential recruits, and it’s not surprising why the haulier industry is struggling. For these reasons, the argument for wholescale reform is strong, and it is urgently needed in my opinion, because HGV drivers are undervalued for the crucial work that they do, and the conditions they have to put up with are medieval.
Regular readers will be aware that I am a stickler for objective truths based on facts and evidence. So, this situation has been acknowledged by the Conservative government. Well, sort of. In the Budget, £32.5m was allocated to improving truck stops – something is better than nothing. However, industry figures say it's not enough to solve the long-standing problems in the sector, with inadequate facilitites, unsociable hours and poor pay being the key issues.
In my view, establishing a unified network of truck stops across the country for drivers, that include washing and eating facilities as well as safe and secure parking should be constructed. The responsibility for organising this scheme resides with the Department for Transport. But in reality, there's next to no chance of that happening, because the Tories just simply don't care enough.
It’s quite illuminating what a shortage of HGV drivers reveals. It confirms what was warned, that Brexit is a disaster that is making everything worse, the job that HGV drivers do has been taken for granted in every conceivable way and panic buying is a selfish act of stupidity. And all these factors have made it harder to put fuel in your car because it has stretched the supply chain to breaking point, and has therefore created fuel shortages.
But when the country elects a philandering tub of lard as Prime Minister with a head full of sawdust and a personal and political track record for manipulation and chaos that precedes him, then you get what you vote for. The people who voted for the Tories should own it.
Photo: Hollie Adams
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