Being truck driver i can see why admin would put some people off but its mainly low wages, long hours, living in the cab for days on end, the state of facilities for drivers (some are like the toilet scene from trainspotting) several other reasons.
A couple of posts from the same thread on the subject below, [zb] is the swear filter.
This is one of the major problems with the haulage industry.
Honestly who the [zb] wants to work 15 hour days 5 days a week? Yes I know it's 3 days but you will still have drivers having split rests and quite happy doing 5 x 15 hour days. 75 hours a week over 5 days is ridiculous and running in on a Friday on the 14hour and 46 min mark.
Trying to get it into people's heads if you reduced the hours to 12 and paid time and a 3rd or half after 8 hours you would be better of than doing 15 hour days at a flat rate or £1 extra a hour.
But then they would still want to do 15 hour days at the enhanced rate or crying about hours been cut.
Me personally would like 12 hour days can work 6 days a week. one rest day every 6 days.
This is one of the main reasons it's finding it hard to attract young lads n lasses into the industry. Honestly look at your 20-21 sons and daughters can you honestly see them sleeping in a cab all week doing 60 and 70 hours every week?
This was probably the biggest way or recruiting in the 70s through to 90s is drivers kids done the job there dads did. not anymore thou.
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Sadly the chattering classes of the public don't seem to have an opinion of their own but make loud noises consistent with the consensus of the day, its just a case of waiting a while before drivers return to public enemy number one and held mostly responsible through their greed and union led? uncooperative attitudes (you can already guess how this will be portrayed) of the now overpaid drivers have led directly to the coming shortages in the shops, as well as the rapidly increasing prices within.
You know very well that whilst a driver's take home income can look attractive, inviting envy when figures like £50+k will be bandied about as the new normal incl subsistnce ex's, few of those who will look at us through their green lenses will have the slightest interest in how many hours we work or when we work or what we have to do to make that sort of pay, they will be following the coming narrative totally unaware that most drivers are at work hours before and hours after the envious hordes plus weekends and bank hols which the gold plated pensioned in charge have never worked.
The job is changing for many, but it's pure economics that are driving things, on a current thread we have a Norfolk general family haulier selling 30% or so of their small fleet apprently unable to get a single driver, i feel sympathy for these operators because they simply don't have the volumes contracts or clout to raise rates to up their game, and by virtue of geographical base unless they employ drivers prepared to stay out all week can't take advantage as so many in the central belt are doing of hiring out tractor units plus driver for lucrative day rates to the logistics giants in order to keep their big clients happy...traction work has always been volatile, wouldn't want to be a driver reliant on traction for my living.
I'm not aware the haulier in question was depending on now vanished EE's working cheaply to man their vehicles but happy to be put right if that was the case.
They won't be the only operator in trouble, their problem is they are dependent on carrying goods for others...larger operations may well be contract transport or even own account for supermarkets or manufacturers who, all being in the same boat, can raise prices of their goods to cover increasing transport costs, or hire in subbies which probably comes under another budget, the client is going to pay whatever is needed rather than see whole consignments of perishables going rotten or the shelves empty with disgruntled shoppers changing allegiance.
The current media interest in driver shortage is going to be short lived, the next virus unrelated to covid is already being warned about with the politicians and media having a new crusade so we'll soon be back to being the unwanted evil we've been for decadse.
So no, in the long term the current shortage (of those prepared to work competently for low pay) won't make much difference to the job as a whole, but many of us will have swapped jobs in the interim chasing possibly temporarily better t's and c's, those who have will find out if that's worked out for them in due course.
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