[bots]

it's not a uniform problem across the country, because fundamentally, the problem comes from panic buyers. All it takes is for a couple of cars to queue for petrol at a station to make everyone passing say ... oh i better get petrol too. They then join the queue and before you know it, every station in that locality will be swamped. Even if there is no shortage of petrol, there will be shortly after that happens, no matter how good the supply of petrol actually is

[AnnieK]

Its pretty calm where I am now - i was able to get some this morning, no queue and no inflated price like it was earlier in the week when roads were blocked, queues were huge and you could only get £30.

[michael21]

Originally Posted by AnnieK

Its pretty calm where I am now - i was able to get some this morning, no queue and no inflated price like it was earlier in the week when roads were blocked, queues were huge and you could only get £30.

Every one has filled up for now but expect it to be bad again when people run out again everyone been trick there no problem or you would not be able to fill the tank up

[AnnieK]

Originally Posted by michael21

Every one has filled up for now but expect it to be bad again when people run out again everyone been trick there no problem or you would not be able to fill the tank up

I don't think it will be as bad again now everyone has filled up. People were filling their cars just for them to sit on the drive. Everyone's usage will be different so as long as the media or government don't advise people not to panic buy again, it should be ok now.

[Dogeatdog]

My local petrol station is only 5 mins from where I live but it’s been an absolute nightmare trying to get fuel. Went their on Tuesday to fill my van up and it took me 1 hour and 45 mins in the queue and it was about an hour in the queue filling it up today. It’s absolute madness I’ve even been driving past petrol stations that are closed because the fuel tanker lorry is in there and people are still queuing up on the roads waiting for the garage to open .

I hope this doesn’t go on for much longer.

[user104658]

Drove past (well, my wife drove past, I cannot drive for at least another 6 months ) about 4 or 5 petrol pumps while we were out doing the shopping etc. this afternoon ... no issues at any of them. No shortage, no queues, completely normal.

It's quite bizarre the ways this has affected some areas really badly but not affected other areas at all

[Zizu]

Armed Forces will be delivering petrol to the worst areas as of Monday .. apparently


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[arista]

Originally Posted by Zizu

Armed Forces will be delivering petrol to the worst areas as of Monday .. apparently

[arista]

[arista]

[arista]

[arista]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...uel-costs.html

[arista]

[Temporary visas are to be issued to 300
overseas fuel drivers "immediately",
the government has announced.
Under the bespoke scheme,
those foreign drivers will be able to
work in the UK from now until the end of March.]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58773530

[arista]

Fuel tanks still dry at 20% of South East forecourts, say retailers

Published
23 minutes ago

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58786269

[bots]

all the petrol stations near me have bollards across the entrance/exit

[Cherie]

We drove up to Norfolk on Friday, once we got outside London, the petrol became more plentiful and we were able to drive in and get petrol as normal with no queuing just outside Norwich, same on the way back, only when we hit London outskirts did the queues start

[user104658]

Originally Posted by Cherie

We drove up to Norfolk on Friday, once we got outside London, the petrol became more plentiful and we were able to drive in and get petrol as normal with no queuing just outside Norwich, same on the way back, only when we hit London outskirts did the queues start

So basically, it seems like a "London problem" is being reported in the press as a "Nation-wide problem"?

I think it's affected the Manchester area as well and maybe some other larger cities but I do think the reporting should be clearer about the types of areas affected, and that outside of the bigger population centres there isn't really an issue.

[Cherie]

Originally Posted by Toy Soldier

So basically, it seems like a "London problem" is being reported in the press as a "Nation-wide problem"?

I think it's affected the Manchester area as well and maybe some other larger cities but I do think the reporting should be clearer about the types of areas affected, and that outside of the bigger population centres there isn't really an issue.

Pretty much, and the irony is that it is in areas where public transport is pretty plentiful, we were in rural Norfolk where people would be much more reliant on their cars, we came across a station now and again with no petrol but the majority were running as normal.

Even with regard to London the reporting last night was that 20% of stations were closed, but flipping that 80% are open, what we noticed as well is that drivers were attaching themselves to long queues but if they drove on a bit further there was a petrol station with no queue or a small queue

[Livia]

The garages near me don't seem to have had the problems that they've had further south. Last time I drove into Sainsbury's, three out of four pumps were not being used. I did come past a rather long queue at Morrison's about a week ago and it was entirely full of delivery drivers and elderly people. My Dad queued up for petrol when he had three quarters of a tank. If everyone chilled out a bit things would improve.

[bots]

my local station clearly got a delivery recently as there is now a mile long queue for petrol. Guess I need to wait a bit yet for it to settle down

[Parmy]

It's very easy to blame this all on brexit, and rather lazy.

The real reason is that the big companies can afford to pay drivers to sit at home,the big companies maybe need 50 drivers, but will employ 80 to make sure they have cover at all times.

The working conditions for the drivers as well plays a huge role. It is a clear factor as to why nobody wants to take this on as their first trade after school or college.


Your average driver that works for a smaller company will have been witht he company for over 15 years.

These small companies cant get drivers because of the big supermarkets snaffling all the agency workers up, mostly on higher wages now that agency workers are no longer self employed.

The fact you cant just go straight for your class one licence anymore and have to go through all the classes first is a big factor as to the the older drivers not wanti g to start a new journey in the hgv world. The costs to maintain the licences as well, and the constant medicals just makes it unappealing for anyone who hasnt done it, to want to start doing it.

The insurance companies have a lot to answer for as well as they raised the cost of the eu drivers insurance policies because the tests are not as gruelling, or as testing as the uk ones are, this caused accidents involving non uk nationals to become a problem. Hence the rise in insurance for non uk drivers. They also wont touch a young driver because they ain't driven for 2 years. So how on earth do they get their experience, so they can be insured..young drivers schemes also gone.

The shortages have been happening for 10 to15 years now.

The facilities for these drivers are disgusting, the charges for parking are disgusting. The lack of privacy now with truck cams is disgusting.

There is just no appeal to anyone thinking about becoming a driver, the are treated with contempt.

At the start of covid these guys were heroes, now they are treated like 4th class citizens

[Crimson Dynamo]

Its not an issue around here

but lorry drivers have been treated like 2nd class workers for a while and now we reap the outcome of human greed

[Parmy]

Originally Posted by LeatherTrumpet

Its not an issue around here

but lorry drivers have been treated like 2nd class workers for a while and now we reap the outcome of human greed

London still struggling to get all pumps filled.

It was mainly diesel available this week

[Parmy]

Anyone with a brain would have changed the marathon to saturday and kept the course locked to traffic on sunday and filled it with tankers driven by the army.

Muppet sadiq.

[arista]

No it's not enough................................Kawsi