Not surprisingly, we have been extremely busy for some time with deliveries to supermarkets, construction sites and elsewhere.
Now, we are hoping to take on another HGV driver.
If you are HGV qualified but left the industry now might be a good time to return as the shortage of drivers has improved driver conditions and pay significantly.
Interested? Why not give us a call and talk through what we can offer.
The headlines have continued to be full of stories about the ongoing shortage of HGV drivers and the possibility that there will be shortages of all sorts of goods in the supermarkets.
We would like to reassure our customers that not only do we have enough fully-qualified drivers, we have continued to meet our commitments to customers.
Among the suggestions that have been put forward by the RHA (Road Haulage Association) and the Government have been shortening and simplifying the lengthy and complex HGV training process in the UK.
This is being looked at but, as the RHA has pointed out, it is not going to be a short term solution.
Another suggestion, of including a short-term visa option for overseas HGV drivers, but the Home Office has apparently ruled this out.
The RHA had asked that drivers be added to the so-called Shortage Occupations list, allowing them to qualify for a skilled worker visa.
One option that has been introduced has been extending the time HGV drivers can spend driving. The transport Secretary Grant Schapps announced this temporary measure on July 12.
However, on July 20 RHA said the crisis is so great it needs immediate short-term measures allowing the industry to work towards the longer-term fixes.
RHA Chief Executive, Richard Burnett said, “This is a step in the right direction long-term, but it doesn’t address the critical short-term issues we’re facing. The problem is immediate, and we need to have access to drivers from overseas on short-term visas. The idea to simplify training and speed up testing is welcome; along with encouraging recruitment it will only improve things in a year or two’s time.”
On July 31st this year five of us including Tick and sons Tom and Harry along with two friends, Andy and Danny, completed a walk in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.
The five men joined more than 2000 walkers to cover the 26-mile Dedham Mighty Hike, starting from Kentwell Hall, Long Melford to Dedham and between them raised £6,205 for the charity.
We would like to thank all those who contributed, including many of our customers and suppliers, in helping us to reach such a great total.
As the economy and business start to return to something near to normal activity following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, demand for deliveries of all sorts of goods has been increasing.
This has exposed a serious shortage of qualified HGV drivers, and it is made more difficult by the lengthy and complex training process in the UK, which can involve a significant cost as well as a multitude of different tests for various aspects of qualifying process.
We have been fortunate to take on a new driver despite this, but we support the Road Haulage Association’s (RHA) initiative to try to simplify the process and address the problems.
At the moment, even though there is an apprenticeship scheme, it is not suitable for smaller haulage companies and in any case, it is not attracting young applicants.
The RHA has proposed a 12-point plan to tackle the situation.
It includes including HGV drivers on Government’s Skilled Worker Shortage Occupation List, a seasonal visa scheme for qualified HGV drivers, continued priority driving tests for HGV drivers and establishing a ‘Return to HGV Driving’ scheme.
The full 12-point list can be found here.
The delays at ports that caused problems during the first part of the year have now eased and traffic is now flowing smoothly.
However, unaccompanied trailers containing goods for export can still meet with delays – or even rejection – if the accompanying paperwork is not correctly filled out.
We would like to remind our customers that filling out the customs forms is their responsibility and to avoid shipment delays, it helps to get these issued quickly and correctly.
Thankfully, it is rare for us to have to deal with this sort of issue, but it is something our customers should bear in mind.
January 1 marked the UK’s final separation from the EU, and for hauliers this proved to be a little problematic at the start.
For the first two weeks, we were unable to work while hauliers and ports got to grips with the massively increased paperwork needed to deal with consignments from overseas.
Some also found it difficult to drop empty trailers at ports.
However, thankfully, this situation has quickly eased and hauliers are able to get on with the task of collecting and delivering consignments to customers.
Another helpful development has been that many motorway services are able to offer rapid flow testing for Coronavirus to drivers, making it easier for them to pass through the ports.
The Road Haulage Association website has a useful section keeping people up to date on developments for international operators.
You can find it here
The Coronavirus outbreak caused massive disruption to the global supply chain as many countries locked down to contain the virus and exports almost completely dried up.
Now, however, things are starting to move again and supplies are once again coming in through UK ports.
Although our activity is at around 80% of our pre-virus levels, we are transporting a great deal of fresh fruit and vegetables to supermarkets around the country, collecting from local ports.
One thing we have noticed is that the roads are becoming busier than ever.
We are finding that people are using private vehicles even more, perhaps because they are still very wary of using public transport.
Also, as more people are opting to take their holidays in the UK because of the various travel restrictions and quarantine requirements when returning from various countries, and also because schools are expected to return to normal in September, this is adding to the busy time on the roads
However, the goods are still getting through and some sense of normality is returning.
As businesses are starting to re-open gradually following the pandemic lockdown, they are having to make sure that employees are kept safe if they need them to be at their workplaces.
This means not only setting up sanitising points at entrances and throughout their buildings and introducing strict cleaning regimes.
In many cases, it will also mean spacing out desks and other furniture so that people can work at a safe distance from each other.
But while this equipment may not be needed in the short term, eventually businesses may well need to re-install it.
In the meantime, it will need to be stored somewhere.
If your business premises do not have enough space to do this we can offer safe, secure storage for you.
There is space available in our self-storage facility, which is accessible 24/7 and secure, so if you need to ensure that your small business has the supplies it needs to continue operating, why not give us a call.
The Road Haulage Association has launched a campaign for more national consistency on Clean Air Zones (CAZ).
At the moment, it says, every local authority sets its own rules, and this is causing problems for hauliers.
A statement from the RHA policy unit the organisation said: “In principle, the RHA does not dispute the policy intention behind CAZ. Following the ClientEarth court wins, the Government has at face value seemingly gripped the need to bring down harmful Nitrogen Oxide (NOx) emissions. This should be welcome news. We all want a healthy clean environment.”
However, the practical implications for hauliers and for local businesses trying to comply have not been thought through properly.
It argues that, given the shortage of second-hand, Euro VI emission standard, compliant with the current CAZ standards such vehicles are both hard to come by and are selling at inflated prices.
It says that the Government is also failing to understand how competitive the haulage industry is, with its current low knock-on effect to consumer prices.
“All this pain can be avoided however if ministers urgently change course and implement a smarter policy framework to reduce NOx emissions. We can be cleaner and at less cost.”
RHA is calling on the government to review existing regulation to allow Local Authorities to charge only the oldest dirtiest vehicles across all vehicle type and to allow differential charges. It also wants the Government to “mandate that auto-pay is available for all vehicles including non-UK vehicles and when CAZ charges will end.”
The RHA argues that both a cleaner environment and support for haulage industry, the low-cost economy and jobs are all possible with a better framework of regulations.