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Winter of discontent


littletedwest
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2 minutes ago, Bruce Spanner said:


There’s some rumours knocking about that some British drivers are heading to the continent to take up work as the pay and conditions are much better and they resister as essential workers and are treated as such.

 

Would be a glorious irony if it were true, but nothing confirmed med as yet.

Indeed, The Express would have a field day.. " The EU have stolen our Christmas"

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Had a mini strop this morning when I got stuck in what I thought was a queue into a petrol station.
 

The road was blocked and I was in a desperate need to get home and watch television. I indicated right, so I could go round the selfish fuckers as soon as the opposite side of the road became clear.

 

As soon as I did this, I noticed the temporary traffic lights just beyond the entrance to the petrol station. None of them were queuing to get in, they were just waiting for the lights to turn green. The roadworks were obvious to anyone who hadn’t already made up their mind about what was happening and blown a fuse.

 

I blame the government for their part in creating the fuel panic buying and for providing an education system that has created dimwits like me. 

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1 hour ago, Bruce Spanner said:


There’s some rumours knocking about that some British drivers are heading to the continent to take up work as the pay and conditions are much better and they resister as essential workers and are treated as such.

 

Would be a glorious irony if it were true, but nothing confirmed med as yet.


Not confirmation of your rumours, but this is the opinion of one UK driver.

 

 

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'Driver was stuck in a queue at a Westminster filling station when a man knocks on the window. Rolling down the glass he asks "What's going on?"

 

"Terrorists have kidnapped Boris Johnson and if a £100 million ransom isn't paid they'll douse him in petrol and will light a match".

 

"Everyone is going from car to car, collecting donations".

 

"How much is everyone giving?" the driver asks.

 

"Roughly 2 litres......."

 

The fat dickhead has just been on the telly box saying nothing of consequence laced with lies and exaggerations about foreign lands suffering worse, despite the evidence before our eye, nice of him to emerge when it seems to be getting to some semblance of normaility.

 

Slipped in that this 'might' go on until christmas, but they are doing everything they can, so post christmas it is then.

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Just passed the Tesco Metro station on Queens Drive. Bit of a queue back onto Queens Drive, broken by the ‘keep clear’ turn off into a side road. I’m in the queue lane but it’s a wide lane so I can get past the queueing cars. Golf in front of me passes the break then suddenly slows. It’s clear they want to go into the gap but have overshot it and now I’m behind them so they can’t reverse. Instead pulls in at the side of the car half way in the entrance and starts to indicate. I had to manoeuvre past him, but half thought about stopping and getting my phone out to record what happens when the van driver realises the cunt is trying to queue jump.

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23 minutes ago, A Red said:

I really need to get some petrol for the mower, no way I'm going to be a cunt at the garage with a jerry can.

“Putting some petrol in your mower” sounds like a strapline for a Viagra advert. First scene is our hero trying to start an old mower,  second scene is him putting in the petrol and the final scene is him cutting lovely straight stripes on a beautiful lawn outside his big fuck off house whilst his gorgeous Milf wife looks down from the bedroom window with an enigmatic smile.

 

I’m going to pitch this ! 

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11 hours ago, Juniper said:

Been down in South Cornwall the last week and it’s been quite civilised here.

 

Only queued briefly once in seven days (been going when we need petrol as opposed to filling the tank / bulk buying..etc)

 

I’m impressed, might come back here again. 

They fully intend to panic buy down here, it will happen dreckly.

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Hilarious story which anybody with half a second to think it through could have foreseen #789398791872398

 

Waitrose are offering stupid money to drivers in wages, as they need to get people through the door. The very same people are now refusing all of the additional overtime they used to do as they are now getting a good wage and don't need to flog themselves to death to keep the wolves from the door. 

 

This will reduce capacity of the fleets and increase cost massively.

 

Amazing.

 

Obvioulsy it's nice to see people get the wages their labour deserves but this bubble is going to go pop at some point.

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Given I'm a pretty experienced driver, and I've helped loads of friends to learn to drive. I also have an ARDS Instructor license and I spend a lot of time coaching on the racetrack. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I think I'm pretty competent when it comes to driving. About a year ago, anticipating a massive backlog of learner drivers wanting to have a driving test, I went on the DVSA website to look at driving examiner vacancies. There was none. OK, never mind. I've just had another quick look and there is still nothing advertised. So even if though I want to help, I can't. 

 

I'd have been pleased to help out in the current fuel delivery crisis. I've driven artics all over Europe, loaded with race cars and equipment. If I wanted to help out now, I'd need to renew my Driving Card. Not my license, my Driving Card. That requires 35 hours of CPC - Certificate of Professional Competence - before I was allowed to drive any artic for hire or reward. I think I'd need a further endorsement enable me drive a petrol tanker, but don't quote me on that bit.

 

I last drove an artic six years ago. Back then, everywhere I went in the UK, I was treated like scum. Filthy, repellent filling stations and almost downright hostility at ferry and rail terminals. It wasn't much better on the continent. Drivers I spoke to existed in a world of tachograph fear, low pay, and sleepless overnighters in a cold or blazing hot sleeper cab for an extra £30. 

 

I'd have done either job for free. I really don't need the money. I'm truly gagging to sit in a classroom for four or five days next week and walk around an HGV at a test centre, pointing out areas of concern. And then, when I've proved I'm competent, I want to be treated like a leper. Me first. 

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14 minutes ago, rb14 said:

Given I'm a pretty experienced driver, and I've helped loads of friends to learn to drive. I also have an ARDS Instructor license and I spend a lot of time coaching on the racetrack. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I think I'm pretty competent when it comes to driving. About a year ago, anticipating a massive backlog of learner drivers wanting to have a driving test, I went on the DVSA website to look at driving examiner vacancies. There was none. OK, never mind. I've just had another quick look and there is still nothing advertised. So even if though I want to help, I can't. 

 

I'd have been pleased to help out in the current fuel delivery crisis. I've driven artics all over Europe, loaded with race cars and equipment. If I wanted to help out now, I'd need to renew my Driving Card. Not my license, my Driving Card. That requires 35 hours of CPC - Certificate of Professional Competence - before I was allowed to drive any artic for hire or reward. I think I'd need a further endorsement enable me drive a petrol tanker, but don't quote me on that bit.

 

I last drove an artic six years ago. Back then, everywhere I went in the UK, I was treated like scum. Filthy, repellent filling stations and almost downright hostility at ferry and rail terminals. It wasn't much better on the continent. Drivers I spoke to existed in a world of tachograph fear, low pay, and sleepless overnighters in a cold or blazing hot sleeper cab for an extra £30. 

 

I'd have done either job for free. I really don't need the money. I'm truly gagging to sit in a classroom for four or five days next week and walk around an HGV at a test centre, pointing out areas of concern. And then, when I've proved I'm competent, I want to be treated like a leper. Me first. 

 

I read earlier that the DVLA has a backlog of 54k+ applications/renewals that need to be processed and then it's not just the HGV you need is it, you need futher ones for certain things?

 

That still leaves an estimated shortfall of 46K, where do they expect these to come from if people don't have the money/time to get the testing done, even if the testing was available.

 

All of these are at a significant cost to the applicant as well, just baffling that so little forsight, planning or imagination was shown, a true deriliction of duty.

 

This was first reported as a problem in 2016 and they sat on it and did nothing.

 

 

 

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31 minutes ago, rb14 said:

Given I'm a pretty experienced driver, and I've helped loads of friends to learn to drive. I also have an ARDS Instructor license and I spend a lot of time coaching on the racetrack. Without wanting to blow my own trumpet, I think I'm pretty competent when it comes to driving. About a year ago, anticipating a massive backlog of learner drivers wanting to have a driving test, I went on the DVSA website to look at driving examiner vacancies. There was none. OK, never mind. I've just had another quick look and there is still nothing advertised. So even if though I want to help, I can't. 

 

I'd have been pleased to help out in the current fuel delivery crisis. I've driven artics all over Europe, loaded with race cars and equipment. If I wanted to help out now, I'd need to renew my Driving Card. Not my license, my Driving Card. That requires 35 hours of CPC - Certificate of Professional Competence - before I was allowed to drive any artic for hire or reward. I think I'd need a further endorsement enable me drive a petrol tanker, but don't quote me on that bit.

 

I last drove an artic six years ago. Back then, everywhere I went in the UK, I was treated like scum. Filthy, repellent filling stations and almost downright hostility at ferry and rail terminals. It wasn't much better on the continent. Drivers I spoke to existed in a world of tachograph fear, low pay, and sleepless overnighters in a cold or blazing hot sleeper cab for an extra £30. 

 

I'd have done either job for free. I really don't need the money. I'm truly gagging to sit in a classroom for four or five days next week and walk around an HGV at a test centre, pointing out areas of concern. And then, when I've proved I'm competent, I want to be treated like a leper. Me first. 

You'd need an ADR course to drive tankers.

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4 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

Boris to 'save' Christmas 

Just fuck the fuck off.

Has anyone pointed out he let 1000s of drivers leave,whilst safe in the knowledge they couldn't train more,making this situation inevitable?

You know how this works by now. It's never his fault. Good old jolly Boris. Just like us, isn't he? Bit of a character, isn't he?

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10 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

Boris to 'save' Christmas 

Just fuck the fuck off.

Has anyone pointed out he let 1000s of drivers leave,whilst safe in the knowledge they couldn't train more,making this situation inevitable?

 

Christmas' needed to be saved...

 

Tony Blair 0/10

Gordon Brown 0/3

David Cameron 0/6

Theresa May 0/3

Boris Johnson 2/3

 

It's mad how much cognitive dissonance comes in to this.

 

Johnson, and his cabal, has spent his whole career putting out fires and fighting problems of his own creation and then celebrating 'solving' these as if it's some kind of victory that the results weren't as terrible as they might have been.

 

All the while nothing has been improved, they are cheering chaos and corruption, nothing more.

 

It's the ultimate con job.

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6 minutes ago, Bruce Spanner said:

 

I read earlier that the DVLA has a backlog of 54k+ applications/renewals that need to be processed and then it's not just the HGV you need is it, you need futher ones for certain things?

 

All of these are at a significant cost to the applicant as well, just baffling that so little forsight, planning or imagination was shown, a true deriliction of duty.

 

This was first reported as a problem in 2016 and they sat on it and did nothing.

 

 

 

There's backlogs and delays right the way through the DVLA.

 

My 3 year medical licence expired 2 weeks ago with no sign of a renewal.

 

I filled the in forms they sent me in the middle of June.

 

I've been on the website and that just says they can't give me any information and gives me a phone number.

 

I ring the number and I get a message which informs me that the lines are very busy and do I know that any queries can be resolved  on their website.

 

No they fucking can't. 

 

I've actually managed to speak to them twice, first time was some very unhelpful fella, the second about 3 weeks later when I spoke to some girl who while pleasant, couldn't give me any answers.

 

This whole shitstorm could have been avoided with better management. 

 

The Transport Secretary Grant Shapps needs to get a grip on this and give it his undivided attention, but with him being as incompetent as the rest of them, I don't hold out much hope.

 

The whole thing is an absolute fucking mess and it's of their making.

 

 

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39 minutes ago, Arniepie said:

Boris to 'save' Christmas 

Just fuck the fuck off.

Has anyone pointed out he let 1000s of drivers leave,whilst safe in the knowledge they couldn't train more,making this situation inevitable?

He 'saved' christmas last year and killed many more people as a result the fat cunt. 

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