Wednesday 29 September 2021

Newspaper column 29 September 2021 - Fuel

Since the later part of last week our news has been dominated by issues with people panic-buying fuel.

This matter is of great concern to me – the fact remains however, that there were no shortages of fuel and the supply chain remains strong and resilient. However what can and has happened, as we have seen over the weekend, is that the media have reported on what they call ‘potential’ fuel shortages due to a small number of deliveries not being made due to truck driver shortages, Sadly, what was an issue effecting a very small number of deliveries for one petrol supplier has been blown out of proportion by the media and resulted in people over-reacting and buying fuel necessarily.. This in turn means that petrol stations locally sell more fuel than they would otherwise, and run the risk of running out of stocks before their regularly scheduled deliveries arrive, thus creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, with long queues and a fuel shortage at the pumps, but due to increased demand instead of lack of fuel or a problem with the supply chain.

The Government has been straightforward with its message on this throughout, that people should just continue to buy their fuel as they would regularly, and not panic buy. I would reiterate this and urge the residents of Mid-Cornwall to act sensibly and buy your fuel when you would normally do so. By doing this there will be no shortages at the pumps and there will be enough to go around for everyone. The old saying ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ has never been more appropriate!

One of the headlines that has caused this issue is the shortage of HGV drivers, obviously some of whom drive the oil tankers. Despite some politically motivated reports, the HGV driver shortage is not unique to the UK and is not a symptom of Brexit. Instead this is a challenge faced by countries around the world. Across Europe, there is a shortage of 400,000 HGV drivers, while in the United States, there is a shortage of around 60,000 drivers.

HGV driver testing was shut down for large parts of the pandemic, meaning drivers were not coming through the system to replace those retiring or deciding it was time for a career change. The government has taken action to address the immediate situation. Driver testing resumed in April, but there are huge backlogs caused by the pandemic.  The HGV workforce has also been on average an older one. It has also become a less attractive career due to wages and conditions being suppressed due to cheaper eastern European labour.

Over recent months the Government has taken steps to address this – increasing the number of HGV driving tests, improving apprenticeships and reducing bureaucracy. Something we are only actually able to do as we have no left the EU.

In the past week we are going further by helping more people into the sector, using army examiners to increase testing capacity, encouraging drivers who have left the sector to return, and providing short-term relief with 5,000 HGV fuel tanker and food lorry driver visas in the run-up to Christmas.

The industry must also play their part by improving pay and conditions to build a resilient British workforce. The Government will continue to work with the industry to build a resilient British workforce. Visas will not be the long-term solution, and reform within the industry is vital. The Government will continue to support these efforts, which must stop British workers being undercut from abroad, with pay and conditions rising within the industry.

One way to encourage more new entrants to HGV driving is to make apprenticeships in the HGV sector more attractive to encourage people to join. The Government has accordingly revised the Large Goods Vehicle Driver apprenticeship standard, supported by an increased funding band of £7,000, as well as offering incentive payments to employers of £3,000 for every apprentice hired as a new employee from April to September 2021.

Finally, the Government has also already doubled the number of HGV driving tests, and now plan to increase testing by a further 50,000 a year, along with recently announced plans to overhaul HGV driving tests, meaning drivers will only need to take one test to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry, rather than taking two tests spaced weeks apart. We’ve also freed up examiners by removing the requirement – imposed by the EU – for drivers to take a separate test if they want to drive a car with a trailer.

There is always more work to do but I am confident the measures we are taking will help us build and keep the strong and resilient HGV workforce in both the short and long term our country needs.