I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Found a great video then post it up here. It doesn't have to be about bikes.
Geecee68
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I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Geecee68 »

And I've heard so much guff about the current situation that I decided to make my own video about how the downstream distribution process works.



You can automate lots in the industry, but the road tankers can't drive themselves. You need competent, experienced, safe drivers.

Hope you find it interesting. Ask me anything!
Richard Simpson Mark II
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

A god analysis, but did drivers leave because of Brexit, or do you think they just experienced a better life during lockdown and elected to do something that gave them a bit more time at home?
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Geecee68 »

Richard Simpson Mark II wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 10:14 pm A god analysis, but did drivers leave because of Brexit, or do you think they just experienced a better life during lockdown and elected to do something that gave them a bit more time at home?
Who knows? The permanent drivers working for Hoyer (the main contractor) would have been on pretty good money as this is the skilled end of HGV. This isn't like running overnight trunk vehicles from London to Manchester. I'd expect they'd have been on a retainer or furloughed. Hoyer also would have had contract/temp drivers doing low tech industrial drops taking up the slack. If those folks decided to jump, then you are left with spreading your highly paid retail drivers across everything...thats a difficult shift to manage. You could get the army to do that.

When I was in this end of the business drivers were normally doing 8 hour shifts...that was 2 London drops a day from West London Terminal (one in the morning, one in the afternoon). OT on a weekend if they wanted it. They would have been at home every night. That was when they were Company drivers.

What really needs avoiding is new HGV drivers driving 30,000 litres of fuel down high streets. That won't end well.

Thanks for watching...really appreciated.
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Hugh »

Greetings,

Thank you for making and sharing your most informative video, it provided a valuable look into the current haulage industry.

May I ask however how many people would want, as an example, to set off to work on a Monday morning to drive an oversized vehicle on crowded roads; worry about potential accidents; rest; eat and even sleep in a cab until Friday night with no personal facilities; with damp and work soiled clothing stinking the air you breathe; with every other road user trying to angrily force their way past you? The press claiming that you earn in excess of £70K p.a. I don't think so - in fact I know it is not so!

Yes, the vehicles may be better than in the days when drivers slept on a plank over the top of the engine but working conditions have supposed to have moved on since then. There are now few places to go to the toilet whilst en route; have a shower; even have a civilised meal break out of the cab. Parked up at the side of the road in a lay by cooking on a primus is no fun. Drivers do not get respect from the public nor even officials and everything they do is recorded and examined in minute detail and yes I do mean examined, their style of driving; gear selection; acceleration; braking and even down to engine idling time.

I got my licences back in the 1960s, I surrendered up my HGV licences when I reached 70. My youngest son still has his but he stopped driving some years back and it is most unlikely that he could be tempted back into that industry. Recovery/breakdown drivers used to have to put in horrendous hours as they were not subject to the same maximum hours regulations, there may have been some changes of recent I am not sure.

I could go on but rant over. I politely ask that when you see a HGV waiting to enter from a side road or change lane on a motorway that you give the driver a break and let him out into the traffic flow.

TTFN

Hugh
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Geecee68 »

Hugh wrote: Tue Sep 28, 2021 11:06 pm Greetings,

Thank you for making and sharing your most informative video, it provided a valuable look into the current haulage industry.

May I ask however how many people would want, as an example, to set off to work on a Monday morning to drive an oversized vehicle on crowded roads; worry about potential accidents; rest; eat and even sleep in a cab until Friday night with no personal facilities; with damp and work soiled clothing stinking the air you breathe; with every other road user trying to angrily force their way past you? The press claiming that you earn in excess of £70K p.a. I don't think so - in fact I know it is not so!

Yes, the vehicles may be better than in the days when drivers slept on a plank over the top of the engine but working conditions have supposed to have moved on since then. There are now few places to go to the toilet whilst en route; have a shower; even have a civilised meal break out of the cab. Parked up at the side of the road in a lay by cooking on a primus is no fun. Drivers do not get respect from the public nor even officials and everything they do is recorded and examined in minute detail and yes I do mean examined, their style of driving; gear selection; acceleration; braking and even down to engine idling time.

I got my licences back in the 1960s, I surrendered up my HGV licences when I reached 70. My youngest son still has his but he stopped driving some years back and it is most unlikely that he could be tempted back into that industry. Recovery/breakdown drivers used to have to put in horrendous hours as they were not subject to the same maximum hours regulations, there may have been some changes of recent I am not sure.

I could go on but rant over. I politely ask that when you see a HGV waiting to enter from a side road or change lane on a motorway that you give the driver a break and let him out into the traffic flow.

TTFN

Hugh
Hugh,

My Dad was a truck driver, and the reason I ended up in Distribution was because I did a Transport Management degree. The reason I stopped my career in Distribution was because of everything you said! I think that Petroleum Tanker Drivers have the best HGV jobs. They are home every night and the pay and conditions are as good as it gets (but not as good as when you were driving). Who'd want to do the shifts that Amazon delivery drivers do? No way!

If you ever see a small blue BMW i3 stop to let an artic through...thats me!

Gav
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Richard Simpson Mark II »

A further factor driving people out of the industry is the snide demonisation of drivers by those who should no better.

Transport for London sends out press releases about getting killer lorries off our streets (conveniently ignoring the deaths caused every year by its own buses).

Kent County Council talks about using weapons against lorry drivers.

Then they wonder why there's a driver shortage.
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by garyboy »

I just read a news article, an hgv driver says there is Not a shortage of hgv drivers but that there are the same number of drivers but they are working less hours due to now receiving better pay ??
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Jak* »

My brother has been an HGV and PSV driver for a number of years, his view is that it was a problem in waiting. Relatively low pay and poor conditions, especially when you compare the UK with the EU and particularly Germany where truck driving is considered a skilled profession, have led to a shortage of drivers and an ageing profession. Brexit and Covid have made the situation a lot worse. The increases in wages for white van delivery drivers has not helped other industries, as they are now having to catch up. The same is true in a lot of other areas and it is likely to get worse. My brother’s company just gave them a £4/ hour pay rise, imagine being a nurse or other key worker and seeing that. idiotic statements telling UK companies to pay more is just going to lead to a wage war which will lead to massive inflation and then probably rising interest rates. All very well if you are rich and have plenty of savings, not so good for the rest of us.
Maybe that was the plan all along.
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Scott_rider »

Very informative video...I enjoyed it and there was a lot in it that I didn't know...8-) .
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Re: I used to work in Distribution for an Oil Company

Post by Hugh »

Greetings,

I simply couldn't resist sending these two :lol:
IMG-20210929-WA0003.jpg
IMG-20210929-WA0003.jpg (175.24 KiB) Viewed 1863 times
IMG-20210929-WA0002.jpg
IMG-20210929-WA0002.jpg (144.83 KiB) Viewed 1863 times
TTFN

Hugh.
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