Chaps defends foreign HGV driver program and blames fuel queue hauling group


British Secretary of Transportation Grant Shapps has defended a foreign visa plan to solve the driver shortage of heavy-duty vehicles (HGVs) as the lines of gas stations blamed the sparking hauling group.

Mr. Chaps said the gas station queue and closure was a “manufactured situation” created by the Road Transport Association (RHA), with comments from BP bosses about supply concerns.

The government has announced a temporary visa system in which 5,000 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers stock turkeys on supermarket shelves and sign a three-month contract to tackle fueling difficulties. ..

Mr. Shaps admitted on Friday that he opposed the idea of ​​a temporary visa and did “not necessarily want to” to allow foreign workers to fill the labor gap, but the government said. With a pump that said he wanted to reassure the people in a long line.

Shaps said of Sky News’ Trevor Philips in his program on Sunday:

When asked who created the situation, he said: People react to them naturally, so there is a great deal of concern. “

He later told BBC One’s The Andrew Marr Show that the briefing was “irresponsible.”

The Cabinet Minister called for the car to be filled only when needed, as the public is “wise” and “sufficient fuel” is available.

Shortage of truck drivers Rows of British gas stations
Aerial photo of people queuing petrol and diesel at a Tesco supermarket in Northwich, England, September 24, 2021. (Christopher Furlong / Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Brexit “relatively” a shortage of British truck drivers, despite RHA estimates that Brexit led to the outflow of 20,000 carriers in an email on Sunday. He is a “minor contributor.”

The Secretary of Transportation pointed out the deficiency caused by the coronavirus pandemic elsewhere in Europe, and the line of pumps said, “Sometimes it’s difficult to stockpile gasoline, so we’ll solve it ourselves.

But the boss of the European Road Carriers Association, which represents more than two-thirds of EU truck companies, said he didn’t think the offer would bring drivers back to the UK.

Secretary-General Marco Digioia, who called Brexit the “biggest” reason for Britain’s departure from the EU, told the i newspaper:

Kate Martin, chairman of the Traditional Farm Fresh Turkey Association, predicted that there would be a shortage of turkeys available for Christmas this year, she said Brexit brought “100%.”

“This situation in turkey is caused by the fact that the European workforce is no longer available,” she told PA.

Retailers and corporate groups have criticized the scope of the series of steps the Department of Transport has announced to ease supply pressures, which the British Chamber of Commerce likens to “thimble on a bonfire.”

Labor leader Sir Kiel Starmer has proposed to support sufficient visas provided to fill all visa in the transportation industry.

Starmer was asked if he would support bringing in 100,000 foreign drivers to meet the shortage.

“We need to issue enough visas to cover the number of drivers we need,” he said.

Mr. Shaps said visa is the “only element” of state intervention and the minister plans to train an additional 4,000 truck drivers, but the Army is “bottlenecked” by a pandemic shutdown of the coronavirus. He said it was drafted to provide an additional HGV driver’s license test to reduce the “neck”.

Nearly one million letters have arrived on the front door mats of people with HGV licenses, urging them to return to work now that their wages have risen.

The government also wants to see better conditions in terms of truck stop facilities.

Patrick Daily and Laura Panaby

PA

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