Lorry drivers and poultry workers to get temporary visas
News / Sun 26th Sep 2021 at 07:35am
UP to 10,500 lorry drivers and poultry workers can receive temporary UK visas as the government seeks to limit disruption in the run-up to Christmas reports the BBC.
The government confirmed that 5,000 fuel tanker and food lorry drivers will be eligible to work in the UK for three months, until Christmas Eve.
The scheme is also being extended to 5,500 poultry workers.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said it would “ensure preparations remain on track” for the festive season.
But the British Chambers of Commerce said the measures were the equivalent of “throwing a thimble of water on a bonfire”.
And the Road Haulage Association said the announcement “barely scratches the surface”, adding that only offering visas until Christmas Eve “will not be enough for companies or the drivers themselves to be attractive”.
However, the news was welcomed by freight industry group Logistics UK, which called the policy “a huge step forward in solving the disruption to supply chains”.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-58694004
Angela
2021-09-26 07:41:24
Petrol tanker drivers have an ADR qualification as well as a HGV licence. They need this for them to drive petrol tanker lorries. There is a shortage of HGV drivers. That's a true fact. However HGV drivers cannot drive a petrol Tanker lorry without having an ADR qualification. The UK had ADR drivers last week. NOTHING repeat NOTHING changed much in a week. Maybe some holiday or some sickness but not, I doubt a dramatic change. The ADR drivers that were driving last week are still driving this week delivering fuel. So nothing has changed. The petrol panic we are now experiencing is all down too media hype. It's not because of brexit because all the EU drivers went back to Europe. Which is some of the reasons being banded about. These EU HGV driver's, left months ago, and yet the country was still getting fuel without problems up until today. So what's changed? Nothing !! Apart from the disgraceful media hype and scaremongering to make news. Too sensationalise the fact that a couple of petrol stations were getting a late delivery so they closed. The Result of the media scaremongering!! Massive panic and chaos by everyone. Which is now causing a shortage of fuel until the ADR drivers, that we already had delivering fuel a few days ago, can deliver again. The media should be fined and penalised, severely for publicising false news and creating the crazy situation that has been going on all today. Disgusting. They should hold their heads in shame. And to top it the government have 1000’s of trained military personnel who are available if there was a real fuel crisis. Bloody Media!! Bloody sheep, bloody selfish mentality.
jarrett
2021-09-26 08:28:17
Angela, The best comment i have read about the made up crisis anywhere and the fact about the ADR from an ex hgv driver
Lorraine
2021-09-26 09:12:50
I am a key worker, very very low on petrol so I cant keep driving round to find stations with fuel. So I cant go to work tomorrow as I simply do not have enough to get there and back and I cant run the risk of every single petrol station on the way being empty. I cannot believe people buy into the media hype, they have no realisation of the knock on effect. Its utter madness. If this continues I'm not sure if I will be able to get to work this week at all!
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