The situation with regards to UK haulage and driver shortage continues to worsen day by day and is now at a critical stage.
Today (5th August) hauliers are quoting backlogs of 2 - 3 weeks before they can cover bookings and most Hauliers / Shipping Lines are introducing increases and a ‘Driver retention Surcharge’ of £100 or more per job as they attempt to retain drivers in their employ in the face of aggressive poaching tactics from larger concerns (Multinationals, Supermarkets, online delivery firms).
We will of course do everything we can to control your costs but unless you instruct us clearly not to accept any increases or surcharges, we will accept these additional costs on your behalf where we believe it is in your arithmetic best interests.
Demurrage and Storage charges made by the shipping lines or ports are currently far more expensive than any increases or surcharges levied by the haulier or shipping line. Given there are no alternatives available the choice is often between accepting an increase or surcharge or having no delivery / collection at all.
To compound the situation, it is common for deliveries to run late. Despite what you may think this is not usually caused by the haulier. He will have met a timed slot to collect from a Port or depot but may not be serviced for 4 – 6 hours.
Even with the increase in Driver’s hours he may not be able to complete the delivery for the booked time or before having to take a statutory rest break.
So, should a delivery or collection be running late we would urge you to do all in your power to accommodate the later time. Again, any costs or overtime incurred in accepting a late ‘runner’ will often be much less than the wasted haulage, re-delivery and storage charges that will be incurred if you do not.
Further it is unlikely that a re-arranged delivery or collection could happen for some time. You should also note that most shipping lines have changed their conditions and will make wasted journey costs should a container be rejected if it arrives 2 hours or more after its booked time.
The situation is completely unprecedented and out of control. We have never seen anything like this before and hauliers are extremely concerned.
It will not be fixed until the supply of drivers is substantially improved or the demand from the UK economy subsides. Given the time it takes to train drivers and the near impossibility of EU drivers being made available, we are left hoping for a reduction in UK economic activity.
It is a crazy world.
