UK Truck Crisis: Delivery Shortages Put Christmas at Risk | DW News

Oct 4, 2021 • Army tanker drivers are to start delivering fuel to filling stations in the UK. Many have run dry in a deepening supply crisis. The government insists it has a plan to end shortages of fuel and some foods, but admits it could be months before things get back to normal. Critics say Brexit is causing the chaos.

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson is remaining defiant as he faces a supply chain crisis in the lead up to the Christmas season. In an address to party faithful he said he has a bold plan for a post-COVID recovery. But labour shortages across the UK are bringing logistics to a standstill and leaving supermarket shelves empty. The army is to be deployed to shore up fuel supplies, after days of panic buying at the pumps.

Hauler David Zacchea points to all the trucks he's had to take off the road. He can't hire enough drivers to run them.

It's part of a wider supply chain crisis gripping the UK. The government says it will offer thousands of temporary visas so that foreign drivers can fill the gap. But business owners say it's like throwing a drop of water on a bonfire.

Driver's unions also say conditions on the job are so poor, it makes keeping staff difficult. Business is now concerned that logistics for the Christmas season will suffer. Poultry farmers are experiencing labor shortages as well, saying people's Christmas turkeys are under threat. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is trying to promote a sense of calm, saying it was all part of the plan for post-Brexit Britain. But it's doing little to sooth nerves. Fears of shortages have led to panic buying at petrol stations. Many retailers say fuel levels are critically low.


This is primarily a Brexit problem. That is undeniable. - © Mark

Britain’s Christmas Lament: Meat Shortages and Delivery Delays: Military personnel are driving transport trucks. Pig farmers may start culling their stock. Even the government says shortages will affect Christmas, as Britons brace for a challenging winter. »

Bier, Speck, Medikamente: In Grossbritannien fehlt Alltägliches: Die Briten stöhnen, viele Produkte sind kaum noch erhältlich. Weil Zehntausende Lastwagenfahrer fehlen, kämpft die Wirtschaft mit logistischen Problemen. »

As Gas Stations Run Dry, Britons Cope with Disruptions to Daily Life

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Getting to work, driving a taxi, making an ambulance run: Fuel shortages and long lines at gas stations have Britons scrambling to make trips they once took for granted.

Cars lining up at a Texaco gas station in London on Monday. | Henry Nicholls/Reuters
LONDON — In the northern English town of Baildon, Jag Sanghera took the train to work instead of driving, saving fuel needed to drive his daughter to nursery school. In west London, Laid Ibrahim, an Uber driver, tried at least seven gas stations before finding one open at 2 a.m. and waiting in line for 80 minutes. Across the city, Nick Day said the private ambulance service he works for was forced to cut the number of its vehicles on the road from six to four.

As the government tried to calm an anxious nation on Monday, gas stations across Britain continued to run dry and thousands of Britons found their lives upended.

Officials said there was no shortage of fuel and blamed the problems on panic buying. But analysts said the real cause of the chaos is a chronic shortage of truck drivers to deliver fuel to gas stations, and the government late Monday said it was putting a limited number of military tanker drivers on standby to be deployed if necessary.

Whatever the cause, the fuel supplies Britons once took for granted were vanishing, lines of vehicles clogged the streets near gas stations and some businesses that depend on fuel were suddenly at a standstill.

Dlu Uddin, the owner of Bricklane Minicab, a taxi service in east London, said he usually employs 10 drivers, but that since Sunday only two had shown up. The others do not want to drive too far from their homes because they are afraid of running out of fuel and not being able to get home, he said.

“The situation is really, really bad,” said Mr. Uddin, who said that the gas stations in his area were dry. “Never would I have a dream about this happening in England.” » | Stephen Castle, Jenny Gross and Aina J. Khan | Published: Monday, September 27, 2021; Updated: Tuesday, September 28, 2021