We need keep a lid on the hysteria writes Andy Mitchell

In the world of work, it’s a sellers market for the first time in decades. Those with professional qualifications to drive lorries are as valuable as any white collar job, in some cases more so.

Whilst the panic fuel buying crisis appears to have eased, at least here in the North and in Scotland, the South East is faced with a major issue to be resolved with the use of European workers.

The truck drivers are the new royalty of the business world, some attracting salaries equal to, if not more than, very senior office staff.

The ‘just in time’ delivery model on which so much of our retail depends, relies of swift, reliable, daily deliveries to all corners of the country, with things we now expect to be able to buy all year round. We contribute to this frenzy by demanding fresh strawberries in December and all manner of out of season products at the drop of a hat. That’s fine when the trucks can keep up with the demand. When they can’t, suddenly there are panic headlines threatening that “Christmas is under threat” etc. This then sends everyone into panic mode and once again the supermarket shelves are cleared as if devoured by swarms of locusts in seconds. Delivery companies find it hard to keep up with demand, and it starts again. It’s a relentless cycle.

Nationally, we also hear of bus companies having to withdraw some services because of driver shortage. It’s not just here in Blackpool where services have been affected.

We live in challenging times, but I believe we all have to do our bit to help things get back to normal. Stocking up is one thing, but chaotic panic buying of anything (remember the random toilet roll crisis of March 2020?) just exacerbates the situation.

We will get the lorry and bus drivers we need. There will be a whole new generation of young drivers to replace those who have decided in their 50s that enough is enough.

We will rebuild our staffing, but we all need to do our bit to keep a lid on the hysteria.

Thanks for reading. If you value what we do and are able to support us, a digital subscription is just £1 for your first month. Try us today by clicking here