Many supermarket shelves in the UK currently look like they did at the beginning of the corona pandemic: empty. The country is threatened with food shortages. The reason is a lack of truck drivers. Now the military should step in.
Fruits, vegetables, fresh meat – there is currently a shortage of food in the UK. The shelves of many supermarkets across the country remain empty. The reason for the shortage of goods is the lack of truck drivers, which hinders deliveries from the warehouses to the supermarkets. The UK government is expected to issue an official request for assistance to the military shortly.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates that up to 100,000 drivers are missing across the country. The “historical” shortage was fueled by new Brexit rules such as the recently necessary work visas for EU citizens and by the pandemic. In the past year, around 30,000 truck driver’s license tests could not have been taken due to corona rules. Most recently, many drivers had to isolate themselves because of contact with people infected with corona, and supermarket shelves across the country remained empty. But even before that, comparatively low pay and high training costs had caused problems.
Food shortages in Great Britain: Aldi increases wages for truck drivers
Only recently, the German retail giant Aldi had raised wages to prevent drivers from being poached in the midst of the supply crisis triggered by Brexit and Corona.
As the British “Sun” reports, the army truck drivers have now been put in readiness to remedy the chronic shortage of truck drivers and the resulting food shortage. Around 2,000 truck drivers from the Royal Logistics Corps and other regiments will be parked for five days to help distribute food and essentials, it is said.
Army personnel with truck qualifications wanted
“Messages are sent to all army personnel with truck qualifications. They are placed on a five-day waiting list for driver jobs in major distribution centers across the country,” a source is quoted as saying. to face the crisis. You will be involved in the distribution of food as well as the transportation of other essentials and medical supplies. “
Last month, the Boris Johnson administration temporarily increased the working hours for drivers from nine to ten hours, allowing them to make longer journeys. However, this measure, which the Road Haulage Association (RHA) called “sticking plaster”, was not enough to solve the distribution problems.
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Those: , DPA
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
