A lack of lorry drivers has meant that some stations have a shortage of fuel A lack of HGV drivers is impacting the supply chain and effective transportation of fuel across the UK.
The lack of drivers has also led to gaps in supermarket shelves.The shortage of drivers has had a knock-on effect on the availability of fuel at some petrol stations.
BP announced that several of its stations have closed and up to 100 of its stations were short of at least one grade of fuel.
Esso have said a “small number” of its Tesco forecourts have been affected.There is a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers in the UK, caused partly by Covid and partly by Brexit.
Long hours, and a lack of facilities to bathe and rest in the UK has made it difficult to recruit new drivers.
What is the government doing to combat the problem?The government has recently announced its intention to issue 5,000 temporary visas to truck drivers to ease labour shortages, but industry bodies are arguing that it does not go far enough to address the problem.