Fuel Scarcity: UK to Consider Short-term Visas for Foreign Truck Drivers
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Fuel Scarcity: UK to Consider Short-term Visas for Foreign Truck Drivers
By Alabidun Shuaib Abdulrahman
As consumer fuel supplies run short, the UK government is expected to ease visa rules for foreign truck drivers temporarily, according to local media on Saturday.
A shortage of truck drivers has resulted in delivery delays and fuel rationing across the United Kingdom. According to industry organisations, Britain requires 100,000 more drivers to meet demand.
According to British tabloids, Downing Street would renege on a previous promise and issue up to 5,000 short-term visas to heavy-goods-vehicle drivers (HGV). The decision was set to take effect in order to avoid any inconveniences over the hectic holiday season.
READ ALSO: United Kingdom: Fuel Scarcity Forces Petrol Stations to Shutdown
Shortages of delivery drivers have left some gas stations rationing supplies for consumers. Brexit and the COVID-19 pandemic are considered to be the main cause behind the current situation.
“We’re looking at temporary measures to avoid any immediate problems, but any measures we introduce will be very strictly time limited,” a spokeswoman for Johnson’s Downing Street office said in a statement.
Although oil companies stated that there is no shortage of supplies, only a delivery issue. Despite ministerial pleas to discourage panic buying, huge lines of motorists were seen at gas stations. As a result, some stations had to close due to a lack of supplies.
“The public should be reassured that there are no shortages,” a spokesperson for Downing Street stated. “However, we, like other countries around the world, are experiencing a temporary COVID-related driver scarcity, which is preventing us from moving supplies around the country.”
Logistics firms have long demanded action to address the driver shortage, but the UK’s Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates that the country requires at least 100,000 more drivers.
