Category Archives: Labor Economics

Tensions rise in UK haulage as surcharges see drivers playing ‘musical chairs’

Posted on September 12, 2021 by | 2 comments

The UK, with Brexit, has been one of the hardest hit nations with driver shortages. Here is some talk on the situation.

Apparently driver shortage surcharges are being added by some carriers, claiming all the money goes to drivers. Who believes that? Some think other carriers are also doing it but not calling it specifically for drivers. Any carrier may or may not be keeping the surcharge themselves, as there is no documentation of where it is going.

By Alexander Whiteman 26/08/2021

Tensions rise in UK haulage as surcharges see drivers playing ‘musical chairs’ – The Loadstar

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Posted in Labor Economics, Logistics, Trucking

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‘Firms undervaluing their drivers caused this shortage crisis across Europe’

Posted on September 8, 2021 by | 2 comments

Europe has much the same problem as the US when it comes to a driver shortage for logistics.

And the problem made it into consciousness for a similar reason– a new regulation that required drivers to take 45 hours of rest outside their truck, and other work rules. The rules were made for safety reasons, and they make a lot of sense.

But the effect was to prevent drivers from using extra hours to earn money from firms that pay too little. ‘Make it up on volume’ is possible only if you have enough hours to do it.

So drivers increasingly are simply walking away from driving jobs, or quitting and looking for jobs from those few companies that pay more fairly.

The speakers in the article make it plain that trucking firms themselves brought this shortage on, by not paying drivers fairly and not providing fair working conditions.

It’s much the same story in the US.

By Alex Whiteman 08/09/2021

‘Firms undervaluing their drivers caused this shortage crisis across Europe’ – The Loadstar

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Posted in entrepreneurship, Labor Economics, Logistics, Supply Chains, Trucking

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HMM seafarers step up pay protest, and now office staff also vote to strike

Posted on September 1, 2021 by | 1 comment

This story has legs. Now the office staff of HMM are involved, and there are sympathy strikes by other Korean line seafarers. Seafarers have been severely hurt by the Covid stress, some not seeing shore for long periods. Ocean carriers such as HMM are now making bundlesofmoney becauseofvast shortages of container carryng capacity and ports that can’t deal with the increased flow, and workers on the ships recognize that now is the time to throw a wrench into the money-making shipping lines’ projections.

By Martina Li in Taiwan 01/09/2021

HMM seafarers step up pay protest, and now office staff also vote to strike – The Loadstar

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Posted in Labor Economics, Logistics, Shipping

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