Drivers supplying supermarkets can stay on road longer to fill shelves

Lorry drivers transporting essential goods to supermarkets can stay on the road longer without a break to help the response to Covid-19, transport secretary Grant Shapps has announced.

He has relaxed drivers’ hours rules as retailers struggle to keep shelves filled due to stockpiling caused by coronavirus fears.

The measure applies to drivers playing a part in supplying supermarkets with food, personal care items, toilet roll, cleaning products and medicines.

We’re helping supermarkets respond to #COVID-19. I’ve authorised a temporary relaxation of the drivers’ hours rules to help deliver vital goods to stores across the UK; with the understanding that driver welfare must not be compromised.

— Rt Hon Grant Shapps MP (@grantshapps) March 17, 2020

The changes include:

– Increasing the maximum daily time a driver can be on the road from nine hours to 11 hours

– Reducing the minimum amount of daily rest from 11 hours to nine hours

– Raising the weekly driving limit from 56 hours to 60 hours

Drivers involved in transporting items to stores or distribution centres are eligible to work extended hours until 16 April.

Shapps said the policy would “help deliver vital goods to stores across the UK” but insisted that “driver welfare must not be compromised”.

Rules for drivers transporting purchases directly to consumers are unchanged, despite many consumers struggling to book delivery slots amid huge demand.

Tags: Coronavirus

Comments 1

nobodylicksme says:

6 years ago

They’re probably getting short of lorry drivers now but they’ve brought it upon themselves. In the early ’80s in Maggie Thatcher’s first term her government stopped paying for HGV 1 courses like they used to, but said they’d help me get a loan of 700-800 pounds, but I’d taken out a car loan so I said no.

Then in the late ’90s when being laid off became commonplace and I had no debt I thought about lorry driving again, and was willing to take out a loan. But nowadays before you can go in for your articulated lorry license (LGV C + E) you have to go in for LGV C first (the old Class 2 HGV); but I didn’t want Class 2 at £1200 for the course then have to pay the same again for Class 1. So I turned it down again.

They tried to bilk too much money from L-drivers. I’m too old now…don’t even care…so arseholes to ’em.