BP to ration fuel amid driver shortages
BP has announced fuel will be rationed as the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers drags on the oil giant’s petrol and diesel supplies.
At a government meeting last Thursday, BP told officials that last the company’s ability to transport fuel from refineries to its network of forecourts was faltering. Fuel will now be rationed to prevent supplies from running out altogether.
In a statement, BP said, “We are experiencing fuel supply issues at some of our retail sites in the UK and unfortunately have therefore seen a handful of sites temporarily close due to a lack of both unleaded and diesel grades.
“These have been caused by delays in the supply chain, which has been impacted by industry-wide driver shortages across the UK, and we are working hard to address this issue,” they added.
The news comes as the heavy goods vehicle sector struggles with recruitment due to a combination of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit reducing the number of available drivers.
The exodus of some 500,000 EU workers creating chronic shortages amongst road transport drivers, where European nationals previously made up 11 per cent. Job openings for transport drivers up by 68 per cent in June compared to pre-pandemic levels according to an IFS study.
Last Thursday BP’s head of UK retail Hanna Hofer said it was important the Government understood the “urgency of the situation”, which she described as “bad, very bad”, according to ITV News.
Ms Hofer said BP had “two-thirds of normal forecourt stock levels required for smooth operations” and the level is “declining rapidly”.
Hofer warned fuel will be restocked less often “very soon,” while Motorways will be prioritised and restocked as normal.
Driver shortages have already hit supermarkets, which are running out of food, and has slowed down bin collection services.
Calls from supermarkets, waste collection groups and local councils for the government to add HGV drivers to the UK’s skills shortage jobs list, which would allow EU workers to fill the shortfall, were investigated but not implemented following pressure from the Home Office.
BP is said to have asked the Government for similar support temporarily. While the company has approximately 45 drivers coming through in training it is experiencing high rates of attrition, with ten drivers joining and six leaving in the week beginning September 6.
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