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A Political Thread pt. 2

The level of panic buying is crazy.
Went past 3 stations today all had queues, compared to 0 queues a couple days ago.

As soon as the media heard about BP and tesco closing some stations down it was everyone for themselves.

My dad getting his health check and then going to get HGV driving, since he has his class 1 license and it seems to be in demand.
 
The level of panic buying is crazy.
Went past 3 stations today all had queues, compared to 0 queues a couple days ago.

As soon as the media heard about BP and tesco closing some stations down it was everyone for themselves.

My dad getting his health check and then going to get HGV driving, since he has his class 1 license and it seems to be in demand.
Tell him to drop me a line when he does!
 

"We're not going to relax rules for foreign HGV drivers, absolutely not!"

Edit: I could only read the headline, but essentially Johnson wants to issue temporary visas for foreign HGV drivers.
Not sure it's going to help to honest. I've really been feeling the strain the last few months but there is a driver shortage all over Europe as well as Canada and the USA. The mainly Polish lads that have left are earning good money in Germany and with IR35 and the crappy exchange rate the opportunity to make good money in the UK isn't really there. The 30% rise in the agency rate for class 1 drivers might tempt some back but its not going to be many
 
Not sure it's going to help to honest. I've really been feeling the strain the last few months but there is a driver shortage all over Europe as well as Canada and the USA. The mainly Polish lads that have left are earning good money in Germany and with IR35 and the crappy exchange rate the opportunity to make good money in the UK isn't really there. The 30% rise in the agency rate for class 1 drivers might tempt some back but its not going to be many
Just revising through this now, IR35 for anyone who doesn't know is designed to stop workers inserting a company between themselves and the employer and get paid Gross, put it through the company, claiming deductible expenses CT at 19%. They Then extract the profit from the company via a small salary < their personal allowance/NIC threshold, and rest as as a dividend and pay lower income tax rates and no NIC.

IR35 before was a waste as it put the onus on the worker to determine whether they were caught. Well what a surprise - most decided it didn't apply, so now HMRC are just putting the onus on the public authority or private sector who employ them and make sure they charge them PAYE and NIC. Doesn't just apply to Lorry drivers, but other sectors as well.
 
Just revising through this now, IR35 for anyone who doesn't know is designed to stop workers inserting a company between themselves and the employer and get paid Gross, put it through the company, claiming deductible expenses CT at 19%. They Then extract the profit from the company via a small salary < their personal allowance/NIC threshold, and rest as as a dividend and pay lower income tax rates and no NIC.

IR35 before was a waste as it put the onus on the worker to determine whether they were caught. Well what a surprise - most decided it didn't apply, so now HMRC are just putting the onus on the public authority or private sector who employ them and make sure they charge them PAYE and NIC. Doesn't just apply to Lorry drivers, but other sectors as well.
Drivers used to work for me as Limited companies but they cannot do that now because the company I used to work for (left today) would be liable for the tax and NI. The traffic commissioners have been pushing this as much as the inland revenue.

Look, driving is a **** job, it was even worse during the lockdowns with the services being shut. They supermarkets are as much to blame for all this as anything else. Driving costs down for 3rd party hauliers and treating drivers like **** when they got to the their RDCs to tip. I stopped shopping at Morrisons due to the way my drivers were getting dicked about at their Wakefield depot. There is nowhere safe to park in the evening, services, when they are open are dirty and expensive. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the chance to set up as a limited company and stick your earnings through a self assessment. Now that's not an option many drivers are leaving the industry.
 
Drivers used to work for me as Limited companies but they cannot do that now because the company I used to work for (left today) would be liable for the tax and NI. The traffic commissioners have been pushing this as much as the inland revenue.

Look, driving is a **** job, it was even worse during the lockdowns with the services being shut. They supermarkets are as much to blame for all this as anything else. Driving costs down for 3rd party hauliers and treating drivers like **** when they got to the their RDCs to tip. I stopped shopping at Morrisons due to the way my drivers were getting dicked about at their Wakefield depot. There is nowhere safe to park in the evening, services, when they are open are dirty and expensive. The only thing that made it worthwhile was the chance to set up as a limited company and stick your earnings through a self assessment. Now that's not an option many drivers are leaving the industry.
Yep, the flip side of this but they were effectively working for your company as employees. The company they set up was just a ruse to reduce their IT and NIC Liabilities And not pay PAYE and NIC. It's form over substance at the end of the day. HMRC and Govt were losing out on 20/40% IT, 12/2%IT and 13.8% E'er NIC. You can see why they are clamping down on it v allowing HGV drivers just paying. CT rate of 19% and then drawing on profits at 7.5% and 32.5% instead.

Not gonna back down over IR35 as they have introduced it across public and private sectors now and put the onus on them. So it boils down to attracting divers back from Europe apart allowing Visa exemption and pay them more, collect additional tax revenues. And vastly improving driving facilities across the country. That means costs will inevitably be passed onto the end user.
 
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Yep, the flip side of this but they were effectively working for your company as employees. The company they set up was just a ruse to reduce their IT and NIC Liabilities And not pay PAYE and NIC. It's form over substance at the end of the day. HMRC and Govt were losing out on 20/40% IT, 12/2%IT and 13.8% E'er NIC. You can see why they are clamping down on it v allowing HGV drivers just paying 7.5% and 32.5% instead.

Not gonna back down over IR35 as they have introduced it across public and private sectors now and put the onus on them. So it boils down to attracting divers back from Europe apart allowing Visa exemption and pay them more, collect additional tax revenues.
Or making the job just a bit nicer for those doing it?
 
Or making the job just a bit nicer for those doing it?

Yep, just edited my post above.

I get it is a **** job. Long hours away from home/family and having to put up with crap facilities when on the road does not help.

Not attracting younger drivers through because it is not a nice job to do. The tax system, Brexit, on top of that.
 
Or pay them what they deserve in the first place instead of using tax loopholes?

It's like America relying on serving staff making their money through tips.
Hey I'm all for that. For 3 years I have budgeted a modest 5% pay rise for my staff and every year it go bounced back by the board. They finally agreed this year to a 2% one and half the drivers quit and went to DPD. Now they are having to give the drivers that are left a 15% one just to keep them. Serves them right. Glad I left
 
Not sure what difference it will make. Don't have any reports of an army of Polish drivers waiting at the ports to ride in and save the day
Especially as there is a general shortage of HGV drivers in mainland Europe anyway.

I guess if the wages are significantly better than what they can get in the EU for a short contract
 
HGV driving is a high pressured job that did get **** pay.
People talk about now how some are getting paid more than "insert traditional profession" they fail to realise how much responsibility drivers have to take and it really wasn't worth it.
 
HGV driving is a high pressured job that did get **** pay.
People talk about now how some are getting paid more than "insert traditional profession" they fail to realise how much responsibility drivers have to take and it really wasn't worth it.
Absolutely. How much would I have to pay you to drive through the middle of London with a 44t Arctic.. More than I had to pay my solicitor during my last house move I bet
 

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