No fuel in Britain?

[LionKing]

Even trnsions has been witnessed and violence at the stations.  What exactly is going on and why?

[onebigmonkey]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

[LionKing]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

I see. I wish our problem was the same though. At least it would have been more easily solvable

[molesworth]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

I see. I wish our problem was the same though. At least it would have been more easily solvable

I wish ours was easily solvable too, but unfortunately the level of selfishness and stupidity has meant people are filling their cars then filling cans and other containers, meaning even emergency vehicles and vital workers are left without fuel.  As OBM said, the government's response has been completely inadequate, bringing in a few hundred army drivers to help with deliveries (when we're about 100,000 drivers short in all sectors), promising a few thousand visas for foreign drivers who probably won't want to come here, and planning to push through more HGV driver tests somehow.

I'm glad I switched from a very hungry diesel Land Rover to a plug-in hybrid a couple of years ago - I can run mostly on electric and only use a few litres of petrol a month.

[Peter B]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

I see. I wish our problem was the same though. At least it would have been more easily solvable

I wish ours was easily solvable too, but unfortunately the level of selfishness and stupidity has meant people are filling their cars then filling cans and other containers, meaning even emergency vehicles and vital workers are left without fuel.  As OBM said, the government's response has been completely inadequate, bringing in a few hundred army drivers to help with deliveries (when we're about 100,000 drivers short in all sectors), promising a few thousand visas for foreign drivers who probably won't want to come here, and planning to push through more HGV driver tests somehow.

I'm glad I switched from a very hungry diesel Land Rover to a plug-in hybrid a couple of years ago - I can run mostly on electric and only use a few litres of petrol a month.

Heh. At least our silliness in Australia during the pandemic was about toilet paper...proving that we know what to do when we give a shit.

And thanks to our current lockdown, I can't remember how many weeks it is since I filled either of our cars.

But back to fuel shortage impacts on industry, when the pandemic first hit and there were runs on the supermarkets, the Federal government leaned on the supermarket chains to help each other. That meant that the semi-trailers transporting groceries from warehouses to shops were often delivering to rival chains, thus ensuring that most supermarkets got at least some supply of most grocery items (and probably making deliveries more efficient). Sure, there were shortages of some items that didn't resolve for over a month, but the supermarkets were also pretty strict in imposing purchase limits.

And this is in a country where people are just a little more spread out than the UK.

[LionKing]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

I see. I wish our problem was the same though. At least it would have been more easily solvable

I wish ours was easily solvable too, but unfortunately the level of selfishness and stupidity has meant people are filling their cars then filling cans and other containers, meaning even emergency vehicles and vital workers are left without fuel.  As OBM said, the government's response has been completely inadequate, bringing in a few hundred army drivers to help with deliveries (when we're about 100,000 drivers short in all sectors), promising a few thousand visas for foreign drivers who probably won't want to come here, and planning to push through more HGV driver tests somehow.

I'm glad I switched from a very hungry diesel Land Rover to a plug-in hybrid a couple of years ago - I can run mostly on electric and only use a few litres of petrol a month.

*sigh*
Yes understandable the frustration from both the people and the government. Monopoly from the fuel owners is continually being exposed. Tricks from people to smuggle fuel to Syria, as well as emptying the tanks in their homes to go the second day and fill their cars. All is still bearabke as to when it cones to medicine and monopolizing it, even cancer medication!

The finding of drivers should be settled with giving them motivatiins I guess. That there is no money to buy enough fuel and diesel for the country is a very complicated issue. Now with the lifting of subsidies, there should be less competition but another problem emerges for the poor. There is a joke being circulated that a person will have to choose between registering the kids in school OR in transpprtation to school.
Slowly, many people are starting to seriously think about solar energy. They promised with the Iraqi fuel putchased to increase electricity hours. Let us wait and see.

[LionKing]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

I see. I wish our problem was the same though. At least it would have been more easily solvable

I wish ours was easily solvable too, but unfortunately the level of selfishness and stupidity has meant people are filling their cars then filling cans and other containers, meaning even emergency vehicles and vital workers are left without fuel.  As OBM said, the government's response has been completely inadequate, bringing in a few hundred army drivers to help with deliveries (when we're about 100,000 drivers short in all sectors), promising a few thousand visas for foreign drivers who probably won't want to come here, and planning to push through more HGV driver tests somehow.

I'm glad I switched from a very hungry diesel Land Rover to a plug-in hybrid a couple of years ago - I can run mostly on electric and only use a few litres of petrol a month.

Heh. At least our silliness in Australia during the pandemic was about toilet paper...proving that we know what to do when we give a shit.

And thanks to our current lockdown, I can't remember how many weeks it is since I filled either of our cars.

But back to fuel shortage impacts on industry, when the pandemic first hit and there were runs on the supermarkets, the Federal government leaned on the supermarket chains to help each other. That meant that the semi-trailers transporting groceries from warehouses to shops were often delivering to rival chains, thus ensuring that most supermarkets got at least some supply of most grocery items (and probably making deliveries more efficient). Sure, there were shortages of some items that didn't resolve for over a month, but the supermarkets were also pretty strict in imposing purchase limits.

And this is in a country where people are just a little more spread out than the UK.

The tension is over buying everything basic here. The currency devaluation is immense, thefts and violence are increasing.. and expected to further increase..
And the road seems to be long before the currency returns to an acceptable rate

[Glom]

I haven't been driving in weeks so not had an issue. I'm so green (as long as you don't count my old hobbies or the industries I've worked in).

Seems to have disappeared off the front pages now so I guess things are stabilising?

My biggest concern is electricity following the still September.

[Peter B]

I haven't been driving in weeks so not had an issue. I'm so green (as long as you don't count my old hobbies or the industries I've worked in).

Seems to have disappeared off the front pages now so I guess things are stabilising?

Or Cristiano Ronaldo scored?

But maybe, just maybe, everyone who's gone silly over petrol has now filled every available receptacle and has no excuse to go to the servo, and the only people going now are the people who can manage with one fill-up every three or four weeks.

My biggest concern is electricity following the still September.

Sorry, what do you mean? What's "the still September"?

[jfb]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

Ugh.  Are your people extra stupid like our people and filling up trash bags and open buckets with gasoline?  Because that was a thing back when the Colonial pipeline got hacked. I'm still not sure how we made it through that without setting whole cities on fire. 

[onebigmonkey]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

Ugh.  Are your people extra stupid like our people and filling up trash bags and open buckets with gasoline?  Because that was a thing back when the Colonial pipeline got hacked. I'm still not sure how we made it through that without setting whole cities on fire.

The stupid thing is that people are setting out to buy petrol with 3/4 of a tank full already, using 1/4 of a tank trying to find fuel, thus depriving everyone else of 1/4 of a tank of fuel when they finally find some. Some places have been putting a maximum purchase on things, when really they should be putting a minimum.

The whole thing has been a media fabricated sh*tstorm that could entirely been avoided by people not behaving like dicks. People have not shown themselves to be very good at that.

[Peter B]

One fuel company reported that it was having issues getting drivers to fill petrol stations, thanks to a combination of factors involving COVID and Brexit and people just not wanting to be drivers any more because it sucks as a job.

This rapidly got translated into "there will be no petrol" and Mad Max levels of stupidity and selfishness.

End result is places get a delivery of fuel that would last a week and it gets drained dry in a few hours.

Meanwhile the government sat on its hands and asked people to play nice.

Ugh.  Are your people extra stupid like our people and filling up trash bags and open buckets with gasoline?  Because that was a thing back when the Colonial pipeline got hacked. I'm still not sure how we made it through that without setting whole cities on fire.

The stupid thing is that people are setting out to buy petrol with 3/4 of a tank full already, using 1/4 of a tank trying to find fuel, thus depriving everyone else of 1/4 of a tank of fuel when they finally find some. Some places have been putting a maximum purchase on things, when really they should be putting a minimum.

The whole thing has been a media fabricated sh*tstorm that could entirely been avoided by people not behaving like dicks. People have not shown themselves to be very good at that.

When we've had fuel shortages in the past, state and territory governments would institute an "odds-and-evens" system. On odd-numbered calendar days you could only buy fuel if your number plate's last digit was odd, and on even-numbered days if its last digit was even (if your number plate had no digits you counted as odd). Straight off the bat you could be chased out of a servo if you had the wrong digit on your plate.

And yes, there would also be minimum purchases, but I don't remember if servos were actually allowed to charge the minimum if you bought less than that amount of fuel (it's been years since we've had those sorts of shortages, and they never affected me anyway).

Meanwhile, ATM I'm sure all the electric car drivers are laughing...

[molesworth]

Meanwhile, ATM I'm sure all the electric car drivers are laughing...

Well, not exactly laughing but feeling slightly smug 

What's so sad is that so many people's first instinct is to act selfishly, grab whatever they can for themselves, and not even think about people who have real need of whatever they're hoarding.  We've seen it with fuel, toilet rolls, food, bottled water etc. in various past "crises", and despite it all blowing over they're ready to do it again at the next hint of a problem.

[Peter B]

Meanwhile, ATM I'm sure all the electric car drivers are laughing...

Well, not exactly laughing but feeling slightly smug 

What's so sad is that so many people's first instinct is to act selfishly, grab whatever they can for themselves, and not even think about people who have real need of whatever they're hoarding.  We've seen it with fuel, toilet rolls, food, bottled water etc. in various past "crises", and despite it all blowing over they're ready to do it again at the next hint of a problem.

I wonder if that's a result of a few decades of governments telling people "the government can't do everything for you, you've got to take responsibility for yourselves". So people don't look at it as "hoarding" but "taking responsibility for themselves".

(To be fair, there are also plenty of situations where it's illogical for people to expect the government to look after them, and it's only sensible for people to take responsibility for their actions, such as evacuating before a known disaster strikes.)

[Glom]

Meanwhile, ATM I'm sure all the electric car drivers are laughing...

Well, not exactly laughing but feeling slightly smug 

What's so sad is that so many people's first instinct is to act selfishly, grab whatever they can for themselves, and not even think about people who have real need of whatever they're hoarding.  We've seen it with fuel, toilet rolls, food, bottled water etc. in various past "crises", and despite it all blowing over they're ready to do it again at the next hint of a problem.

You won't catch me acting like that. I was keeping a well stocked home before it cool.

The key is Oatley and bean chilli.