Truck Driver Crisis Causes Panic Buying: Residents Fight At Gas Stations, British Government Deploys Troops

Illustration of a queue at a British gas station. (Wikimedia Commons/Philafrenzy)

JAKARTA - The queue of drivers in the UK is snaking at a number of gas stations that are still serving consumers, but have to queue long to get fuel, due to the scarcity of fuel supply due to a lack of tank truck drivers.

A post-Brexit truck driver shortage, exacerbated by the halt to truck driving license testing during the COVID lockdown, is wreaking havoc through the UK supply chain in everything from food to fuel, raising the specter of disruption and price hikes ahead of Christmas.

Business Affairs Minister Kwasi Kwarteng said a number of military tanker drivers had been prepared to be deployed to deliver fuel if needed.

"I can't believe it, this is crazy," said David Scade, a 33-year-old delivery truck driver who drives for hours looking for fuel in London.

"They keep saying there's no shortage but I think everyone's panicking right now," said Scade, who was refueling at a Shell gas station in London.

Fights broke out at several British gas stations as drivers scrambled for fuel. Medics said health workers should be prioritized to fill their cars to keep health services working.

An atmosphere of chaos has gripped the world's fifth-largest economy in recent weeks as a shortage of truck drivers strained supply chains and a spike in European wholesale natural gas prices bankrupted energy companies.

Retailers, truckers and logistics companies have warned that prices for everything from energy to Christmas gifts should rise.

The government, fuel companies and gas station operators say fuel supplies are ample, but a shortage of truck drivers, combined with panic buying, is driving fuel shortages.

The situation is so dire that the British Medical Association is calling for health workers to have priority access to fuel, to ensure health services can operate.

Demand for fuel means that 50 per cent to 90 per cent of gas stations are out of stock in some parts of the UK, according to the Association of Gasoline Retailers (PRA).

In light of the truck driver shortage, the UK Government on Sunday announced plans to issue temporary visas to 5,000 foreign truck drivers.

Carriers, gas stations and retailers said there was no quick fix because the shortage of truckers - estimated at around 100,000 - was acute, and because transporting fuel demanded additional training and licenses.

The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is urging the government to expand the size and scope of the scheme to attract needed truck drivers, to keep Christmas supplies on track.

"To avoid disappointment for millions of households during the festive season, we urge the government to urgently expand this program, both in size and scope, to HGV drivers across all sectors of the retail industry," said Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at BRC.

"It will be months before there are enough new British drivers to make up for the shortfall," Opie said.