Panic buying fuel

[larmen]

How much more expensive is fuel now? 10p? More? Why fill up a Jerry can now at higher prices when you can just fill your car to lower prices next week. Optimistically speaking.

 

[Imurg]

Well, thats me gone completely insane..
Joined the queue at tesco..After half an hour I'd moved 20 yards and then some spotty youth in a Tesco hoodie and high viz tells me they've run out of diesel.
I think I'm going to take the rest of the week off....

 

[Piece]

I managed to get £30 last night quite easily. Small queue, with strict limit on £30 and NO jerry cans. All amiable.

Interestingly, my wife phoned me 2 mins before saying the station I was going to had a massive queue, blocking the surrounding roads - all this info from Facebook from "informed" posters. The reality was somewhat pleasingly different.

 

[jim8flog]

People need to realise that more lorry drivers (whether from the Army/Navy/RAF or the EU) is not the answer to the fuel 'issue'. What we need is tanker drivers. May seem a bit pedantic but to drive a tanker you need other qualifications/certificates and just pulling a standard HGV driver into the job is not the answer if they can't drive the tanker or get the fuel from the tanker to the tanks in the filling stations. It is a bit more complicated than a lot of people seem to realise - but the extra drivers will be able to deliver our Christmas presents

How many tankers do you think the army, air force and navy own. There are probably more than enough qualified drivers in the forces to get over the problem in the short term. They were used in a previous fuel crisis.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

The reason we have this crisis is because those garages not affected by the non delivery of fuel (because of not enough drivers) are being "raided" by morons who are taking as much fuel as they can load into their vehicles and jerry cans ( in a short timeline as a result of our wonderful media ) and thus those garages are running out of fuel too.

There are many reasons that can be put forward for this happening, but there is little point in trying to discuss them as doing so can only drop straight into the political and so fall foul of board editorial policy. Were it to be suggested that the subject could be discussed without political reference would be disingenuous.

 

[Beezerk]

On a happier note, the garages in the town where I work were empty from mid Sunday onwards. They were re-filled yesterday afternoon and understandably there was a rush for people to buy fuel. The queues were not daft but people had a need. I drove into work this morning, no queues, the odd car filling up, no covers on pumps. It is not a high population area so demand is not daft but at least here the initial surge has calmed down.

Same near me, local Morissons looked normal over the weekend, drove past 3 or 4 garages this morning and no queues at all. Maybe it's just us Northern Monkeys who are the sensible ones ?

 

[Imurg]

Same near me, local Morissons looked normal over the weekend, drove past 3 or 4 garages this morning and no queues at all. Maybe it's just us Northern Monkeys who are the sensible ones ?

The monkeys down here aren't even as smart as monkeys....I'd say more like that Bluebottle that keeps bumping into the window when the opening is 3 inches to the left...

 

[Neilds]

How many tankers do you think the army, air force and navy own. There are probably more than enough qualified drivers in the forces to get over the problem in the short term. They were used in a previous fuel crisis.

I agree there are probably enough drivers but, as stated on the news today, they will still need 5 days training to learn how to get the fuel into and out of the tankers into the filling stations. Hopefully by the time they are trained we won’t need them as the situation should have calmed down as all the muppets will have full tanks

 

[DanFST]

Did fill up a jerry can for the mower, felt like a complete richard.

 

[Ethan]

I am sure you are right... but of course the Trots would object if they do, and object if they don't. Glad I am not working in Government! (ok, only a little bit of it!)

So why are some posts deleted as political but posts complaining about "Trots", as if there actually are any such people involved, are OK?

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I agree there are probably enough drivers but, as stated on the news today, they will still need 5 days training to learn how to get the fuel into and out of the tankers into the filling stations. Hopefully by the time they are trained we won’t need them as the situation should have calmed down as all the muppets will have full tanks

That will be 1 hours training and the rest watching safety videos. They unload via gravity. Attach the pipe, open the valve, wait until the tank is empty. Repeat for all tanks on the wagon. Loading is similar, with the pipes being overhead, pouring into each tank via the top of the tanker. Loading and unloading single drop fuel tankers is a doddle. The bit to really concentrate on is making sure everyone is safe. Pretty important to be fair but if you are already a competent hgv driver then 5 days is stretching it out big time.

 

[Old Skier]

See my post 39 in which I called for immediate involvement to reassure and reduce anxiety in the public. I accept that they can’t actually be on the road today, but they can be mobilised today, and that is what the government has now done. Indeed I have heard reported that some service tankers are ready to go today - they are on stand-by. The right thing. I don’t know that the government can do much more than provide us with a bit of leadership - and perhaps prioritisation and guidance to suppliers on limits we can buy. It is up to us.

There are under 200 tankers used by the MILITARY at the last count that hold 20,000 Lars of fuel each mostly diesel and aviation fuel, they will all need flushing if they are to be used for petrol. Most fuel carriers in the military are small bowsers that also will need flushing. Many of the tankers are used by the RAF and remember, they only work Mon-Fri 0900-1600 hrs

Will you see some on the road, possibly, will they have much effect. I’ll let you do the numbers.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There are under 200 tankers used by the MILITARY at the last count that hold 20,000 Lars of fuel each mostly diesel and aviation fuel, they will all need flushing if they are to be used for petrol. Most fuel carriers in the military are small bowsers that also will need flushing. Many of the tankers are used by the RAF and remember, they only work Mon-Fri 0900-1600 hrs

Will you see some on the road, possibly, will they have much effect. I’ll let you do the numbers.

That’s fine…I get that…but surely mobilising the services is aimed at the psychological as much as the logical.

If I accept that this issue has been caused by idiots (which I do in some part) then to try to persuade these idiots through logical argument will likely fail. But the pending presence of servicemen delivering fuel (and pending may be all that’s required) is real and practical, and I’d hope would have more chance of success. Well at least that’s what it seems the government is hoping, so it’s not just me.

 

[pauljames87]

There are under 200 tankers used by the MILITARY at the last count that hold 20,000 Lars of fuel each mostly diesel and aviation fuel, they will all need flushing if they are to be used for petrol. Most fuel carriers in the military are small bowsers that also will need flushing. Many of the tankers are used by the RAF and remember, they only work Mon-Fri 0900-1600 hrs

Will you see some on the road, possibly, will they have much effect. I’ll let you do the numbers.

If the shortage is of numbers of drivers why won't the military drivers be using existing tankers?

 

[pauljames87]

So all the talk of key workers getting special status to get fuel

Didn't the last lockdown mean every single man and his dog was a key worker?

 

[Old Skier]

If the shortage is of numbers of drivers why won't the military drivers be using existing tankers?

Because there is still only a limited number of drivers with the necessary licences.

 

[Imurg]

So all the talk of key workers getting special status to get fuel

Didn't the last lockdown mean every single man and his dog was a key worker?

And how are Key Workers going to get through the massive queues?

 

[road2ruin]

So all the talk of key workers getting special status to get fuel

Didn't the last lockdown mean every single man and his dog was a key worker?

For me that'll just end up with the general public thinking that there must be more of an issue that anyone is letting on if they're going to start allowing certain groups to get fuel. What we are being told is that within a day or so this will all be fine, if that's the case then we don't need to start having groups being allowed in to refuel. As you say, last time the key worker list was extensive, I think I was one of the few people that wasn't listed!

 

[Old Skier]

That’s fine…I get that…but surely mobilising the services is aimed at the psychological as much as the logical.

If I accept that this issue has been caused by idiots (which I do in some part) then to try to persuade these idiots through logical argument will likely fail. But the pending presence of servicemen delivering fuel is real and practical, and I’d hope would have more chance of success. Well at least that’s what it seems the government is hoping, so it’s not just me.

From experience putting military on the streets for anything causes more public concern not less.

It did result in a good number of well made cakes though.

 

[larmen]

I think I'm going to take the rest of the week off....

The fewer people you train the shorter the queues down the line.

But seriously, is there a longer term plan of training students on electric vehicles?
I learned stuff in my CBT which are already redundant on my NIU scooter.