Lack of Drivers, “Dry” Service Stations and Social Tensions: What You Need to Know About the UK Fuel Crisis

(CNN Spanish) – Long lines at gas stations. Angry people, on the brink of violence and panic. Taxi drivers deciding who they can take and who cannot. No, we are talking about Venezuela in recent years, Afghanistan after the arrival of the Taliban or the United States during the 1973 oil crisis.

This is the United Kingdom, which since the beginning of the month has been going through a serious crisis due to the shortage of fuel that has generated situations of tension in the country, with images of endless lines of cars in stations. BP and Shell, among others.

Why is there a lack of fuel in the country?

Driver shortage

The authorities assure that it is not a question of a lack of fuel, but of drivers to take them from the ports to the service stations.

This is in turn due to a general lack of drivers in the UK (there are a million vacancies to fill across the country) caused by Brexit, which led to the departure of tens of thousands of citizens from the European Union. working in the UK, and exacerbated by restrictions imposed in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brexit, the UK’s exit from the European Union -voted in a referendum in 2016 and implemented in 2020- it reimposed a series of customs and immigration controls between the country and the European continent, thus stopping the freedom of movement that characterizes the bloc for the British.

Among the vacancies to be filled, there are about 100,000 truck drivers for the transfer of all kinds of goods, noted the Road Haulage Association.

Up to two-thirds of 5,500 service stations operated by members of the UK Gasoline Retailers Association (PRA) have had to close due to running out of fuel, the association told the BBC. The rest are quickly running out of their reserves.

Government measures

Initially, the government of Prime Minister Boris Johnson had said that “most of the solutions” to the shortage of workers would come from the same industry and that it sought not to depend on foreign workers, ruling out the granting of exceptional visas.

However, after service stations began to run out of fuel, the British government announced that special visas would be granted for 10,500 drivers in order to avoid disruptions in the supply chain. This number includes 5,000 drivers of heavy vehicles, such as tankers.

The UK Army also announced that it was ready to supply shortage service stations, should the situation demand it.

“If necessary, the deployment of military personnel will provide the supply chain with additional capacity as a temporary measure to help alleviate pressures caused by spikes in localized demand for fuel,” said Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Business Secretary, at a statement.

General effects

The fuel shortage in the UK is not just causing panic among motorists, some of whom rushed to service stations to unnecessarily stockpile petrol. It is beginning to affect daily life.

The taxi industry has been having to make tough decisions, having to prioritize some trips and resign others. This is especially dramatic when considering the number of people with special needs, such as children, retirees and people with disabilities, who need this type of transportation on a daily basis.

At the same time, workers in essential jobs, such as nurses and doctors, who must travel in private cars due to deficiencies in the public transport system, have had difficulties getting to their jobs.

Signs of improvement?

The situation may already be at its worst, said Gordon Balmer, chief executive of PRA, which represents independent fuel suppliers.

Balmer told CNN there were “early signs” that the crisis was ending, noting that PRA members have advised that they will make new shipments of fuel to service stations shortly.

“Fuel stocks remain normal at refineries and terminals, although deliveries have been reduced due to a shortage of truck drivers,” he said.

“With the regular replenishments that are being carried out, this percentage is likely to improve even more in the next 24 hours,” he said, adding that “only 37%” of the country’s service stations had reported not having more fuel.