It would be interesting to get your views as you actually have real experience.
Its been in decline for years , in the past the only way to make a decent living would be to go as a ltd co , via agency - self employed , you take all earnings then pay a discount tax bill at end of the year
last year govt put a stop to that .IR35
all the ee (east europeans would work all year then tax time would dip back home for a bit avoiding tax )
but that fucked it up for a lot of drivers that were honest & a lot left as prob near retirement & could earn as much stacking shelves
then all the laws , rules , regulations , a driver needs to know are ridiculus , more than airline pilots im led to believe & if you do continental work for each country its different
when the dcpc came in a few years back again a lot of the old boys jacked it in ( doing the job for 30/40 years to be told by someone whos never drove for a living where theyve been going wrong)
why if you are a young man or woman either with a family or a social life would you come into the industry that can legally have you working a 15 hour day with 9 hours off 3 times a week ?
up to a few months ago even our own firms didnt value us , “wont do 15 hour run ? Then your sacked plenty more where you come from”
then we get to faciltys , stinking overpriced services , stinking laybyes , shite overpriced food , no parking , no access , we want the goods off your trailer but the fuck off & be somebody elses problem & untill recently for about £12 an hour
the RHA have reeped what they have sown