Britain plans the issuance of temporary work visas for truck drivers to facilitate the sharp labor shortage.
The labor shortage caused fuel rationing at most gas stations and elongated lines of people, as pumps dry in some places.
PM Boris Johnson’s office said it was looking for solutions to address the problem as retailers warned of large disruption ahead of Christmas.
British Newspapers reported that the government would allow more than 5,000 foreign drivers into the country on temporary visas.
Road Haulage Association in the UK (RHA) said the country needs over 100,000 drivers to meet demand.
The shortage of truck drivers is partly due to Brexit and the COVID19 pandemic, which stopped driver training and testing for almost a year.
“We’re looking at temporary measures to avoid any immediate problems,” a spokesperson of Johnson’s office stated.
“However, any measures we introduce will be very strictly time-limited,” she added. Ministers warned against panic buying.
Oil companies said the problem is not the lack of fuel, but delivering it to gas stations.
However, there were long queues of vehicles, mostly motorists, at gas stations. Some stations closed due to lack of supply.
“I regret what we’re seeing at the forecourts,” said Huw Merriman, chairman of parliament’s transport committee.
The Police said long vehicle lines are a potential threat to public order, as they block roads before emergency vehicles.
“We’ll have to see if we can attract people for a short period,” Merriman said.
The British government said the long-term solution to the problem is to hire more British drivers.
The RHA said the government needs to improve payment and working conditions to attract drivers.
However, retailers warned that unless the government acts in the next 10 days, a significant drop is going to occur before Christmas
