Interface

24 Autumn/Winter 2021 T here is nothing like a whi of a supply chain crisis to get the public galvanised into action – be it stripping supermarket shelves of products they fear are going to disappear or draining forecourts of petrol. But were consumers entirely to blame or were the preparations for cleaner fuel standards (E10 petrol has 5% higher ethanol in it) part of the reason for the shortages that prompted a sudden spike in demand? e Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) says it was managing the issue around the shortage of lorry drivers until notes from a cabinet meeting were leaked to the media that BP couldn’t supply a third of their sites. Reassurances that the nation had plenty of fuel stocks were ignored by motorists who made a beeline for the pumps to top up, even if their tanks were already three quarters full. So, as hire is a logistics industry dependent on people, vehicles and fuel, like most parts of the economy which are distribution-orientated, this growing crisis was causing concern. e scale of the impact was felt di erently from region to region, with the south east bearing the brunt. is is not a surprise when you consider the average number of people served by lling stations in the UK is 6,000 rising to 15,000 in the south east and in London 27,000 per site. FUELLING A GREENER FUTURE HAE knows wherever its members are based they are always concerned with any issues relating to their vehicles. ey are already preparing for the phasing out of red diesel used in a high proportion of their eets in April 2022 as the country continues its transitions to greener fuels. is drive to cut the UK’s emissions and achieve its net-zero carbon target is behind the decision to withdraw red diesel from The recent fuel shortages seem to be a postcode lottery for plant hire companies, with some HAE members reporting no issues while others have had to contend with real supply challenges. Could the Government’s switch over to eco-petrol in September, when combined with a shortage of tanker drivers, have contributed to this perfect storm? “A number of our clients hired or purchased tankers from third parties to pick up fuel as and when they could.” DID E10 CHANGE THE FUEL SHORTAGE?