So, for those of you who are delivery drivers, this year should, in theory, have been ‘it’ – the run up to Christmas, the busting your chops to squeeze in endless deliveries of Christmas goods for the people who shop online.
But this year has been different in so many ways and the Christmas rush may not be over, come December 24th. While last year saw a run of online ordering putting unprecedented demand on van drivers over the festive period, nothing could have prepared us for what happened in March, when COVID struck.
The poor delivery drivers of the UK didn’t know what had hit them. It was like Christmas all over again, with the country locked down and ordering online becming something of a national pastime. Delivery drivers didn’t know what had hit them, as they worked around the clock, busting a gut to get things to people – from food to fancy fripperies, and everything inbetween.
And this Christmas, the heat is on again. Brexit related stockpiling is seeing delays at UK ports and a huge backlog of things to get to people, from building supplies to Christmas presents. With most of the country in tier 3, that is all in addition to those who are reliant on online ordering to deliver everything from clothes to groceries. And now, as of yesterday, ports into the UK are closed. Who knows what that will mean. More deliveries, fewer deliveries… many businesses will be scratching their heads and trying to figure out if they actually have anything to send at all.
Many experts are predicting that this seasonal rush will carry on right into January and even beyond, depending on what happens with Brexit and how quickly the COVID vaccine can be rolled out. But of course, with this new raft of port closures, the truth is nobody knows what is coming next.
So, while it doesn’t really help ease those tired limbs or the sheer exhaustion, we just want you to know that this Christmas, we here at Cheap Van Insurance doff our caps to you all – from the delivery drivers, to the man and vans, to the builders and brickies and everything in between. Here’s hoping next year gets back to something approaching normal and life can return to the heady days when people went out and actually got things for themselves.