Is anyone having to change travel arrangements this week due to the petrol situation?

[Thorilicious]

I normally drive to work, but am dusting off the bike for this week!

The media are arseholes for breaking this none story, if everyone had just got it as normal there wouldn't be a shortage. When did the story actually come out as I've only seen snippets?

I filled up Thursday to drive 300 miles to and 300 from picking up relatives to stay and I'll need another full tank by weekend to take them back and come home again. Went past so many stations I could've queued at and filled up again but thought I've got enough to get us home so didn't want to take away from anyone else who needed it. Don't regret that choice but hope I can get some soon, more so because the school walk is long and my kids are moany arses

We should have done a 140 mile round trip for a family birthday celebration but cried off as I couldn't see how I'd replenish that fuel to go to work. Family all pissed off. Ridiculous queues for fuel here.

I'm lucky that I can work from home if I run out of diesel after my mammoth trip next weekend. I remember the fuel truck strikes of 2000. No option to WFH so work sent a pool car so I could go in!

@Shellfishblastard

So *@Scoobygang7* the orders will come? It’s not like there won’t be petrol is it?

I didn’t bother to fill up. I have a quarter of a tank in one car, maybe a bit less, and 3/4 of a tank in another car. We are WFH at the moment and school is a short walk. So no desperate need for fuel.

I just assumed it was a panic over nothing and would settle down.

Not sure my dp is a forecourt attendant but isn't aware at least at the moment of any delivery issues to his place of work. He has been off this weekend so that could change. I honestly think it's panic over nothing that has inadvertently caused what they were panicking about to seem true. In the effect that deliveries cannot get there as quick as they're using it.

I see Brexit is working really well

Hmmmmmmm.....smell that sovereignty! 💐😂

The government has said there's no need to panic because there's no fuel shortage. I'm guessing this is the consequence when you have a government that you know lies as easily as they breathe

@TheHouseILiveIn lets se what happens when their ministerial fleet cars can't go anywhere!!

or are they mostly electric now. damn.

@OrangeBananaFish

I live rurally with no other way of getting to work. However, I do have half a tank so that should see me through half the week (possibly longer). Surely things will either be better by then or we will be back to that time in 2001 (I think) when there was no fuel.

I hope so!

I think it will take several days to normalise, maybe a week. Assuming people only buy what they need, when they need. We do not see this volume of buyers at filling stations every weekend - there are tons of people behaving differently

It was the tanker drivers strike of 2000 when we last saw the pumps running dry, and we were only a few days away from many services falling over (distribution halted, supply chains halted, supermarket shelves empty, staff unable to attend workplaces etc)

A fuel delivery arrived at my local petrol station late on Friday and word got around on social media. Massive queues until they shut at 10pm, which had to be monitored by staff for safety reasons . They were not allowing customers to fill cans.

I needed fuel yesterday (Saturday) because I was down to a fifth of a tank and the queue wasn’t too bad - I waited for just under ten minutes at around 10am. It was quiet again yesterday evening when I walked past.

I'm trying to make my fuel last so walking into work 3 days this week (on days when I don't do the afterschool pickup) as the other 2 I need to drive all over the place straight from work.

Me personally no as I WFH but DD needs to get to work so I take her. I've got enough fuel to do there and back tomorrow but if I can't get fuel tomorrow it will be a 1.5 mile walk each way to and from the closest bus stop for her.
DH has a full tank thankfully, but only 2 seats which is no good to me as I have to take DS with me when I take DD as he's too young to stay home alone.
Flipping nightmare!!

I have enough fuel to get to work and do the school run for this week. I won’t be making any other trips.

Hoping (but not confident) that by mid week the madness might have ended.

I don’t have a plan B for the following week if there’s still no fuel.

I skipped a trip this weekend partially because my sister is due a baby, and I need the fuel already in my tank to visit.

I filled up last Monday, which was a toss up between "Shall I fill up just enough to get me home? Ahh, I won't want to fill up before the trip next weekend, I'll put it to the top."

I’m not going to the office this week and will be working from home instead. There are massive queues to all the petrol stations around me.

@EmmaStone

I've got about a quarter tank left and need to commute for the first 3 days of the week (which also serves as getting the children to school). We live rurally, there is no other option besides driving, and we also don't have many petrol stations locally - I did a 20 mile round trip today and all the forecourts (the 3 'local' petrol stations) were closed (Tesco's open for emergency vehicles). I'm hoping things sort themselves out a bit in the first half of the week. Although with government all living and working in London, I guess they're not that fussed 😡.

I've got a friend due to start a 15 day course of radiotherapy this week terrified she won't be able to get to hospital due to the shortages. Puts things into perspective.

i hope your friend is able to attend her hospiral appointments , it must be such a stressful and frightening time for her without worrying about this

Our local petrol stations have been fine today after running out yesterday, seems to be calming down. We were worried as we had to do a 180 mile round trip to take DS to uni and only had a half a tank but local garage was operating fine this morning.

I took a DC back to uni today. I had no problem refueling twice (epic drive) though had to queue ten mins for the second lot. There were a few closed forecourts and some closed pumps but there were plenty of places open.

I have about 300 miles worth of fuel, unfortunately I am 400 miles from home on holiday. This could be interesting...presumably I could get the RAC to tow me home if I run out?

My job involves county wide travel to see hospital patients and those in the community, I've got about 80 miles in my tank and every sodding station for miles is empty. I'm not busting a gut to queue at 4am so I'll be working remotely...no one will die if I don't see them in person

@TheHouseILiveIn
They should have accounted for the VAT bill because that's on sales they've already taken, surely?

Yes, they will have received the VAT on sales but the net VAT bill is paid in arrears generally 4 times a year. When business cash flow is poor, they use the VAT they've collected and not paid over yet to ease their case flow. Then the VAT becomes due to be paid but its been spent on other things and they then have a debt to HMRC/ government and can't pay

I wouldn't have been able to do my job which involves site call outs.. but yesterday a local petrol station had some with no queue. But that was the exception.

I'm wondering how I'll WFH with 2 young kids to be honest (didn't have to do it in lockdown as NHS). But when I run out of fuel I won't be able to get them to school; it's a 1 hour 20min walk at adult pace, longer with a 2&5yo.

I've got a full tank, as I needed to fill up anyway. My mum has a broken wrist so I've a 6 mile trip to get to her a few times a week when she needs her hair washed etc. I'm also a volunteer for the Samaritans so need to get to my weekly shift there, 10 mile round trip. Working from home but about to be asked to go back into the office, won't be doing that though as need to save my fuel to get to mum, and samaritans. There's a supermarket I can walk to, although id need to go daily so I can walk home with the shopping, I will do that

[quote Aurorie11]@TheHouseILiveIn
They should have accounted for the VAT bill because that's on sales they've already taken, surely?

Yes, they will have received the VAT on sales but the net VAT bill is paid in arrears generally 4 times a year. When business cash flow is poor, they use the VAT they've collected and not paid over yet to ease their case flow. Then the VAT becomes due to be paid but its been spent on other things and they then have a debt to HMRC/ government and can't pay[/quote]
But it's the same as any self employed person taking in revenue but knowing they need to apportion the tax part ?

Favourite cousin's wedding next weekend about 200 miles away. Don't have enough and not running out on the motorway with a car full of tired small people. Do we think it will have calmed down by Friday?