The driver shortage across the UK has now spilled over into the bus network, with public transport workers swapping bus routes for trucker work.

The salary increase promised to attract new heavy-duty carriers has led public transport staff to make a change, impacting the number of trips offered and leading to the discontinuation of others.

Bus drivers can earn £ 32,500 on average, but can now earn up to £ 78,000 driving a truck.

Operators accuse road transport bosses of poaching their drivers and said they now need 4,000 new hires just to move the industry forward.

Almost a million letters have been mailed across the UK asking heavy truck license holders who have left the industry to return.

Bus drivers are also targeted in the recruitment campaign.

As a result, there are now pockets of driver shortages across the country, with the regions of Scotland, North East England, Bristol and South Gloucestershire hit the hardest.

First West of England bosses said the problems were “unlike any others the UK transport industry has faced”, and blame a mix of poaching, coronavirus, Brexit and the DVLA strike for shortages.

Doug Claringbold, managing director of First West of England, told the BBC that the shortage could be solved by “less frequent services such as those to rural areas and the last buses”.

In Scotland some services have gone from half an hour to an hour, with First saying it is 17% less than the number of drivers it needs to provide full service in the region.

Elsewhere, economic costs are on the rise, threatening to eat into higher wages predicted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson

Elsewhere, West Yorkshire bosses say they lack 10% of the required workforce.

The Confederation of Public Transport said it could not pay the wages of heavy truck drivers as this would lead to higher passenger fares.

“It is having an impact across the country,” said a spokesperson.

“More bus drivers are quitting than we can recruit and talking about better paying jobs in road transport is making the problem worse.

“There is no doubt that some people have been drawn to driving trucks by all the talk about raising wages.

“If we increased wages, it would mean higher fares for passengers.

“We don’t have the flexibility of the trucking industry, which is part of a long delivery chain where the cost can be shared. “

The UK government has devoted its energy to providing heavy truck driving lessons in an effort to alleviate the driver shortage.

In aerial view, cabins of trucks are lined up in a detention center on September 9, 2021 in Dover

A driver walks between trucks at the Ashford International truck stop in Ashford, south-east England on October 5, 2021

The Skills Bootcamp now offers up to 5,000 courses, 2,000 more than originally planned.

Elsewhere, economic costs are on the rise, threatening to eat into the higher wages predicted by Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who faces growing problems across the country.

The price of unleaded petrol has risen by 23 pence per liter to £ 1.36 this week, adding £ 11.40 to the cost of a full tank in a family car.

This means that many motorists will pay an additional £ 191 to fill their tanks over the next year, according to an analysis by Labor.

Traders will fare even worse and will have to pay an additional £ 1,100 for gasoline over the next 12 months.

Shadow Treasury Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “Every day brings more chaos under the Tories, workers pay the price.

“British motorists are now facing a beating at the pump because of the rise in fuel prices caused by the incompetence of the Tories. And instead of taking responsibility for the crisis, they just blame the public.

The price of unleaded petrol has risen by 23 pence per liter to £ 1.36 this week, adding £ 11.40 to the cost of a full tank in a family car.

The shortage of heavy goods vehicles has led to inventory problems in stores, especially in the Christmas countdown in just under 11 weeks.

According to the Office for National Statistics, one in six people has been unable to purchase essential food items in the past two weeks.

UK dairy farmers have already been forced to dump tens of thousands of liters of milk down the drain after going extinct before it could be collected due to the shortage of truck drivers.

A fourth generation dairy farmer from central England who asked not to be named said he had been forced to throw out 40,000 liters of milk in the past two months after no one showed up for retrieve it.

Consumer surveys suggest that up to half of Britons have already started cutting spending, fearing they’ll have to pinch a dime now in order to save for what could be an expensive Christmas.

Others have started shopping early – in hopes of beating the price hike – with Aldi already selling 1,500 frozen turkey crowns a day, while Christmas pudding sales are up 45%.

A survey by Consumer Intelligence found that many had started cutting spending in the past one to three months – most fearing rising food and energy prices.

Another problem for the Prime Minister, house prices are rising too quickly for some, exceeding wages in four out of ten regions of the country.

Properties in the North, Midlands and seaside towns cost double or even triple what residents earn while working.

Wages are also affected by an increase in national insurance, with statistics showing that more than a million micro-businesses employing up to nine workers will see their average national insurance bills increase by £ 1,026 per year.

The increase comes into effect next April.

A spokesperson for the Treasury said: “The health and social care tax will raise £ 12 billion a year for the NHS and social care, and everyone is invited to contribute in a fair and progressive way.

“Small businesses are protected by our employment allowance, which means about 40 percent of businesses will not be affected by the tax.”