(10 Mar 2018, 10:21 am)upt50k wrote There have been shortages many times over the years with drivers borrowed from other depots. It seems most companies are suffering problems with staff retention.It is a difficult job with very tight scheduling, reduced terms and conditions for new staff,a much more customer focused role [being the referee between pushchair and wheelchair users as highlighted by posts we see] a very complex range of tickets.On top of this there are customers which are highly prized by the management who not only cheat wherever they can but complain about the driver if caught out and can be very aggressive and intimidating. I have worked in the industry since 1973 and seen many changes but would not take this up as a career under the current situation.In Darlingtons case it was  considered as the "problem child" when Mr. Knox became M.D. and the manager was changed many non customer focussed drivers left or were sacked the fleet was upgraded.The depot became depot of the month many times with top results so should be a great place to work and somewhere that drivers would want to work. So why do they not stay? My opinion is that the day to day operational roles e.g. detailer and traffic officers are still the same and from experience I have to say they were the worst I have ever worked with