As temperatures drop and demand climbs, winter puts every part of the fuel distribution chain under pressure – from the availability of skilled drivers to the ability of vehicles to stay safely on the road.
For distributors, readiness is about more than supply, salt and schedules; it’s about forward planning, flexibility, and being prepared for every eventuality
Resilience through resource planning: Is your team winter ready?
As the temperature drops, the reliability of the UK’s fuel distribution network becomes more critical than ever. Winter pressure, driven by supply and demand, exposes every weakness in the chain – from driver availability to terminal capacity – and throws an intense focus on forward planning, workforce resilience, and effective contingency management.
A successful approach to these is the difference between spending the month troubleshooting or mobilising your team to maximise revenue.
In our first feature, we speak with Noz Miah of AIM Recruit about proactive workforce planning and how strategic resourcing can protect business continuity during peak winter demand.
Understanding the dynamics
Each winter brings a relatively predictable, yet complex, mix of challenges:
- Weather volatility: The potential for prolonged cold spells with localised flooding and ice that disrupt both road access and delivery scheduling.
- Peak demand surges: Domestic, agricultural, and commercial customers all compete for fuel in compressed time windows.
- Resource fragility: A combination of seasonal illness, driver fatigue, and an ageing workforce leads to higher rates of short-notice absence.
- Operational bottlenecks: Terminals and depots experience congestion, while turnaround times extend just as customers need rapid response.
These stress points are part and parcel of a sector that operates with little slack and a shrinking pool of ADR-qualified professionals. The key to resilience is not merely having drivers available but having a workforce strategy that anticipates disruption rather than reacts to it.
Why workforce strategy is critical to supply continuity
“We approach winter readiness as a strategic logistics function, not simply a staffing exercise,” Noz Miah.
“Our planning process begins months before the season starts, identifying regional demand patterns, analysing previous years’ deployment data, and mapping the available pool of compliant, experienced ADR drivers.
“More often than not, as the season finishes, our clients are securing the same driver to come back in a few months – it’s the pragmatic short-term solution – until we can encourage the next generation of workforce to choose driving or logistics as a career choice.
“Until that time, we maintain a real-time readiness model, allowing distributors to scale capacity quickly while remaining compliant with driving hours, rest periods, and safety protocols. This data-led approach transforms workforce management from a reactive cost centre into a proactive risk-mitigation tool.”
Case study: Restoring stability post-Covid
In September 2021, the UK experienced an early onset of winter conditions just as the country was emerging from lockdown. Normal life had only recently resumed, and distributors faced the dual challenge of surging demand and severe workforce shortages.
During this period, a leading UK fuel distributor, World Fuel Services, required 39 additional drivers to stabilise nationwide delivery schedules across its depots. The combination of post-Covid volatility, a reduction in available workforce, and an abrupt rise in demand placed significant strain on operations.
Aim Recruit responded by deploying 22 fully trained, compliant ADR fuel delivery drivers on three- and six-month contingency contracts.
“This rapid intervention provided immediate operational relief,” Noz shares. “It enabled World Fuels to maintain continuity, safeguard revenue, and prevent delivery backlogs while we simultaneously recruited suitable permanent staff to fill the remaining positions.”
The result was a dual success: not only did the business maintain delivery performance through one of the most challenging economic periods in recent memory, but it also emerged stronger, with a fully resourced and stable permanent team ready for long-term growth.
This example highlights how strategic workforce planning and timely contingency support can preserve operational performance as the industry prepares for another demanding winter season.
Resilience through people
“Operational success through the winter season depends on the ability adapt to unpredictable conditions.”
Drivers who understand the importance of safe loading, route risk awareness, and customer urgency and can work under those pressures have a level of professionalism that cannot be improvised; it can only be cultivated through consistent engagement and retention.
By building long-term relationships with drivers and understanding their seasonal working patterns, Aim Recruit has created a flexible workforce that can be redeployed swiftly, with minimal induction friction.
Industry evolution and the next generation
Beyond immediate operational challenges, the industry faces a deeper issue: an ageing talent pipeline and limited inflow of new entrants into ADR-qualified roles.
Through initiatives such as Youth in Trucks, Aim Recruit is a company advocating for a new generation of logistics professionals, as Noz explains.
“We want to encourage younger candidates to pursue vocational qualifications and to see driving as the skilled, sustainable career it is.
“The future stability of fuel delivery depends on investment not just in assets and systems, but in the skilled professionals who keep the network moving.”
Looking ahead
Winter will always test the resilience of the UK’s fuel logistics network, but it also showcases the professionalism of the people who keep it moving. The difference between disruption and delivery often comes down to foresight, preparation, and having the right people in the right place at the right time.
“Our philosophy is simple,” Noz concludes. “Anticipate pressure before it arrives, plan with precision, and execute with consistency. That’s how we help our clients, and their customers, stay supplied, safe, and operational – whatever the weather brings.”
From planning to traction: staying in control with AutoSock
Of course, even the best-prepared teams need the right equipment to face what the season throws at them.
From workforce resilience to road grip, the second feature takes a look at AutoSock – a simple yet ingenious product designed to help vehicles maintain traction in snow and ice – enabling drivers to stay in control. A small item that can make a big difference.
Winter driving? Be prepared to move safely
AutoSocks are textile tyre socks that slip over vehicle wheels to provide instant extra grip on snow and ice. They always make a difference – even in slush – and can be used both after a vehicle has got stuck, or as a safety precaution before tackling a steep hill.
No specific training is required. They’re quick and easy to fit and remove, reusable time and again, and compatible with all electronic systems.
We all know that it doesn’t take much snow to bring the country to a halt, and snowfall can happen unexpectedly – often when we’re far from base or home. Being prepared is the key to winter resilience.
Keeping business vehicles moving in severe weather is a vital part of that strategy, as is getting key staff safely to and from work. AutoSock solves these problems straightforwardly and cost-effectively, although it is important to note that they are intended for short-term use only and not as a substitute for winter tyres.
Developed for real-world reliability
Developed in Norway over 20 years ago, AutoSock’s grip comes down to dry friction science: the hard-wearing road contact fabric absorbs and removes water optimally, while its fibres maximise the friction available.
The technology works so well that AutoSock are now supplied as original equipment to numerous car manufacturers.
One tanker driver who keeps AutoSock in the cab told Fuel Oil News:
“It’s down to the driver’s discretion when to use them, but they certainly gave me confidence and reduced the stress levels when operating in extreme winter conditions.”
An operations manager for a regional distributor echoed this feedback commenting:
“When temperatures drop, we’re often delivering to elderly customers or families in rural areas who can’t afford to be without heat. If one of our tankers can’t make it up an icy lane, it’s not just a delay – it can leave someone vulnerable.
That’s why we have to keep moving, even when the weather isn’t on our side.”
Compact, practical, and ready to go
The compact soft packaging – about the size of a folded shirt – means AutoSock can always be kept on hand. The waterproof storage bag expands to hold wet socks after use, and fitting gloves are supplied.
This winter, truck sizes will be available in High Performance specification, featuring additional straps for improved stability under cornering forces. With a larger tyre fit list than ever, almost all vehicles – cars, vans, HGVs, buses, coaches, and forklifts – can now be equipped.
Prepared for anything
For fuel distributors, resilience this winter depends on readiness in every form – from strategic workforce planning to the simple, smart products that help keep operations moving when the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Whether it’s having the right people in the right place, or the right traction on the right road, winter success comes down to one thing: being prepared.
This winter, resilience will again depend on the forward planning that keeps fuel moving when demand peaks.
Image credit: Autosock
