Recently the news has been filled with stories about the HGV driver shortage, which has led to panic buying and concerns about Christmas. So, what are the realities of the driver shortage and where is the crisis headed?
We all saw the queues outside petrol stations as panic set in that there would be a shortage of fuel thanks to a shortage in HGV drivers. You can’t have failed to notice the gaps on the supermarket shelves which seem to be getting wider. That has left many people wondering how many drivers we are actually missing and whether the situation is getting worse. Could Christmas be under threat?
HGV driver shortages
Currently, the Road Haulage Association (RHA) estimates that there is a shortage of 100,000 qualified HGV drivers in the UK. Brexit has been blamed as one of the major causes for this, although a population survey by the Office for National Statistics suggests that there are 16,000 fewer EU nationals working in the UK as HGV drivers this year than the previous one.
There are HGV driver shortages throughout Europe, with Poland recording a shortage of 120,000 drivers and Germany lacking as many as 60,000. However, the changes to immigration rules have meant that many EU drivers find the UK market less attractive.
Andrea Easton, Head of Finance and Operations at Walker Movements, commented, “Covid has also been part of the problem. As restrictions on travel started to be introduced, many European drivers returned home to be with their families, with very few returning now that things are opening up again.”
Drivers from elsewhere in Europe are also subject to tax changes which could make it more expensive to work in the UK, which is another factor putting them off from coming here.
The other factor to consider is those who are leaving the haulage industry. The average age of a driver is 55, meaning many are now heading towards retirement age, but there are not young drivers coming through to replace them.
What does the future hold?
To combat the shortages, the government has introduced temporary visas for 5000 lorry drivers, however, it seems that applications for this have been low. With Europe and North America suffering from its own shortages, there simply does not seem to be enough drivers to share around at the moment.
Another reason for the shortage is that many HGV driving tests were not able to take place during the lockdowns, leading to a significant backlog. As a result, the Ministry of Defence are supplying examiners to help increase the number of driving tests that can take place.
There are a million drivers who hold a valid HGV licence but are not currently working in the industry. The government has now begun writing to these drivers to lure them back to the role and has relaxed some of the Drivers Hours rules to try and make it a more tempting option. They have also provided a £7000 per person funding for an apprenticeship scheme.
At this point, it is hard to tell whether the initiatives being put in place will be enough. Many of these will take time to introduce, and the Europe-wide driver shortage shows that there is no single solution that will fix things. There will need to be a much deeper look at the working conditions such as pay and rights of HGV drivers to make it an industry that people want to join and want to stay in too. Being a truck driver is a fantastic career, and drivers will return in time, but there may not be a quick fix to the problems.
Andrea Easton is the Head of Finance and Operations of Walker Movements, who are specialists in quality second-hand, used trucks and trailers and are global leaders in the trucking industry. Walker…
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