The UK’s haulage industry has been steadily losing HGV drivers for a number of years now, with Brexit, the pandemic and working conditions cited as the primary contributing factors. However, those who have left the industry are being urged to come back, with Driver Academy Group bootcamps – led by HGVC – potentially leading to higher wages.

The bootcamps, provided by the group that also features Logistics UK and Manpower are said to be ‘game-changing’ and indicative that lorry drivers are now being seen as essential workers. There are still hundreds of spaces available on these refresher training courses, but they’re filling up fast with those returning expect to earn much more than they did before.

High Levels of Interest Being Expressed

Availability is not due to a lack of interest, far from it. In fact, according to the Logistics Academy, the program has gotten off to a ‘flying start’ in the first couple of weeks. So far, over 5,000 expressions of interest have been made for the Department of Education-funded 16-week course that’s hoping to attract 11,000 HGV drivers back into the industry.

Running up until November 2022, the bootcamps cover licence acquisition, in addition to Driver CPC and ADR upskilling for highly-paid petrochem tanker work.  HGVC Chief Executive, James Clifford had this to say on the matter…

“Finally, HGV drivers are being seen as essential and vital workers and careers into this sector are now being encouraged and funded.

The Driver Academy Group is leading the way in this ground-breaking scheme and is proud of our commitment to supporting and training individuals into the sector, ensuring they land the very best jobs with some of Britain’s most attractive companies.”

Manpower : Demand For Experienced, Reliable Drivers is Strong

These training opportunities are available at a time when working conditions are improving and according to ManPower – the UK’s largest recruitment specialist – the demand for reliable, experienced drivers is higher now that it’s ever been. Manpower brand leader Jason Greaves briefly touched upon what the learning process involves…

“We support each learner by understanding their driving aspirations, help with updating, or creating, their CVs and preparing them for interview. This is done in order to make it as straightforward as possible to secure that new role. Re-joining the sector is proving highly popular and we look forward to supporting those returners with their career journey.”

Uptake in Driver Academy Group skills bootcamps is set to increase moving forward, particular as companies wanting upskill their existing drivers can apply for funding. Help is available to businesses from the government with 70% of the scheme’s cost being met.

Proud to Play a Pivotal Role in Attracting Talent

At HGVC, we’re extremely proud to be playing such a big part in attracting HGV drivers back into the sector. Leading the Driver Academy Group as we do, we’re perfectly placed to leverage our considerable expertise and experience for the benefit of the industry as a whole.

Alongside this well-received scheme, we’ll continue to offer leading HGV driver licence acquisition programs via our nationwide network of training centres. To find out more about us and what we do, we encourage you to spend a little time browsing our website.

Alternatively, if you’d like to speak to us directly about your driver training needs, you can get in touch by calling us on 0330 818 8888 or clicking on ‘contact us’, after which we’ll get back to you as soon as we possibly can.