The UK’s HGV driver shortage is worsening with each passing month and the industry has now warned that unless the government does something about it, the result could be empty supermarket shelves and higher prices for consumers. Labelled as ‘the Perfect Storm’ by some, the UK’s logistics sector has been reeling from the double impact of both Brexit and the pandemic and is in dire need of help.
Whilst the government has stated that it was ‘working on the issue’ with the haulage sector, this will come as little comfort to companies like Owens Group in Carmarthenshire who are said to have lost 50 drivers from the EU who didn’t meet the new official criteria from skilled work visas in the UK.
Boris Johnson’s Government Under Increasing Pressure
The new immigration rules have been set up to encourage UK employers to invest more in the domestic workforce, however Ian Jarman from the Owens Group, who’s also the vice-chairman of the Welsh Freight Transport Association has called for more to be done by the government, stating how important the haulage sector is to the UK economy.
Mr Jarman, who’s responsible for supplying supermarkets, pubs and restaurants across the UK had this to say “During the pandemic, we were seen as an important industry keeping the deliveries going in the UK. If things don’t improve in the coming months there’s a very real possibility of delivery shortages occurring.” Should this come to pass, then higher priced essentials are certain to follow.
Delays For Goods Entering Britain
What’s exacerbating the problem is the extra red tape caused by Brexit, something that wine importer Daniel Lambert is all too aware of, as he explains “What we have seen since Brexit is that transit times have dramatically increased. I’m aware of a major haulier who has 550 containers of wine waiting in Belgium to come to the UK, but they can’t because the paperwork isn’t right”.
Whilst making the process of importing goods into the UK more simple and clearer might take some time to achieve, there are those who believe that there is a quick simple answer to improving the HGV driver shortage. By changing the status of the role of HGV driver to a skilled occupation, it would allow EU workers to obtain a skilled work visa – allowing thousands to return to work in the UK, although this as yet, is not being considered.
Helping Businesses Circumvent the HGV Driver Shortage
It truly is a crucial time for the logistics sector in the UK and at HGVC, we are working hard to help businesses to upskill their existing employees, rather than outsource their haulage needs. Our ability to cater for large-scale licence acquisition programs means that we can help any size of operation to circumvent the impact being caused by the current shortage.
If you would like to know more about what we do and how we can also help with Driver Risk Assessments and all of your Driver CPC needs, just call us on 0330 818 8888 to talk to a member of our team.
