At HGVC, we are committed to providing UK companies with hassle-free driver training to meet the needs of both small and large-scale licence acquisition programmes and it would seem that our services are going to be in even greater demand in the coming months. That’s because a number of companies are warning of a crisis point in the UK’s HGV driver shortage in the coming months.

UK HGV driver shortages are nothing new, of course, however, with Brexit all but eliminating recruitment from the continent, a major Covid-19 impacted driving test backlog and reforms in the self-employment tax rules, it’s led to something of an exodus of drivers out of the UK market. Throw in the fact that almost ⅓ of all UK HGV drivers are 55 and over and the shortage is sure to reach crisis point – and soon.

Unprecedented Levels of Concern

Major bodies from within the UK’s logistics sector have expressed acute concern about the situation, with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Logistics UK sharing the opinion that their members have never been quite as concerned about things as they are now. Even the Financial Times is reporting that some goods are already failing to reach UK shops due to the problem that some feel has already reached something of a crisis.

For the HGV driving sector, Covid-19 and all of its associated lockdowns and restrictions couldn’t have come at a worse time. All the coronavirus-related cancellations have largely stopped domestic recruitment and whilst it represents a ‘quiet storm’ that’s not yet caused a widespread impact on the consumer, this is likely to change into a ‘hurricane’ with escalating tensions between hauliers and suppliers.

UK Government Remains Firm On Foreign Recruitment

A potential change that could help UK companies gain access to the HGV driving skills they need is for truck drivers to be considered as highly skilled workers. This would allow businesses to recruit foreign drivers, however, the government is as yet remaining firm on not changing the status of the occupation to be eligible for skilled worker visas to be granted.

Paul Day, managing director of Turners Soham, which employs eastern Europeans as 40% of its workforce said on the matter “If the government is not going to change its position on this, then it will put 15 to 20% on transport costs in the UK. Is that something UK plc is really ready for?”. A worrying situation indeed for UK businesses over the coming Summer months.

Experiencing Driver Shortages of Your Own?

The path towards rectifying the ongoing driver shortage issues is surely going to be a long and arduous one and it’s likely to get worse before it gets better. However, if you are a company that’s already experiencing driver shortage issues, an effective alternative way to address the problem is to upskill members of your current workforce, rather than look externally.

At HGVC, we offer a fully managed service across the UK that delivers pass rates around 75% higher than the industry standard. Our team understands the challenges that large-scale licence acquisition presents and our team has the experience and know-how to deliver training across every licence category to include CPC, HIAB, ADR, and forklift driving qualifications.

If you would like to know more about us and how we work, click ‘Get in Touch’ below, or give us a call on 0330 818 8888 to discuss your training requirements.