Lorry driver recruitment crisis

[LSWR Cavalier]

All sorts of industries complain about staff shortages, I think they mean they want more applicants than vacancies so wages can be kept down. Capitalism needs a bit of structural unemployment.

If capacity is short, bottled water and jellybabies could be left out of the trucks to make room for Honest British Parsnips, porridge oats etc.

 

[krus_aragon]

If capacity is short, bottled water and jellybabies could be left out of the trucks to make room for Honest British Parsnips, porridge oats etc.

Far too many dishonest parsnips are getting ferried around on trucks these days... [mad grumbling]

 

[squizzler]

The logistics trade is still demanding the Government do something on their behalf.

If the government must involve itself sorting out the pent up problems that have developed in the sector, perhaps it should be renationalised? When road haulage was Nationalised under the 1947 Transport act (which also nationalised railways) it was called British Road Services. Perhaps in the interests of consistency this time round it should be named "Great British Road Services"?

 

[matacaster]

There was a guy on radio4 from Iceland company today bleating about shortage of lorry drivers and need for Government to issue key worker status to EU lorry drivers. Somehow the BBC interviewer failed to ask him either if he'd not realised that Brexit might happen several years ago. This was clearly brinksmanship by haulage companies trying to force the Government / Brexit into granting exemptions when clearly the answer is higher wages and more attractive working conditions. They could start by being told to create regional distribution warehouses, all rail served, which would facilitate shorter local haulage in non-HGV lorries making working away much less prevalent and increasing the pool of available drivers enormously. The reason that such as the COOP uses massive lorries to deliver to tiny convenience stores is that at present its cheaper to use HGV's as, in effect, mobile warehouses for the day. Making HGV lorries even bigger beggars belief - thev've played that card before.

I'd just add that I feel certain, in view of the perceived crisis, that the HGV using companies would be happy for the Government to place a very significant training levy on them, based on HGV miles travelled. Added benefit would be likely reduction in HGV miles, more rail usage and better air condition. That would focus minds!

 

[RT4038]

There was a guy on radio4 from Iceland company today bleating about shortage of lorry drivers and need for Government to issue key worker status to EU lorry drivers. Somehow the BBC interviewer failed to ask him either if he'd not realised that Brexit might happen several years ago. This was clearly brinksmanship by haulage companies trying to force the Government / Brexit into granting exemptions when clearly the answer is higher wages and more attractive working conditions. They could start by being told to create regional distribution warehouses, all rail served, which would facilitate shorter local haulage in non-HGV lorries making working away much less prevalent and increasing the pool of available drivers enormously. The reason that such as the COOP uses massive lorries to deliver to tiny convenience stores is that at present its cheaper to use HGV's as, in effect, mobile warehouses for the day. Making HGV lorries even bigger beggars belief - thev've played that card before.

I'd just add that I feel certain, in view of the perceived crisis, that the HGV using companies would be happy for the Government to place a very significant training levy on them, based on HGV miles travelled. Added benefit would be likely reduction in HGV miles, more rail usage and better air condition. That would focus minds!

Before getting carried away, the Government needs to sort out the crisis at the DVSA, both with licensing and the Driving Test backlog.

Of course the rail industry has no driver training issues at all ........

 

[matacaster]

Before getting carried away, the Government needs to sort out the crisis at the DVSA, both with licensing and the Driving Test backlog.

Of course the rail industry has no driver training issues at all ........

I agree, but I believe the train drivers test is much harder and takes a lot longer than HGV driver. I don't think brexit can be blamed for a train drivers shortage. Nor should it be blamed for the haulage industry people just thinking they could ignore training and frighten government into given EU lorry drivers special dispensation.

 

[RT4038]

I agree, but I believe the train drivers test is much harder and takes a lot longer than HGV driver.

A fairly good reason for our freight movement not to be at the monopoly of the rail industry and its staff then.

I don't think brexit can be blamed for a train drivers shortage. Nor should it be blamed for the haulage industry people just thinking they could ignore training and frighten government into given EU lorry drivers special dispensation.

Whilst Brexit will no doubt have played a part, in that departing EU Nationals cannot be so easily replaced, it is quite possible that the haulage industry people mentioned were not exactly enamoured with Brexit either and are seeking to keep their costs down too. You make it sound like that road haulage and brexit support go hand in hand! The DVSA is in a chaos both with licensing and testing of new drivers due to Covid. Hardly the fault of the road haulage people. Government need to sort that issue out or make suitable other arrangements.

 

[karlos]

Is the HGV driver crisis is an opportunity for rail freight in the medium to long term?

OK, so going back to the days of goods stations and yards everywhere may be optimistic but there must be some feasibility in having more intermodal terminals around the country. It certainly would enable HGVs to concentrate on the last mile to the customer instead of spending their time hauling across the country.

 

[Kez]

I'm puzzled by this 'crisis' (and every similar 'crisis' of its ilk).

I have a clean, driving licence and have not had a single accident in 40 years of driving (luckily). So I would have thought that companies would be biting my hand up to sign me up for upgrading my driving to get an HGV license to help them out ... but they aren't. I don't seem to be able to easily find a single funded training opportunity online.

Funny that.

Perhaps if companies put their hand in their pocket to pay for skills training ...

 

[TheEdge]

I'm puzzled by this 'crisis' (and every similar 'crisis' of its ilk).

I have a clean, driving licence and have not had a single accident in 40 years of driving (luckily). So I would have thought that companies would be biting my hand up to sign me up for upgrading my driving to get an HGV license to help them out ... but they aren't. I don't seem to be able to easily find a single funded training opportunity online.

Funny that.

Perhaps if companies put their hand in their pocket to pay for skills training ...

Yes, rather odd that isn't it? Oh well, a true mystery.

Interesting I spotted an ad on Facebook to become a driver for DFDS Seaways. Obviously you needed a HGV license already but the comments were absolutely full of HGV drivers loudly stating you'd be mad to drive for them with their wages and conditions and the "poverty spec Actros" you'll spend you life in.

I notice that as the RHA continue to ask for lorry drivers to be added to an exemption list and that there are not enough drivers the government has seemingly turned round and said "well you'd better start training them then ought you?"

 

[notadriver]

Wage rates have climbed even higher. £30+ an hour is being offered. More on weekends and bank holidays. Currently an HGV driver can easily earn 53k a year. Surely this is excessive and will fall in the long term ?

 

[philthetube]

Yes, rather odd that isn't it? Oh well, a true mystery.

Interesting I spotted an ad on Facebook to become a driver for DFDS Seaways. Obviously you needed a HGV license already but the comments were absolutely full of HGV drivers loudly stating you'd be mad to drive for them with their wages and conditions and the "poverty spec Actros" you'll spend you life in.

I notice that as the RHA continue to ask for lorry drivers to be added to an exemption list and that there are not enough drivers the government has seemingly turned round and said "well you'd better start training them then ought you?"

Not much point in training them when tests are not available.

 

[Vespa]

Driver shortages had its root going back to 1997 when automatic 7.5t category entitlement was withdrawn from your licences, previously it used to be a stepping stone to a HGV licence, now you have to take a separate test for it, the pre 1997 generation are now retiring or approaching retirement age like me, I drive a 7.5t lorry for work as I have 7.5t grandfather's right, if I was younger would I have put myself in for a 7.5t test...probably not, I was fortunate in hindsight that I got it automatically.

This was at a time when the industry has a poor image, drivers were being paid a poor wage as they were being undercut by cheaper European drivers, the next problem came is the CPC qualification you have to sit in a class room for 35 hours and pay £300, a lot of occasional drivers left the business, VOSA became DVSA and have to fund themselves from the fines collected, more "random" checks went up, the industry is unwilling to fund HGV training, young people are not interested when they can get the same money stacking shelves in Tescos, why pay £3000 to earn the same money.

It's combination of Government and EU directives that have created this situation.

 

[railfan249]

Driver shortages had its root going back to 1997 when automatic 7.5t category entitlement was withdrawn from your licences, previously it used to be a stepping stone to a HGV licence, now you have to take a separate test for it, the pre 1997 generation are now retiring or approaching retirement age like me, I drive a 7.5t lorry for work as I have 7.5t grandfather's right, if I was younger would I have put myself in for a 7.5t test...probably not, I was fortunate in hindsight that I got it automatically.

This was at a time when the industry has a poor image, drivers were being paid a poor wage as they were being undercut by cheaper European drivers, the next problem came is the CPC qualification you have to sit in a class room for 35 hours and pay £300, a lot of occasional drivers left the business, VOSA became DVSA and have to fund themselves from the fines collected, more "random" checks went up, the industry is unwilling to fund HGV training, young people are not interested when they can get the same money stacking shelves in Tescos, why pay £3000 to earn the same money.

It's combination of Government and EU directives that have created this situation.

I don’t understand why the government can’t provide some sort of direct funding for the courses, if they don’t do so already. Surely it would be a good idea for student finance to become applicable to this in the short term. If the same people were applying for an open university course for example they’d get that fully funded; fair enough it needs paid back but I don’t see that as an issue once qualified. Of course that doesn’t change the poor working conditions or pay to be fair.

 

[172007]

Driver shortages had its root going back to 1997 when automatic 7.5t category entitlement was withdrawn from your licences, previously it used to be a stepping stone to a HGV licence, now you have to take a separate test for it, the pre 1997 generation are now retiring or approaching retirement age like me, I drive a 7.5t lorry for work as I have 7.5t grandfather's right, if I was younger would I have put myself in for a 7.5t test...probably not, I was fortunate in hindsight that I got it automatically.

This was at a time when the industry has a poor image, drivers were being paid a poor wage as they were being undercut by cheaper European drivers, the next problem came is the CPC qualification you have to sit in a class room for 35 hours and pay £300, a lot of occasional drivers left the business, VOSA became DVSA and have to fund themselves from the fines collected, more "random" checks went up, the industry is unwilling to fund HGV training, young people are not interested when they can get the same money stacking shelves in Tescos, why pay £3000 to earn the same money.

It's combination of Government and EU directives that have created this situation.

Armed forces where much larger 20 years ago with many either having HGV or, offered it as a course prior to leaving, they are also near retirement plus claiming forces pension.

 

[Snow1964]

The Industry and Road Haulage Association might be asking for concessions from the Government, but it is basically the same old story, didn’t invest in training much for years and now face a shortage.

I will admit the Covid has restricted tests for a few months, but Brexit vote was over 5 years ago, and tests weren’t restricted for about 4 years of that time. It’s just a lack of planning.

Short term, drivers can be choosy as to who is paying best wages and providing most comfortable vehicles etc. Those with shortages should stop moaning and up their game to be competitive for the pool of drivers.

 

[Vespa]

Interesting to note companies that's begging for drivers are often the ones that's been treating them shabily in the past and as soon as a better offer came up, they left leaving them high and dry.

 

[TheEdge]

Interesting to note companies that's begging for drivers are often the ones that's been treating them shabily in the past and as soon as a better offer came up, they left leaving them high and dry.

Surprised Pikachu faces all round at the management of the companies who treat their staff terribly and now can't fill vacancies.

 

[Horizon22]

I'm puzzled by this 'crisis' (and every similar 'crisis' of its ilk).

I have a clean, driving licence and have not had a single accident in 40 years of driving (luckily). So I would have thought that companies would be biting my hand up to sign me up for upgrading my driving to get an HGV license to help them out ... but they aren't. I don't seem to be able to easily find a single funded training opportunity online.

Funny that.

Perhaps if companies put their hand in their pocket to pay for skills training ...

I thought the issue was more in the huge backlog in administrative processes regarding to HGV licences?

 

[Ken H]

One other factor is the tax changes for IR35 which came in Apl 2021. No longer can drivers have a company and pay them selves via dividends. Many foreign drivers just walked away from the UK.
I am sure Covid restrictions on cross border travel (even tho HGV drivers have exemptions) hasnt helped either.

 

[Kez]

I thought the issue was more in the huge backlog in administrative processes regarding to HGV licences?

Well, that may be the case but then why call for the issue of temporary visas for EU drivers ? Solving a backlog of administrative processes by instigating a whole load more (but different) administrative processes ... sounds like a solution full of win.

When I first posted, the narrative was that there was a shortage of HGV drivers. I don't think anything should obfuscate the laying bare of years of seeking cheap labour, underinvestment in the workforce and the endless transfer of costs from employers to employees.

 

[Trackman]

I was watching something the other day, it said 70% of UK truck drivers are over 50 and 1% are under 25.
The over 50's do not want long haul or overnights any more and want to semi-retire.
Any truth in this?

 

[Vespa]

When I first posted, the narrative was that there was a shortage of HGV drivers. I don't think anything should obfuscate the laying bare of years of seeking cheap labour, underinvestment in the workforce and the endless transfer of costs from employers to employees.

The Government and Employers are guilty of thinking in the short term without considering the wider implications and ripple effect from a single decision.

If all drivers were to stop, within 3 days the shelves will start to empty, by the end of the week there will be nothing and after 3 weeks there will be protests in the streets, I remembered the fuel crisis when refinery workers refused to drive lorries to petrol stations because of the punitive HGV taxes and tax on fuel including the "fuel escalator tax" on top of it without considering how long it would take before people will react, the fuel stations were running out within a week and it was rationed to essential workers and emergency services, it seems lessons haven't been learned and are repeating the same complacency that led us to a crisis situation.

 

[squizzler]

We are currently emerging from a decade of driverless cars and lorries mania. I wonder how many possible recruits concluded there was a chance their expensively acquired skills could be automated away and decided not to bother?

 

[TravelDream]

We are currently emerging from a decade of driverless cars and lorries mania. I wonder how many possible recruits concluded there was a chance their expensively acquired skills could be automated away and decided not to bother?

Would that really have had much effect?

I am pretty sure that the high entry costs, poor wages, lack of glamour and unfirendly work schedules put far more off than any notion of driverless lorries.

Anyway, outside of the minds of fantasists/ fiction writers, we have always been many decades away from totally autonomous (note the difference with self-driving) vehicles.

Edit to add:
This story is currently in the top 10 stories on the BBC site.

Driver shortage: 'I got a big pay rise overnight'

As the UK's shortage of lorry drivers continues, those with the right skills are very much in demand.

www.bbc.co.uk

There are some very interesting quotes from current drivers.
'So what is it like to be a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver and work in the industry?
Tom Reddy has been driving lorries for more than 15 years and his pay was recently increased from £17.50 an hour to £24.50 - a 40% jump.
"I've never known anything like it," he told the BBC's Wake Up To Money programme. "But they could pay me £80,000 a year and it wouldn't be enough, I want to leave."
Mr Reddy says it is difficult to have a family life with the unsociable hours the job demands.'
And
'Nick Downing, an HGV owner and driver, has been in the role for 43 years and seen how the industry and working conditions have changed over time.
When he started out in the late 1970s, parking overnight and using free facilities in towns like public bathrooms was quite common. He says most have now closed, leaving few options available when driving in the UK.
"On the Continent, their facilities are a lot better than our own and I think that's a lot of the reason why the younger generation are not coming into the job."
He says that conditions "get worse every week" and people are often not very understanding.
Due to his experiences, Mr Downing says he cannot recommend his profession to young people.'

 

[ABB125]

Changes to the testing regime:

Driver shortage: 50,000 more HGV driving tests promised a year

The government will make it quicker to get an HGV driver licence, amid an industry-wide shortage.

www.bbc.co.uk

This is the pertinent bit:

In a written statement to the House of Commons, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said the government would now overhaul regulations to boost capacity, meaning:

• Car drivers will no longer need to take a separate test to tow a trailer or caravan, allowing roughly 30,000 more HGV tests to be conducted every year
• Tests will be made shorter by removing several elements and having them tested separately by a third party
• Drivers will be able to get a licence to drive an articulated vehicle without first getting one for a smaller vehicle, making around 20,000 more HGV driving tests available every year.

Personally, I'll benefit from this as I'll now be able to tow bigger trailers (not that I do this often; it may, though, come in handy if I need to tow a 1T trailer with a 3.5T van). However, I'm not sure I agree that it (no longer needing a separate trailer/caravan test) is a positive step: at the very least, you should have to go on a 1-day training course to be given instruction on how a trailer handles, changes you need to make to driving style etc.

EDIT: Government guidance on the changes to car+trailer can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/new-rules-for-towing-a-trailer-or-caravan-with-a-car-from-autumn-2021. Changes aren't happening until "later in autumn 2021" (presumably some changes need to be made to the law, vote in parliament etc).

 

[philthetube]

The Industry and Road Haulage Association might be asking for concessions from the Government, but it is basically the same old story, didn’t invest in training much for years and now face a shortage.

I will admit the Covid has restricted tests for a few months, but Brexit vote was over 5 years ago, and tests weren’t restricted for about 4 years of that time. It’s just a lack of planning.

Short term, drivers can be choosy as to who is paying best wages and providing most comfortable vehicles etc. Those with shortages should stop moaning and up their game to be competitive for the pool of drivers.

Absolutly right, however the issue is that companies who do do training have higher expenses than those who don't, so they have to find other economies, eg wages.

A levy on all hgv operators which would be used to fund a training school would solve this.

 

[squizzler]

I understand that a lot of bus drivers were looking to move to lorry driving when that sector started to feel the pinch of commercial vehicle licence holders and responded by raising their wages. Whilst Boris Johnson has always been keen to instigate a bus renaissance for the UK, I suspect there were a few mandarines in the department for transport who were quite happy to let bus travel wither on the vine if it that liberated more commercial vehicle drivers who could transfer to lorries.

Now that the busses are becoming more busy carrying former motorists now leaving the car at home, I suspect that bus operators are able to raise their wages to that which commercial vehicle drivers are getting in the goods sector. Pure speculation on my part however.

 

[Bald Rick]

Many bus companies have lost staff to HGV driving. It’s one of the reasons why some rail replacement bus services are struggling too.

 

[Dent]

I understand that a lot of bus drivers were looking to move to lorry driving when that sector started to feel the pinch of commercial vehicle licence holders and responded by raising their wages.

Buses and lorries are different licence categories, so anyone moving from bus driving to lorry driving would still be stuck behind the lack of driver testing capacity.