Updated October 15, 2021
Image source, Getty Images
The Government is taking a number of steps to address the shortage of HGV drivers, amid concerns about the deliveries of food, fuel and other items in the run-up to Christmas.
It has introduced temporary visas for 5,000 lorry drivers to work in the UK, although just over 20 out of 300 applications have been approved so far, according to Conservative Party leader Oliver Dowden.
The shortage of HGV drivers is due to a combination of coronavirus, Brexit and other factors.
How serious is the problem?
A survey by the Road Haulage Association (RHA) of its members estimates there is now a shortage of more than 100,000 qualified drivers in the UK.
This number includes thousands of drivers from EU member states who previously lived and worked in the UK.
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) annual population survey estimates that the number of EU citizens working as heavy vehicle drivers in the year ending March 2021 fell by around 16,000 people, compared to the previous year.
Even before Covid, the estimated total shortage was about 60,000 drivers.
why now?
Covid is certainly part of the problem. As travel restrictions increased last year, and large parts of the economy closed, many European drivers returned home. Transport companies say very few people have returned.
The pandemic also led to a significant backlog in heavy truck driver tests, so it was impossible to hire enough new drivers.
The industry warned the Prime Minister in June that there would be 25,000 fewer candidates passing their exam in 2020 than in 2019.
What about Britain’s exit from the European Union?
There is a shortage of HGV drivers across Europe, but in the UK Brexit has made matters worse.
Many European drivers who have returned to their home countries, or decided to work elsewhere, are unable to return.
When the UK was part of the EU’s single market, they could come and go as they pleased.
But new immigration rules mean that is no longer the case.
There is also new bureaucracy, and the fall in the value of the pound against the euro since the Brexit vote has made working in the UK less attractive for EU citizens.
The pressure on the goods transportation system comes before Britain imposes checks on goods coming from the European Union. They have now been postponed until next year – some in January, others in July.
If they prove too intrusive, it could make it more difficult to encourage European drivers to work in this country. Many drivers get paid by the mile or kilometer rather than by the hour, so being late costs them money.
There have also been tax changes that make it more expensive for drivers from elsewhere in Europe to work or be employed in the UK.
The overhaul of IR35 rules – on how people can work outside of payroll tax – is designed to prevent workers setting up limited companies and paying less tax and National Insurance while working, in effect, as employees.
Haulage companies say the average age of HGV drivers in the UK is 55, and they want to do more to attract younger workers.
This includes better terms and conditions, better facilities for long-distance drivers, and recognition that they are a vital part of the economy.
What about the rest of Europe?
According to data collected by the Transport Intelligence Agency, Poland had a shortage of more than 120,000 drivers last year, while between 45,000 and 60,000 drivers were needed in Germany. New numbers are expected to emerge in the coming weeks.
But shortages in other countries have less of an impact than in the UK.
Other European countries can recruit a much larger pool of labor in the EU’s single market, while ensuring freedom of movement. In the UK, this flexibility is no longer available, and the labor shortage is affecting other industries too – from food processing to fruit picking.
What about Northern Ireland?
Like other parts of the UK, Northern Ireland has a shortage of HGV drivers but there has been no fuel shortage because it does not have the same severe problems with tanker drivers.
Northern Ireland was less dependent on drivers from the EU, so was less affected by the unavailability of these workers. Tanker driving tends to have better pay and hours, so local drivers seek it out, an industry source says.
Geography also works in Northern Ireland’s favour, as it is only 100 miles wide, so supply chains cannot expand as they can in the rest of the UK.
What is being done about the shortage?
As well as allowing more foreign workers into the UK, examiners from the Ministry of Defense will be brought in to increase the number of heavy vehicle driving tests.
There will be intensive, free “boot camps” to train 5,000 people to become heavy truck drivers, with a further 1,000 trained through courses funded from the adult education budget.
The Government is also writing to the nearly one million HGV license holders to encourage them to return to the industry.
Image source, Getty Images
It also slightly relaxed drivers’ hours rules, meaning drivers will be able to increase their daily driving limit from nine hours to 11 hours twice a week.
There is funding of £7,000 per person for an apprenticeship program for large goods vehicle drivers.
Cabotage indicates whether a foreign HGV driver arriving in the UK is allowed to carry out collections and deliveries in the country before returning to their country.
It suggests allowing unlimited deliveries within a 14-day period.
The Road Haulage Association opposes this, because it would mean that non-UK hauliers could work in the UK, unlike foreign HGV drivers who work for UK hauliers.
