The HGV driver shortage is continuing to cause widespread disruption in the 海角视频, with new fears over empty Christmas stockings following on from empty petrol pumps and empty supermarket shelves
Retailers are warning of significant disruption in the run-up to Christmas with shipping giant Mearsk already diverting container ships from Felixstowe because of a backlog of cargo.
And toy retailers are already running out of stock with fandom-themed collectible shop House of Spells, based in Charing Cross, London, saying it had already run out of official Harry Potter merchandise with stock stuck in containers because of the driver shortage.
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Why is there a HGV driver shortage and what can be done to fix it in time for Christmas?
Why is there an HGV shortage?
The 海角视频 needs 100,000 more HGV drivers if it is to meet demand, according to the Road Haulage Association (RHA).
There are a number of factors that have led to the shortage, according to John Poliquin, Director of Pertemps Driving Academy, part of the Warwickshire-based Pertemps Network Group of recruitment specialists.
He said that the loss of European drivers through Brexit, postponed and cancelled Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) testing, also known as Large Goods Vehicle (LGV) and changes to taxation regulations has resulted in a shortfall of as many as 90,000 in drivers in the 海角视频.
And the industry was understaffed in the first place, he said.
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Last year, 40,000 tests were cancelled - with 25,000 fewer candidates passing their test in 2020 than in 2019.
Mr Poliquin said: "It's as if someone has come along with a massive hoover and sucked up all of the staff into the bag. They've just all gone.
"I've had it in the past where we have had no jobs and too many people and now it's the other way round. I have honestly never known anything like it."
Will it be solved before Christmas?
The government will grant temporary visas for to attract overseas drivers back to the 海角视频 amid pressure from retailers and logistics firms.
The so foreign lorry drivers can work in the 海角视频.
The temporary measures will allow up to 4,700 HGV drivers and 5,500 poultry workers to work in the 海角视频 until Christmas Eve.
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But the HGV visas are for drivers carrying food only.
The move has been described by TUC General Secretary Frances O'Grady as a 'sticking plaster'.
Applications opened on October 11 and will close on December 1. According to , just over 20 had been processed so far with employees expecting a three week turnaround time.
However, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has painted a positive picture when discussing the lorry drivers shortage, saying that, for the first time, Britain has got a much greater capacity.
The Cabinet minister told ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Friday, October 15: “You’ll be pleased to hear we’ve got three times as many applications now for people to get provisional HGV licences, which is great, and, at the other hand, taking their tests and therefore coming on to the roads.
“For the first time, we’ve got much greater capacity, and we’ve actually got some spare tests each week at a much higher level than before coronavirus. We are now finally seeing more domestic HGV drivers coming on to the roads.”
What needs to change?
Working Conditions and pay
The industry is known for its long hours with just the 海角视频's service stations offering respite.
And salaries have been a problem too, but that is changing with the shortage pushing up wages to attract and retain staff.
RHA managing director Rod McKenzie said: "One of the problems we've had has been low pay and that's now being addressed.
"We're seeing in many cases trucker pay has risen quite dramatically to around £40,000-£50,000 a year, which is very welcome."
The boss of Manchester firm Invopak said that respecting your people is the best way to avoid predictable screw-ups like shortages.
Named Employer of the Year in the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards, the company which brings in, stores and delivers goods from around the 海角视频 and Europe, haven’t suffered from a lack of delivery drivers or run out of stock or fuel - either now or anytime throughout the Pandemic.
Arjen Cooper-Rolfe of Manchester’s Invopak, said an involved, motivated and well-rewarded workforce is the best way to keep the shelves stacked and the fuel pumping.
He said: “Profit doesn’t come to your rescue in a crisis. Your people do. Or they will if you treat them right.”
John Poliquin of Pertemps Driving Academy said that the industry is changing.
There are industry-wide discussions underway about shorter shifts to attract a more diverse set of candidates.
He said: "We want to attract mums and dads who cannot commit to 12 hours driving that they can do a six hour shift instead.
"The problem is that nobody is talking about logistics but the fact is it's a very professional job and our drivers take pride in what they do and the new modern vehicles are beautiful inside.
"These drivers are the lifeblood of Great Britain," he said.
Cost of training
Some HGV firms have offered to cover the costs of HGV training in a bid to tackle the driver shortage.
And the Government has introduced an apprenticeship to cover up to £7,000 costs to employers.
Mr McKenzie wants the government to make training more affordable, to allow the haulage industry to get more people behind the wheel.
He said in a Radio London interview that becoming an HGV driver takes a lot of training, and that training is expensive to complete.
He said: "It can cost anywhere between £4,000 to £7,000 to train an HGV driver, and this isn’t the sort of money that someone who is unemployed or is leaving education is likely to have."
More on the HGV driver shortage
Changes to the driving test
The government plans to encourage more new drivers on to the road by freeing up to 50,000 HGV test slots.
It says that tests will be made more efficient by removing the reversing exercise element and vehicles with trailers.
The uncoupling and recoupling exercise will be tested separately by a third party.
It is now speedier to get a licence to drive an articulated vehicle. Applicants no longer first have to get a licence for a smaller vehicle - making around 20,000 more HGV tests available every year.
But Mr Poliquin said he was concerned about the changes, arguing that removing the reversing element in the test itself is a 'backward step'.
"I don't think that tackling the backlog of tests by cutting parts of that test is the right thing to do.
"Our job is to get drivers on the road who feel confident and are capable and I don't think that the number of extra tests you would get done in a week by cutting those important elements, like reversing, will help that."
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has also raised concern that changes like removing the reversing manoeuvre from the test - which makes it shorter - and assessing it separately is a step backwards when it comes to safety.
Brian Kenny from the RHA said: "According to HSE, there's about seven people knocked down and killed in yards each year with vehicles reversing.
"I think it is a step back. More than one person is one too many, as far as we're concerned.
"Going forward on the roads should be assessed and should be tested. It's equally important to test properly how an individual reverses and manoeuvres off the road."
ParcelHero has also warned it is a step too far.
Head of Consumer Research, David Jinks M.I.L.T, says: ‘Of course, everyone is concerned about the growing truck driver shortage, which is creating empty supermarket shelves and threatening to blight Christmas. However, splicing and dicing the HGV test is, quite frankly, an astonishing “solution” to the problem.
‘Merging the separate rigid and articulated tests cuts too many corners. The gap between obtaining a level C licence for driving a standard truck and level C+E for driving an artic existed for a reason: to ensure drivers gained experience before mastering an articulated truck. Likewise, dropping the reversing exercise and the coupling and uncoupling elements of the main test, and farming them out to third party testers, is a jaw-dropping compromise.
‘Furthermore, the decision to drop the separate test for car drivers to show they can manoeuvre with a larger-towed vehicle, such as a trailer or caravan, will also make our roads more dangerous."
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