A Year On From The Driver Shortages – Where Are We Now?

Can you believe that it’s been a year since the country-wide HGV driver shortages first made the news? It was August last year that we first started hearing of shelves looking bare and deliveries left unmade the situation was beginning to look rather dire and shoppers were beginning to panic.

However, with the number of HGV drivers in employment not falling as significantly, Logistics UK has expressed cautious optimism that initiatives introduced by the Government and industry in the latter part of 2021 and into 2022 such as…

• An increase in funding to allow for more HGV driving tests to be completed
• The relaxing of test rules
• Increased monetary incentives to attract more drivers to the field
• A call for retirees to return to their jobs, are starting to yield results

 

… May have helped too ‘flatten the curve’ and negate some of the real issues we witnessed last summer.

But where are we now? Those familiar to the industry will know that the issue of driver shortages did not begin in 2021. The sector has been subjected to a skills gap for some time now, and concerns around an ageing workforce are present (which is why at Barnes we are always keen to educate those on the benefits of working in logistics). But, the situation is looking a lot better now than a year ago. Let’s investigate why.

The Numbers

The industry, in cooperation with the Government, worked hard to address the key issues which have affected the recruitment of HGV drivers in the past. The reduction in numbers of HGV drivers in employment, generally caused by retirements or shifts into other careers, slowed in the first quarter of 2022, compared with the second half of 2021, which illustrates how actions are beginning to reduce the loss of skilled workers!

Figures revealed by Logistics UK indicate that while the number of HGV drivers in employment is estimated to have fallen by 30,300 in the first quarter of 2022, this is less of a reduction than in Q3 and Q4 2021 which saw falls of 44,000 and 49,000 respectively.

Meanwhile, improved throughputs at DVSA testing facilities have shown that 26,388 practical HGV tests were conducted in Q1 of 2022, an increase of 43% compared with the same period in 2019. March 2022 saw a record 10,481 tests undertaken, with a 60% pass rate.

HGV driver wages have also increased to retain existing staff and attract new drivers, with advertised salaries for those qualified to drive the heaviest vehicles increasing by an average of 25% in Q1 2022 compared with a year ago.

Such a large increase in the number of HGV tests being undertaken is testament to the work being done by DVSA to address its testing backlog, alongside the industry’s commitment to encourage new recruits to join the industry.

Future Focuses

So, what else needs to happen to make sure the improvement of the situation continues?

Many in the transport sector say that what the industry needs now is a renewed focus on the improvement of facilities for drivers across the country… To provide the services and support which key workers deserve during their business hours. To this effect, the government recently invested £20 million in the development of HGV facilities – with a focus on facilities for women in the hopes of more women drivers in the future!

 

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