UK needs new 60,000 HGV drivers each year, says RHA

The Road Haulage Association (RHA) has urged the government to ensure the necessary driver training flexibilities are in place to future-proof the road transport sector.

It has called for the reinstatement of key driver training programmes and the reform of flexible skills funding to boost HGV driver numbers, in the wake of recent research revealing the scale of the shortfall.

It cites figures demonstrating that 100,000 HGV drivers – around one in six working-age drivers in the UK overall – have allowed their driver qualification cards (DQC) to lapse during the course of the last year, with a significant proportion of those being in their 30s and 40s.

The association estimates 60,000 drivers now need to be trained each year for the next five years, in order to support growth and meet demand, warning that urgently addressing this issue is vital to the wider economy.

RHA managing director Richard Smith said: “To future-proof businesses and the supply chain for the long term, driver recruitment, training and retention must be an urgent priority for government.

“With an ageing workforce and significant numbers of experienced drivers leaving the profession, attracting people into HGV driving has become increasingly urgent.

“HGV driver bootcamp training has been closed nationally, leaving many firms struggling to pay for training at a time when costs are rising.

“We want to see these bootcamps reinstated until the Growth and Skills Levy is reformed to allow permanent driver training programmes.”

The RHA also warned that many drivers were leaving the industry as a result of factors such as a lack of roadside facilities and secure parking, as well as long working hours.

“A lack of roadside facilities, safe and secure parking remains a chronic issue too,” Richard Smith added.

“We’re making headway, but there’s a long way to go on that, and the work on this continues.

“A thriving road freight and logistics sector is a key enabler – but the goods and materials our economy needs to prosper can’t move if we don’t have enough people behind the wheel.

“So, our message to government is clear. Work with us to future-proof our workforce to ensure drivers are in place for the next decade and beyond.”

The association said it was calling on local and national industry partners, training providers and decision-makers to work together on long-term solutions to the challenges.