Driver training is a priority

The current shortage of lorry drivers is not a new problem. During the late 1990s and early 2000s the industry, and its trade and representative organisations, were scratching their heads and wondering what was to be done. Then came the recession of 2007 and onwards, and with slack business, less demand, and the importation of some foreign drivers, the problem seemed to go away for a few years.

Not anymore.

The return to a growth economy, combined with the ultimate impact of the EU Driver CPC, and with it the decision by large numbers of older drivers not to acquire the necessary periodic training by the deadline of last September, and instead to quit the industry, meant that there were real fears that the high season boom time of Christmas 2014 would see a substantial shortage, resulting in delayed, even lost, deliveries.

Some sceptical commentators, including this one, suggested that, as ever, the can-do attitude of the logistics sector would overcome any shortage and get on and deliver the goods. And, generally speaking, that is what actually happened. But, apparently, only just. 

The enormous growth in online retailing, the changed pattern of order dates following the introduction of ‘Black Friday’, and the sheer weight of business last November and December helped to distort and confuse the scene.

Getting operators to go on the record and admit that they cannot get enough drivers is hard work. Clearly it is not good business to admit to your customers, or to your potential future customers, that you might have trouble fulfilling your contracts because of the driver shortage!

But, despite this apparent reticence for public statements, a powerful indicator of concern has to be the result of the news that the Freight Transport Association was to hold a Solving the Driver Crisis summit conference in Coventry in March. Those responsible for driver management throughout the industry voted with their feet – and quickly too! Within a couple of weeks of the announcement all 550 available places at the event had gone! 

Crisis? You bet.

So why don’t we have enough truck drivers? After all the high-tech quality of modern lorries, packed with computer technology and ergonomic design, ought to make them an exciting pleasure to drive. And indeed it does. But, unlike the past, the independence and self-management offered by the truck driving profession seems not to be enough.

Sadly, 2015 lorry drivers do not enjoy either the respect or rewards that they are entitled to in carrying out their essential work – essential to the whole of the economy and the everyday needs of the entire population. If you’ve got it then it’s been on the back of a lorry. 

For many, pay is a problem. With wafer thin profit margins, often down to three per cent or less, operators are hard pushed to elevate driver pay rates, even in the face of, or perhaps because of, the ultra-competitive market conditions. Some may have paid their way out of the Christmas problems, but that may not be sustainable.

The age profile of drivers is a problem which is getting worse. Every year the average age goes up and it is now well into the 50 plus bracket. That results in medical problems – despite easier to drive vehicles, the job can still be physical and less attractive to older stagers who may prefer less vibrant employment. And those that fall off the end are not being replaced.

At the other end of the scale, entry into the profession for young drivers is complicated by high training costs, insurance problems and attractive alternative options.

On-the-road facilities are not what they should be, and besides being unsatisfactory in the 21st century, this is perhaps a major inhibition in the employment of more female drivers – still less than two per cent of the work force.

And the work can be demanding – for example, the stress of carrying out multi-drop deliveries in a congested city centre with a traffic warden ever on your case is an experience many of us would prefer to avoid.

On top of all this the logistics sector continues to have a massive image problem. Despite this essential sector operating in a modern, intensive, exciting and high-tech IT environment, the industry still retains something of a rough and ready image. And that goes for drivers too. In the US or the rest of Europe the lorry driver is respected as a skilled craftsman – at present not so in the UK. 

But something has to be done. The sector simply has to retain the current driving force, to bring on new recruits, to attract female drivers, to get its fair share of ex-military personnel, maybe even take on more foreign drivers. And the Government itself needs to recognise the extent of the problem and to supply some new funding and resources designed to recruit drivers.