Cost of HGV Training Course Just One Reason for Driver Shortage

It is generally agreed within the haulage industry that the cost of an HGV training course is contributing to the current driver shortage. Young people just getting ready to embark on their careers do not have several thousand pounds to pay for training. Now a recent article submitted on LinkedIn Pulse by an experienced driver adds even more perspective.

Driver Martin Webb says both the government and consumers are partly to blame for the driver shortage. Where the government is concerned, Webb says that increased taxation and an endless stream of cost-inducing regulation burdens haulage companies unreasonably. This requires hauliers to keep driver wages low in order to balance the books. Again, bear in mind this is the opinion of one driver.

Insofar as consumers are concerned, Webb says that our unwillingness to pay higher prices for consumer goods results in demand for low-cost carriers who can deliver the things we want and need more cheaply. This contributes to keeping driver wages artificially low. If consumers were willing to pay more, hauliers could afford to increase pay.

With all of that said, what do you think? Do consumers and the government bear some of the responsibility for the driver shortage now rampant throughout the UK? And, if so, what can be done about it?

These are not easy questions to ask or answer. However, they are issues that will need to be dealt with if we are serious about solving the driver shortage. The UK economy is fast approaching a crucial tipping point where any further growth could be halted because the transport capacity is just not there to allow for further expansion. From our perspective, that would be a terrible shame. We would rather see stakeholders get together and work out a solution to this ongoing problem.

Train to Be a Driver with Us

The HGV Training Centre cannot do much to change driver wages or a lack of government subsidies for training purposes. Nevertheless, we can invite you to train with us by taking advantage of our HGV training course financing. We work with a financing partner that can enable you to get your training now and pay for it over an extended amount of time once you start working. We offer this financing package in order to encourage as many young people as possible to receive training.

Completing your training enables you to take the HGV practical skills test at an approved facility. Although we do not conduct the test at our training centres, we do send trainers with our students to the official facility on the day of the exam. We have found that doing so gives our students an extra boost of confidence knowing the trainer is there with them. It also enables the student to ask any questions he or she might have on the way to the testing facility.

For more information about our HGV training course schedule, locations and pricing, please contact us at your earliest convenience.

Sources:

1. LinkedIn Pulse – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/real-reason-uk-hgv-driver-crisis-martin-webb