Driver Shortage Appears to Be Accelerating

On a typical day in our HGV training in North Ayrshire, we work with quite a few drivers hoping to break into the haulage and transport industries for the first time. The same is true at all of our facilities throughout the UK. This makes it easy to forget that the industry is now in the midst of a severe driver shortage that is apparently accelerating faster than many experts forecasted earlier this year. It is a shortage that threatens to cripple haulage and transport if something does not change quickly.

Earlier in the year, organisations such as the Freight Transport Association and Road Haulage Association were estimating the current driver shortage to be about 40,000. But new estimates released from a report prepared by the Road Haulage Association and Dunlop say the shortage has now reached between 45,000 and 60,000. That’s no small difference.

One of the significant problems, according to the report, is the fact that just 17,000 new drivers are being added every year. That is not nearly enough to account for the new positions being created by economic expansion and current positions being vacated by retiring drivers. Some other estimates we have seen suggest the industry will need an additional 125,000 drivers between now and 2020.

Haulage and logistics in the UK currently employ some 2.2 million people. The combined sectors are the UK’s fifth-largest employer, contributing more than £70 billion to the national economy. To say that we rely on haulage and logistics to make the country move is certainly an understatement. To say that we are desperate for new drivers is to state the obvious.

You Can Join the Ranks of Drivers

Our day-to-day HGV training in North Ayrshire involves both young people just getting started and older people transitioning to new careers after being made redundant. There is more than enough room for anyone who wants to undergo HGV training, whether in North Ayrshire or any of our other centres. If you wish to join the ranks of professional drivers keeping the economy moving, we can help you make it happen.

There are a couple things about HGV training you should know. First, it doesn’t take a long time. The average time from start to finish is about 8 to 10 weeks for most of our students. That means if you were to start today, you could be ready to begin applying for jobs before the year is out.

Second, HGV training does not cost a lot when compared to a university education or other kinds of more expensive vocational training. Yes, you will spend a few thousand pounds to earn your HGV licence, but with our ‘Train Now, Pay Later’ programme you can finance your training and defer payment until you start working. We are one of the only HGV training companies in the UK offering this financing programme.

The HGV Training Centre offers comprehensive training in North Ayrshire and throughout England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland. We can train you as well.