HGV Driver Shortage Made Worse by Early Peak

For every HGV training course that successfully graduates a class of students, there are multiple companies pleading for graduates to apply for jobs. There are simply not enough new drivers to keep up with an advancing economy and current retirements. To make things worse, the HGV driver shortage is being exacerbated by an early peak season for freight. Forwarding companies are having a hard time keeping up with the volume of freight being imported into the UK.

The British International Freight Association (BIFA) is reporting that its member companies are experiencing difficulties keeping up with demand. It says many of the problems are related to two issues: import volumes that are greater than originally anticipated and an earlier-than-expected peak in freight imports. Some of this may be due to the upcoming holiday shopping season and retailers attempting to get inventory settled before the real crunch begins.

Sources say the driver shortage is not affecting just the UK ports. There are not enough drivers to move freight arriving at airports such as Heathrow and Manchester either. Some carrier companies are attempting to better manage shipping by implementing booking restrictions and higher surcharges for carrier managed freight forwarding. However, neither the restrictions nor extra charges are slowing down shipper demand. Goods have to be moved as quickly as possible.

BIFA believes that some government intervention is required in order to encourage more people to go into professional driving as a career choice. They say government incentives would be one way to help make that happen. What those incentives would look like is not clear, but they could include subsidised education and training programmes. Government funds to increase driver salaries are also an option.

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We cannot solve the driver shortage alone at the HGV Training Centre. Nevertheless, we can continue to offer an industry-leading HGV training course to anyone who wants to learn to drive large commercial vehicles. We can tell you this: you will not have trouble finding work once you pass your final skills test. As one of our students, you will even have access to our comprehensive jobs database to find work in your area.

The HGV Training Centre operates more than 45 facilities around the UK. Our trainers are all certified professionals who take great pride in training the best drivers in the business. We offer a fast-paced and intense training approach designed to help our students learn and retain the information needed to pass their tests. What’s more, our students pass their tests the first time.

We encourage you to consider a career as a professional HGV driver. Whether you are just starting a new career or you are the victim of redundancy, professional driving offers an opportunity for stable work with good pay and benefits. It is also challenging work, if you are the kind of person who likes to try new things.

Your career as an HGV driver begins when you contact us. Trust us when we say that the industry needs you.

Sources:

The Load Star – https://theloadstar.co.uk/driver-shortage-crisis-spreads-air-freight/