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'Unsocial hours' fuelling HGV driver shortage

Isaac Chenery/BBC A man with grey/black hair wearing a black coat and a blue jumper smiling into the camera. Isaac Chenery/BBC
James Clifford, CEO of HGVC, wants to see more young people becoming drivers

A transport manager says the HGV industry is struggling to combat its “chronic driver shortage" because new recruits discover they "might not get back for tea".

Chris Kirk, from Maritime Transport's Felixstowe depot, was speaking at a driver recruitment event in Suffolk.

The event at Copdock Village Hall was funded by Suffolk and Norfolk county councils to encourage more people to consider becoming HGV drivers.

According to training firm HGVC, which organised the event, the sector is currently operating with 40,000 fewer drivers than it actually needs to function at full capacity.

Isaac Chenery/BBC A man with short dark hair wearing a green blazer and a white shirt standing in front of a blue backdrop holding a folder which reads Maritime TransportIsaac Chenery/BBC
Chris Kirk, transport manager at Maritime Transport's Felixstowe depot, said the job's unsociable hours could prove a sticking point for would-be employees

According to Mr Kirk, one of the key reasons why people are put off becoming a HGV driver is the unsociable hours the job may require.

He said: “New drivers coming in don’t like the fact they are away from home and might not get back for tea.

“So they are trying to find a balance between home life and work.

“But there’s always something we can do to put the round pegs in the round holes from day one so they know what we need from them and what we can do to help."

“If we can get the recruitment right," he added, "then that is the first domino and that will fix everything operationally we have to manage.”

Isaac Chenery/BBC Theresa with brown hair wearing glasses, a scarf and a hi-vis jacket smiling into the cameraIsaac Chenery/BBC
Theresa is training to become an HGV driver

One of those not put off by the requirements of the job is Theresa, who is training to become an HGV driver despite being in her 50s.

The former healthcare assistant said: “I just love driving and anything with wheels really.

“If someone offered me a job on a farm on a tractor then I’d get on it and drive it. It’s just a sense of freedom.”

She added: “I went to the job centre and asked for a driving job and this is what they have come up with. I am a bit rusty on the ol’ reversing, but I am getting better."

Getty Images A row of white HGVs against a backdrop consisting of a blue sky and cloudsGetty Images
The HGV industry needs to recruit as many as 40,000 new drivers to operate at full capacity

According to EP Training, less than 2% of HGV drivers are under 25 and the average age is 55, so many current employees are coming to the end of their careers.

James Clifford, CEO of HGVC, said: “There’s a whole of a lot of people retiring and coming out of the profession so we continually need new blood.

“The crisis we saw of empty shelves and no fuel has resolved and the bottle neck of tests has come through, but this country desperately needs more HGV drivers.”

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