HGVs: Examiner shortage causes long wait for driving tests

A trainee lorry driver hopes her journey will be "inspirational" to other women who want to be truckers.

Emily George, 24, of Pontardawe, Neath Port Talbot, is learning to drive HGVs, but faces a 15-week wait for her test.

Her instructor said a shortage of examiners was causing a backlog and threatening his business.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) said its efforts to tackle the shortage included offering more tests and trying to hire more examiners.

Emily said her pursuit of a licence to drive lorries was part of a mission to break stereotypes because "there's such a lack of women drivers".

"Any stranger I usually meet, they are stunned by what I've managed to achieve," she added.

"It was a target for me to try and break through that barrier, as I have always been blockaded by myself, my own mental battles as well.

"It is such a positive aspect to be inspirational to other youngsters who think about doing that in the future."

Her training has involved driving and manoeuvring trucks at the training site in Llansamlet before she sits her practical test.

But it may be about 15 weeks before an external examiner is available and her instructor said it was causing a backlog among trainees and threatening his business.

Paul Morgan, owner of Driver Training Wales, said the initial boom in applications from trainee drivers had led him to recruit more staff and buy more training vehicles.

But the ongoing shortage of examiners was damaging: "This week we had 10 tests booked at this site but they have dropped us to four, just cancelled the test on us, because they have got a shortage of examiners.

"Without an examiner there is no way to get (Emily) on the road. She is ready to go, she has done everything. All she is waiting for is a practical test and we just can't get them."

However, he did praise Welsh and UK government trainee schemes which have paid for some candidates, including Emily, to pass her test.

A report from the Senedd's economy committee has recommended more investment in apprenticeships and improvement to truckstop facilities to try and boost the HGV workforce.

Committee chairman Paul Davies said HGV drivers played an "essential role".

He added: "We have called on the government to work with the industry to develop HGV driver apprenticeship programmes and to support the industry to increase the number of training providers available."

Mr Davies also called for an audit of rest facilities around the country, which he said had already happened in England, to assess the standard of facilities available to HGV drivers.

The Welsh government said it welcomed these recommendations and would look to create "fairer pay and working conditions, as well as better facilities".

"We are doing what we can to support the industry despite the majority of powers relating to these issues not being devolved," said a spokesman.

The DVSA said: "We have increased HGV driving tests through a range of measures, including offering overtime and allocating and recruiting additional examiners into these tests."