The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Road Freight and Logistics needs to hear how the skills shortage is affecting hauliers.
Firms are struggling to recruit staff as the industry faces a growing shortage of drivers, which the RHA believes stands at more than 55,000.
The APPG, chaired by the Rt Hon, Sir Mike Penning MP, has called for evidence from operators as the Group aims to build a strong case to put pressure on the Government to reverse the trend.
The group also wants to see if the Transport Select Committee’s 2016 recommendations to tackle the shortage have made any difference to firms, and if they haven’t, what the Government and industry should be doing differently.
Sir Mike Penning said: “We need to fully understand the problem for hauliers of every size and from across the country. Only when we have gathered this information can we go to Government with a firm set of recommendations and expectations.”
The RHA is pushing for the Government to support the industry’s efforts to attract new talent.
The Association’s chief executive, Richard Burnett said: “The skills shortage is getting worse. We need innovative solutions such as our Road to Logistics initiative backed by government to encourage more people into our industry.”
He added that this is an opportunity for the sector to get its voice heard in Parliament and called on hauliers to respond to the call for evidence.
The APPG has already heard from a number of hauliers about the problems firms are facing including a reliance on EU workers exacerbated by Brexit, pay rates, low margins and the failing Apprenticeship Levy.
When you take inflation into account, drivers are earning 40% to 50% less than they were 30 years ago, if you compare what a driver earns compared to other professions it’s so obvious, for example, a forklift driver in the 1980’s would get approximately half that of an HGV 1 driver, now they earn the same and in some cases more.
As a driver myself for 34 years, I can tell you that there is a groundswell of dissolution and anger in the industry.
Basically, the only way to solve the driver shortage is not subsidise training or recruit prisoners, it’s what you get paid after the training and for the rest of your career that counts. It just seems that the powers (or the top layer, as it is nowadays) that be will try absolutely anything before increasing driver’s salarys, so as to increase their margins…… it’s an accident waiting to happen!
Regards,
PJ.
There’s no point talking to hauliers, managers or directors, they only want the job done and have no concern for drivers welfare.
Go to truckstops, services RDCs and talk to DRIVERS, ask if they like parking in lay bys because there’s nowhere else, ask 100 drivers what is good about the job and get 5 or 6 reasons, ask what is wrong and get 100 reasons.
To add to Pete’s comment it’s not all about money, there’s the treatment and facilities at delivery/collection points. I could go on but can’t be bothered. Rant over, NOBODY’S LISTENING.