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Tunbridge Wells, UK: Driver pay jumped 10% on average in the nine months to October 2021 in order to retain existing staff and attract new drivers, according to Logistics UK’s Skills and Employment Report 2021

The report reveal that, there were 44,000 fewer HGV drivers by this autumn compared to the same time in 2019. However, there has been a 25.6% increase in HGV driver tests from the July to September 2019 period compared to the same period in 2021 and a three-fold increase in applications for vocational provisional licences.

Elizabeth de Jong, policy director at Logistics UK, said the sector was seeing “green shoots” of recovery, and that HGV driver numbers should improve as new trainees join the sector but she stressed that there is still much work to do.

“It is still a challenging time, there is still an acute shortage of drivers
certainly but there a number of signs of improvement that could be coming.”

“We’re seeing hope that more people are beginning to enter the industry, but we’ve got to keep attracting them by really improving the facilities.”

“Government announcements to help address issues across our sector, including increasing driver testing throughput, funding Skills Bootcamps to train HGV drivers and a commitment to improved overnight parking provision, have been at pace. There needs to be continued focus from government to ensure they are delivered, so