Lorry driver shortage: Govt promises 50,000 more HGV driving tests
The government has announced that it will make 50,000 more Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGV) driving tests available a year in response to “the worldwide lorry driver shortage”.
Covid has led to a major backlog of tests for new drivers – 28,000 as of May this year – while the recent ‘pingdemic’ has caused many drivers to self-isolate.
The issue has been exacerbated by Brexit, with many drivers from EU countries returning home, a figure which research suggests could be as high as 15,000, according to research by Driver Require.
Logistics companies must also grapple with the fact that HGV drivers do not count as ‘skilled’ workers under the government’s points-based immigration system, making it practically impossible to recruit from abroad.
“Brexit has hit the logistics industry very hard. Combined with the effects of the pandemic, we’re starting to see an acceleration in haulage companies going out of business,” Rebecca Dacre, partner at Mazars, told City PM earlier this week.
The change in legislation, announced on Friday, forms part of the government’s efforts to speed up the process for prospective lorry drivers.
The changes include HGV drivers only needing to take a single test, instead of two – normally taken three weeks apart – to drive both a rigid and articulated lorry. This, the government said in a statement, will make an estimated 20,000 more HGV tests available each year.
The other 30,000 HGV tests will be made by no longer requiring car drivers to take an additional test to tow trailers or caravans.
“From Inverness to St Ives, HGV drivers are helping to keep the country running, and have been throughout the pandemic,” said Transport Secretary Grant Shapps.
In addition to the new measures which will see 50,000 more tests a year Shapps said the government has already delivered 50 per cent more tests than were available pre-pandemic.
The new rules represent a shift away from previous EU regulations following Britain’s exit from the European Union.