Logistics industry calls for season visas and funded training to ease driver shortage

There are currently more than 45,000 truck driver tests outstanding at Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) as a result of the Covid-19 lockdowns.

David Wells, chief executive of trade association Logistics UK, said: “The government recently granted temporary visa status for agricultural workers to ensure that important crops are picked and made available for UK consumers. But without temporary visa status for the drivers to move this food to where it is needed, the supply chain will break down at the first hurdle. The two sectors work hand in hand and should be treated in the same way.

“Our members urgently need drivers to be available now while DVSA catches up with the backlog of outstanding driving tests: without this temporary cover, there is a very real risk to the availability of the food and other vital items on which we rely during the summer months.”

DVSA estimates that it can undertake 118,000 HGV driver tests in the remainder of 2021, but it will take months to catch up on the existing backlog of outstanding examinations.

Wells added: “It takes time and money to train new recruits to be ready to enter our highly regulated industry, but with many people suffering the effects of the current economic downturn, this cost can be prohibitive. We need government to prioritise the implementation of funded training to open the industry up to as many people as possible, to counteract the long-term recruitment issues which logistics has faced for many years, and attract a new generation of drivers and other employees to the sector as older personnel retire and leave the industry.”