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REA call for HGV drivers to be recognised as an
important shortage occupation with a two-year derogation to the
points-based immigration rules for trained HGV
drivers;
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Estimated shortfall of 100,000 HGV drivers across the
UK economy;
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REA says government measures to increase testing of new
drivers will not be sufficient to meet demand in the short
term;
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Food and garden waste collection frequency reduced or
suspended entirely in some local authorities due to driver
shortage.
The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA)
have called for a change to immigration rules to allow the waste
and recycling sector to recruit the necessary number of HGV
drivers in the face of severe shortages.
The REA are asking for HGV drivers to be recognised as an
important shortage occupation, with a two-year derogation to the
points-based immigration rules for trained HGV drivers.
The Department for Transport has already announced some measures
intended to alleviate the crisis, including allowing drivers to
take one test to drive both an articulated and rigid lorry to
increase the availability of test slots, and temporarily relaxing
drivers’ hours rules.
However, with there being an estimated current
shortfall of 100,000 HGV drivers across the UK economy,
solutions that address the scale and immediacy of the problem are
required.
The effect of the driver shortage is already being felt across
the waste and recycling sector. This can be seen in the recent announcements by a
number of local authorities to reduce the frequency of, or
suspend entirely, the collection of domestic food and garden
waste. These include councils inBuckinghamshire,
Essex, Kent, Reading,
Doncaster, Cumbria, Milton Keynes,
Hampshire, Bournemouth, South Ribble, Brighton and Hove,
Derbyshire, Exeter and Surrey.
The head of the Road Haulage Association has warned there may also be
wider problems with refuse collection unless the situation is
resolved.
Earlier this month, the REA joined the Environmental Services
Agency and 12 other organisations in writing an open letter to the
Home Secretary, regarding the shortage of trained HGV drivers
across the waste and recycling sector.
The REA says that the failure to collect and treat these
resources means that the opportunities to produce renewable
energy, biofertilizers and soil improvements are being wasted.
This will have a further impact on climate change and the
Government’s net zero ambitions.
Jenny Grant, Head of Head of Organics and Natural Capital
at the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology
(REA), said:
“The measures recently introduced by the government should be
welcomed, and this will help train the next generation of HGV
drivers. However, it is going to take time to see the effect of
this change translate into increased driver numbers. Our
industry, and others, needs solutions that meet both the scale
and immediacy of the crisis we are facing.
“That is why HGV drivers must be recognised as an important
shortage occupation with a two-year derogation to the
points-based immigration rules for trained HGV drivers. This will
help to alleviate the problem in the short to medium term and
allow employers to recruit the number of drivers required to
continue to effectively deliver their services and contribute to
the Government’s net zero ambitions.
“This is not just a necessity for our sector, but a crucial
change needed to protect supply chains across the economy – from
waste collections to food supplies and retail. As we head towards
Christmas, the impacts on our everyday life could deepen unless
this situation is resolved.”
