The Transport Committee is to investigate the immediate
challenges to the effective operation of the UK’s road freight
supply chain. This new inquiry, announced today, will assess the
effectiveness of the road freight system and the Government’s
policies in this area.
The impact of the pandemic and the disruption of global supply
chains complicated by new EU legislation, have disrupted freight.
The shortage of HGV drivers (heavy goods vehicles) has been a
critical factor, prompting the Department for Transport to
introduce 25 separate measures to recruit more drivers; the
Department has insisted that tackling the shortage is a top
priority.
The shortage of drivers for large goods vehicles is not new. In
July 2016, a predecessor Transport Committee warned of
difficulties in recruiting drivers and a potential shortfall of
up to 60,000 drivers. The report highlighted low pay, low hours,
poor facilities and an ageing demographic of drivers with
under-represented groups in the workforce.
The Chair of the Committee, , said:
“Today, the Committee hears from the Driver and Vehicle Standards
Authority (DVSA) who are responsible for setting the standard for
safe and responsible testing and driving. It’s also responsible
for issuing HGV driving licences. The DVSA is part of the story
of current disruptions to freight, but it’s not the whole story.
“We’re launching a new inquiry which will go wider, exploring the
supply chain and what is required to make it function
effectively. We’ll look at the issues for which the Department
for Transport has responsibility and the impact of the measures
the Government has proposed. And we’ll return to the issue of the
workforce and what is required to make to support recruitment,
retention and diversity in an essential and valued industry.”
Terms of reference:
The Transport Committee is calling for written evidence that
addresses:
- Long-term and short-term challenges to the effective
functioning of the road freight supply chain;
- The potential effects of the Government’s policies and
regulations on the efficient operation of the supply chain,
including cabotage rules and drivers’ hours;
- The effectiveness of Government policy in supporting
recruitment, retention and a diverse workforce in the road
haulage industry;
- The potential effects of the Government’s policies and
regulations on road safety;
- Infrastructure, including roads, facilities, ports
and airports, with a particular focus on capacity,
resilience and interoperability;
- The effect of border procedures on road freight;
- Workforce skills, training and development;
- Decarbonising road freight, and;
- The extent to which the Transport Committee’s previous
recommendations on haulage, including those set out in Skills and
Planning in the Road Haulage Sector (published July 2016) were
both pertinent and unheeded.
The deadline for written submissions is Friday19 November
2021.
