- Call for Evidence launched on range of options to help more
people access well-paid jobs in haulage
- Views will be used to help inform how post-Brexit freedoms
could create more opportunities and support jobs
- Forms part of ongoing work to tackle driver shortage, support
new haulage jobs and bolster UK supply chain
Views are being sought on how to make it easier to land
a successful career in logistics, as the
Government continues to tackle the global driver shortage,
support new jobs and bolster the UK’s supply chain.
The views submitted by members of the public and industry
professionals will help answer important questions and assist the
Government with ongoing research into how post-Brexit freedoms
are used to remove red tape and create opportunities for people
across the country.
Some of the potential options set out in the Call for Evidence –
which was launched today (Friday 5 August) – include creating a
formal register of HGV driving instructors, and publishing pass
rates for instructors. This could help improve HGV driver
training standards, raise the profile of the profession and
enhance road safety.
The Call for Evidence will also seek views on whether the UK
should permit mechanics who already hold an HGV licence to drive
vehicles like buses or coaches for repair purposes and
reintroducing other lost so-called ‘grandfather rights’ in the
UK.
Questions around reintroducing grandfather rights explore whether
the UK should allow those who hold a normal car driving licence
to drive certain larger vans or smaller lorries up to 7.5t. Prior
to 1 January 1997, people who passed their driving test for a
normal car also obtained the right to drive heavier, larger
vehicles up to 8.25t weight and minibuses – these entitlements
were removed by the EU.
No decisions have been made on whether these rights should be
reintroduced and the Government is keen for views from a wide
range of stakeholders to inform its future approach to the issue,
as well as the rest of the areas under consideration in the Call
for Evidence. Any changes would need to ensure continued safe use
of our roads and be economically proportionate. There could
possibly be restrictions based on age or driving experience,
which is reflected in the questions set out in the Call for
Evidence.
It comes as part of wider Government efforts to help more people
into work, since this is the best way to support families in the
long-term while growing the economy to address the cost of
living.
This follows the Government’s 33 actions already taken to tackle
the HGV driver shortage and protect the supply chain, which has
seen record numbers of HGV driving test pass rates and positive
reports from the sector of stable driver
numbers.
Transport Minister Karl
McCartney
said:
“Our country has a robust supply chain and our ongoing and
unprecedented support for the haulage sector means that the
number of HGV drivers is stabilising.
“We continue looking for ways to make it easier and quicker to
kickstart a rewarding career in logistics. That’s why we’re
asking people for their views on how we could streamline the
licensing process and remove any potential barriers – making the
most of our post-Brexit freedoms.”
The Government’s unprecedented actions to help the sector tackle
the global shortage of drivers has included making
11,000 HGV driver training places available through Skills Bootcamps,
injecting a major and sustained boost to the number of HGV driver
tests available, and investing £52.5 million in improvements in
roadside facilities and lorry parking.
Since then the sector has started to recover and industry bodies
have said they’re seeing HGV driver numbers stabilise. They
indicate that the initiatives introduced by Government and
industry have started to yield results, showing that perceptions
of the industry are changing as a result of Government support
and more people are looking to train and qualify
as HGV drivers.
New HGV drivers are taking and passing their driving test in
record numbers. Between March 2022 and May 2022, the Driver and
Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) carried out 29,384 HGV tests –
54% more than the corresponding period in 2019 before the
pandemic.
The government recently launched The Future of Freight
Plan, encouraging millions of people across the UK to
kickstart an exciting career in logistics, with a
multi-million-pound new plan unveiled to bolster the supply chain
and create a more resilient and greener haulage sector. The plan
includes a major campaign, launched in June 2022, to recruit and
retain a skilled workforce in the logistics sector.
