Christmas presents will go undelivered this year because of a major driver shortage.
One of the leading national recruiters has warned that a ‘perfect storm’ of issues means there will be fewer ‘Santa’s Little Helpers’ than the country needs. A combination of older drivers retiring, a shocking road network, long hours, poor pay and driving test delays mean deliveries will be missed.
Lee Gamble, managing director of Berry Recruitment that works across the UK, said vacancies routinely go unfilled and the situation is only likely to get worse. With parents relying on delivery companies to receive presents they have ordered, the situation could lead to thousands of upset children.
Lee said: “This is the worst I have known it since I began in 1998 – and many drivers who are recruited have little or no experience, especially if they are from overseas.
“The problem is not just for the 7.5 tonne, Class 1 and 2 drivers, but for the less-experienced car and van drivers who deliver to doors. Many older drivers when they need a medical or have to renew their CPC qualification are retiring instead or finding less arduous jobs.
“Younger workers are held back by the length of time it takes to get a driving test, causing some who would previously have taken a driving job to try something else. Furthermore, the awful state of the road network makes driving far less attractive. And it’s not just the potholes, but all the road works and congestion that lead to long delays.
“Delivery companies work with tiny margins and high volume and this puts added pressure on drivers. The hours are long and are exacerbated by the dreadful roads and with pay being relatively low people can get to the end of the month and not have anything to show for it, so they’re saying ‘why bother?’.
“The work is just not as attractive as it used to be – many of the pay models that would boost income have gone in recent years, such as drivers being able to turn themselves into limited companies. All these issues have come together this Christmas during which there will be more demand for deliveries than ever before.
“Our
Berry Recruitment Jobs app covers the whole of the country including Northern Ireland and the Isle of Man and the situation is the same everywhere. It does mean, however, that if people want to earn some more money over Christmas they can find driving work fairly easily.
“I can only see the situation getting worse until perhaps drone deliveries are standard.”
The Road Haulage Association has said that 100,000 HGV drivers (7.5 tonne Class 1 and Class 2) have allowed their Driver Qualification Card (DQC) to lapse in the last year. This represents one in six of all working age lorry drivers in Britain. It added that a significant proportion of those leaving the industry are in their 30s and 40s and it now estimates that 60,000 drivers need to be trained each year for the next five years to meet demand and support growth.
