‘Urgent action’ needed to tackle lorry driver shortage in Wales as report highlights poor working conditions

Calls have been made for urgent improvements in working conditions for lorry drivers following the impact of a recent driver shortage on supply chains in Wales.

Following last year’s scenes of empty shelves, closed petrol stations, and disrupted services, the Senedd’s Economy Committee carried out an inquiry, looking at the reasons for shortages and problems in the industry.

The committee has highlighted serious issues after publishing its report and hearing significant concerns from drivers.

One driver told the committee: “The age demographic of drivers is now into the late 50 so in the next 10-12 years most drivers in this country will have retired, why on earth would any young person want to go into the haulage industry.

“Any child of a driver will know how **** it is as they never saw their father.

“It’s dirty, **** pay, stuck in traffic, treated like a second-class citizen, spoken to like ****, continually hassled by office clerks who can’t even drive a car, VOSA and the police.

“Made to wait in cold, damp, draughty corridors with no facilities while the warehouse takes hours to tip you. **** pay.”

The committee said several issues had combined to create the situation, including the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, which have added to an existing driver shortage to create supply chain problems.

After speaking to drivers, industry representatives and businesses, yesterday’s committee report provides a number of recommendations to the Welsh Government.

Paul Davies MS, chair of the Senedd’s Economy Committee said: “It’s quite clear that HGV drivers play an essential role in the supply chains that support almost every aspect of modern life.

“Last year we saw what happens when a shortage of HGV drivers causes these supply chains to breakdown – some empty shelves, some closed petrol stations, and some disrupted services.

“Behind the shortages are real people, working very hard to keep the Welsh economy moving and keeping us fed during extremely challenging times.

“Our inquiry has heard some distressing stories of the conditions that HGV drivers are facing on a daily basis.”

During the inquiry, drivers raised several complaints about the quality of rest stops across Wales.

The committee was told stops lack facilities, are often dirty and sell expensive, poor-quality food.

Members were also concerned to hear drivers’ reports of being robbed or threatened with violence, which some viewed as an occupational hazard.

The committee said the lack of safe rest stops with good, clean facilities is a key reason many drivers quit, and people do not see HGV driving as a viable career choice.

The report calls on the government to carry out an audit of rest facilities and to create a national inventory similar to one which exists in England.

It also asked ministers to urgently work to improve driver rest stops and create a voluntary standards system.

To help with the lack of facilities, the committee recommended that the government should update planning policy so that warehouses and similar developments are required to provide high quality driver facilities.

Mr Davies said: “If we do not address the issues then there is little hope for us to recruit new drivers, so today we’re calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action to improve drivers’ facilities across the country.

“To safeguard future supply chains the government and industry must work together and address the chronic ongoing shortage of HGV drivers.

“Our report sets out recommendations which we believe will improve drivers’ experience, prospects, recruitment, and retention in order to meet that goal and support our valued HGV drivers.”

Members of the committee also heard support for more apprenticeship programmes to be delivered for drivers.

The report recommends that the government should work with the industry to develop such schemes and increase the number of training providers.

Drivers who gave evidence also raised concerns that the certificate of professional they are required to complete is not relevant for their day-to-day job.

The committee said there was strong evidence that the curriculum for training should be updated.