Why do you feel there is a shortage of commercial drivers in the UK?
“I think one of the main drivers behind the shortage is a lack of engagement with the younger workforce. The average age of the professional driver has been increasing, indicating a bit of a stagnation. I don’t feel there is enough discussion or exposure around this as a career option at school level. When you think about modern apprenticeships, the traditional trades still very much spring to mind, but driving doesn’t jump out as an option. Although organisations like the RHA have apprenticeship programmes, these could be better advertised, and made more visible.
Another general issue I believe to be causing a shortage is the lack of glamour the industry has – long hours, no company (in many cases) and the potential of being away from home, can be enough to put people off.”
Key Takeaways
- Average age of professional drivers is increasing
- Insufficient discussion/exposure about driving as a career option at school and college level.
- Lack of glamour in the industry
- Long hours and the potential for working away from home adds to a perception of the industry as unglamorous which can deter potential candidates.
How are you coping with driver shortages?
“My company is looking at coping with this in a couple of different ways. One of the main things we are focussing on is retention – we want to keep the drivers we have. This includes a regular annual pay review, ensuring our fleet of HGV’s is constantly maintained and modernised, ensuring drivers have all the correct PPE and other equipment that allows them to carry out their role, and also allowing for movement, so our drivers can run different routes, work different days and we will support them to upgrade their licence (if they are currently class 2, we will pay for class 1 training).
We also encourage our non-HGV staff (such as our warehouse operatives, to go through training for a HGV licence, and then fill any driving vacancies from our inhouse cohort of recently qualified drivers. This allows us to backfill any warehouse vacancies, which is generally much easier to do.
We have partnered with Routes to Work, who will fund those looking to change jobs to get their HGV licence.”
Key Takeaways
- Retention is a key factor in the struggle against driver shortages and there are strategies that can boost retention including training, pay reviews and improved flexibility.
- Fleet managers can look to non-HGV drivers in their organisation as a potential source of new drivers.
- Engage in schemes designed to help people move into HGV driving.
What advice or tips do you have for organisations to retain drivers?
“I would advise retention, retention, retention – you don’t want to invest heavily in a strong recruitment practice if you don’t have the right things in place to keep them in the company. Once this has been done, then I’d look to expand the recruitment pipeline to include not just jobs boards, but apprenticeships, upskilling of existing staff and making the role more visible (jobs fayres, news articles, visiting schools etc).”
Key Takeaways
- Retention should be at the core of a fleet managers strategy
- Fleet managers should diversify their recruitment strategy to include apprenticeships, schemes and upskilling.
The role of telematics
Engaging with young people. Retaining current staff. Training new recruits. These are the solutions to the driver shortage put forward by fleet managers. The data and connection that come from a robust telematics system can help with each of these activities:
Engaging with young people - Telematics can make drivers more connected, providing real-time performance feedback and offering the sort of data-driven decision making that Gen-Z expects. This helps modernise the driving workplace, giving a sense that the industry is forward-thinking.
Retaining current staff - Telematics gives managers the data they need to identify training opportunities and drivers who should be rewarded before they look to take their skills elsewhere.
Training new recruits - New drivers need additional support when they are starting out on their career. The behavioural data that telematics provides can be used to bring new drivers up to speed quickly, without compromising efficiency or safety.
So, although telematics can’t magic up a new generation of drivers, it can give fleet managers the insights they need to identify opportunities that help with retention, recruitment and training. Plus, a connected, data-driven environment is exactly what young drivers will expect!
