HGV Driver Shortage – Pingdemic
The UK is currently experiencing a shortage of around 100,000 HGV Drivers, with warnings of shortages of food and other items on our shelves.
The Pandemic has resulted in the loss of about 12 months of Driver training and testing, and now it looks like the Pingdemic is creating issues across the Haulage Industry.
The NHS test and trace app is affecting business massively, with more than 600,000 people being pinged by the NHS in one week, and the logistics sector is no exception.
Some of our largest supermarket brands are struggling to get many of their deliveries, resulting in empty shelves.
It has been suggested that the government needs to act fast and relax the rules to all HGV and Commercial drivers pinged by the NHS.
With HGV Drivers spending most of their day alone in their cab, it has been suggested that they should be able to continue to work if they have received both jabs and can provide a negative Covid test.
The government has announced measures to try and tackle the shortage:
They are hoping that this will allow a significant increase in the number of HGV Driver tests to be conducted.
Let us hope that things to start to improve for our HGV Drivers, after all, they worked so hard throughout the pandemic to provide such a vital service, lets hope the Pingdemic does not prevent them from continuing to do so.
The Pandemic has resulted in the loss of about 12 months of Driver training and testing, and now it looks like the Pingdemic is creating issues across the Haulage Industry.
The NHS test and trace app is affecting business massively, with more than 600,000 people being pinged by the NHS in one week, and the logistics sector is no exception.
Some of our largest supermarket brands are struggling to get many of their deliveries, resulting in empty shelves.
It has been suggested that the government needs to act fast and relax the rules to all HGV and Commercial drivers pinged by the NHS.
With HGV Drivers spending most of their day alone in their cab, it has been suggested that they should be able to continue to work if they have received both jabs and can provide a negative Covid test.
The government has announced measures to try and tackle the shortage:
- Attract new drivers
- Simplify training
- Allowing drivers to take only one test to enable them to drive both articulated and rigid lorry
- Improve their working conditions by providing more official parking spaces for their resting time
- Councils to allow more leniency on delivery times
They are hoping that this will allow a significant increase in the number of HGV Driver tests to be conducted.
Let us hope that things to start to improve for our HGV Drivers, after all, they worked so hard throughout the pandemic to provide such a vital service, lets hope the Pingdemic does not prevent them from continuing to do so.
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