The row about Home Secretary Amber Rudd’s proposed curbs on foreign workers fails to address the real issue on driver recruitment, according to a leading contracting specialist. Comment from Marcus Green, Director – Nova Contracting.

Nova Contracting Director Marcus Green comments: “Proposals to push UK employers to prioritise British workers, assumes a ready queue of qualified and enthusiastic candidates. In the transport and logistics industry, that is patently not the case. Debating the pros and cons of tighter curbs on foreign workers in a post-Brexit Britain, does not address the real issue faced by this high-demand sector, which is encouraging young people into the industry as established, highly experienced drivers retire or opt for work in other sectors. 

The Freight Transport Association estimates a UK shortfall of some 60,000 Class 1 drivers and that can only increase as our demand for online shopping and home delivery continues to grow. The requirement for continual assessment, long hours and extended periods away from home have all contributed to the sector losing its appeal. Young people need to see the professional driver industry as a viable and rewarding career path, where training and development is a worthwhile investment. 

If that doesn’t happen, recruitment agencies will continue to struggle to supply qualified drivers from a dwindling agency pool. Without newly-qualified professional drivers coming into the industry – order backlogs are almost inevitable and frustrated, unhappy customers an absolute certainty.