The Conservative government has ignored the HGV driver crisis in a move that puts UK economic growth at threat, according to the RHA.
Speaking after yesterday’s Emergency Budget, in which the chancellor George Osborne resisted the temptation to increase fuel duty, RHA said the absence of financial measures to support road haulage in recruiting and training new recruits was a grave one.
Richard Burnett, chief executive of the RHA, said: “In his spring Budget George Osborne recognised the shortage of HGV drivers and pledged action to help.
“This Budget does nothing to help solve the crisis, despite strong representation from across the industry. He has even failed to support the structure put in place by the RHA and JobCentre Plus to get unemployed people into driving.
Burnett said that by the end of 2016 the industry is predicted to be some 60,000 drivers short.
“We are working hard to address the problem and we have a quality process in place for getting unemployed people work experience in the industry and if suitable, a route into full time employment.
“This scheme is called Driving Britain’s Future but this alone will not solve the problem. We need specific targeted funding before it is too late.”
Last month the RHA handed a petition in at Number 10 Downing Street calling on the government to back a £150m driver training fund to help the industry help the wider economy by training more drivers and therefore ultimately driving economic growth.
While there was no support for an HGV fund in the Emergency Budget, the government revealed plans for an Apprenticeship Levy as it seeks to get even more people through the scheme during the course of the current parliament.
- See Commercial Motor next week – 16 July – for an investigation into whether apprenticeships can help solve the skills shortage.
