We need 4,000 truckers just to keep shops stocked
Shortfall in lorry drivers caused by pandemic and Brexit red tape
AN extra 4,000 lorry drivers will soon be needed to compensate for drivers who are retiring or leaving the haulage industry, independent TD Verona Murphy has claimed.
The Freight Transport Association Ireland (FTAI) has warned that Ireland’s economy will be hit hard by a shortage of skills in haulage.
Ms Murphy, who is the former president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, said many drivers are choosing to retire or leaving the job because of the increased red tape associated with Brexit.
‘There are many drivers that are retiring because Brexit has made the job very, very difficult. Drivers drive, that is what they do, but when they sit in queues waiting and [dealing with] regulatory departments, it drives them nuts,’ she said. ‘We’re not replacing them. We would need 4,000 drivers in the near future to compensate for those who are retiring or taking other jobs.’
The average age of a driver in Ireland is 58, said Ms Murphy.
On top of this, there is the issue that many foreign drivers left the country after the Covid pandemic hit and have not come back, along with the fact that people cannot have HGV driving lessons now, due to health restrictions.
Ms Murphy said the capacity of the six-month driver training programme needs to be increased and rolled out in every Education and Training Board (ETB).
‘Extend the driver training programmes of all the ETBs because at the moment it is too limiting and it is too slow,’ she said.
‘When young fellows and young girls are looking for something to do, they don’t hang around, they get a job and they stick with it.’
Ms Murphy added that the issue of the Critical Skills Employment Permits needs to be looked at so drivers can be brought in from more countries to work.
Aidan Flynn, general manager at FTAI, said the industry is suffering a shortage of qualified drivers with the pandemic causing a high turnover of driving staff.
‘While the freight distribution and logistics sector has kept the nation stocked during the pandemic, not all sectors which use HGV drivers have been operational,’ he said. ‘Many have either returned to work in eastern Europe or have switched to jobs in other sectors. This is creating unsustainable recruitment problems for a sector on which all areas of our economy relies, and an ever-decreasing pool of workers means that gaps will soon start to appear in our supply chain.’
‘To ease the skills shortage, FTA is asking the Government to provide a temporary derogation to attract these drivers back into temporary employment and allow them to drive for hire and reward while they are waiting to refresh their professional driver training qualification – the CPC.
‘This would be great help to our members and industry where some employees have full licences, but they do not have an up-todate driver card.’
Mr Flynn said that if the skills shortage is not addressed business costs are likely to rise.
‘The net result of this will be significant cost increases for the consumer,’ he added.
‘Sitting in queues drives them nuts’