The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Transport Minister outlines vision for freight movement
Action plan being developed with Skills Development Scotland to recruit more qualified HGV drivers
Scottish Transport Minister Humza Yousaf answers some topical road-haulage questions.
Q: What specific challenges and needs does the road haulage industry have? A : The industry is a vitally-important part of Scotland’s economy to make sure goods, raw material and finished products can get to the market and, early on in my role, I took a ride down the A82 in an HGV to see for myself some of the challenges that drivers face. We have regular discussions with the Road Haulage Association (RHA) and Freight Transport Association. They tell us one of the main difficulties they face is recruiting qualified HGV drivers. We want to help them resolve this issue and Skills Development Scotland has been working closely with the RHA to develop an action plan to try to address this and encourage more young people into the industry. There is also a challenge to address the significant gender imbalance within HGV driving.
Q: How big a priority for the Scottish Government is helping the road haulage industry? A: The Scottish Government’s vision is to see freight transported through the entire supply chain by the most efficient and sustainable means and we want the transport infrastructure to be as integrated and flexible as possible. We can only achieve this by working in partnership with those involved with freight transport in Scotland and we do this through our well-established stakeholder steering group Scottish Freight and Logistics Advisory Group (ScotFLAG), whose members represent all modes of freight transport including road haulage. Our relationship with the industry helps inform our thinking and shape our priorities. For example, since 2007, the Scottish Government has invested £6 billion on our trunk roads network, which benefits all road users, including the road haulage industry.
Q: What is the latest on the new Queensferry Crossing? A: It is on track to open in May 2017. The new bridge recently made its first connection to land when the north deck joined the north viaduct in Fife.