Free HGV training to beat crisis and help the UK to keep on trucking
MANAGEMENT at a transport company are offering free training to try to help tackle the chronic shortage of HGV drivers in the UK.
The situation is causing one of the greatest challenges in UK haulage for years and threatening to cripple supply chain delays.
The Road Haulage Association (RHA) says there is a shortage of about 60,000 drivers, with around 30,000 HGV driving tests lost last year because of the pandemic.
Many European drivers have also returned to their home countries, with Brexit and pandemic restrictions dampening enthusiasm for returning to the UK.
The huge spike in demand for home deliveries has also added to the crisis.
Now Translink Express Logistics says it will invest tens of thousands of pounds in free training courses to help get more drivers on the roads.
The business, based in Narborough, a couple of miles from junction 21 of the M1, says its scheme to offer fully-funded driver training to new and existing employees is the first of its kind, and will provide a simpler route into work for younger and new-pass drivers.
Translink, which is a member of the Wolverhampton-based PalletTrack network, is offering free HGV training courses to its staff from this month up to a value of £2,500 per person.
Drivers will be able to take the course during working hours and will not have to use annual leave to complete the training.
Translink has also struck a deal with the national HGV training school Hughes Driver Training to introduce all new-pass drivers in Leicestershire to the business, with the aim of helping them develop their driving skills further.
The company will offer all newpass HGV Class 2 drivers the opportunity to upgrade to HGV Class 1 within six months for free, and is working with its insurers Towergate to allow it to take on younger and new-pass drivers without the usual “red tape” which often obstructs this process.
Chris Hobbis, commercial director at Translink, said: “There’s no upper limit to what we’re pledging here – we’re committed to investing whatever it takes to solve this problem.
“We put up posters advertising this opportunity and had eight per cent of our staff apply within 24 hours, which is a fantastic return and shows the potential demand for the service.
“We have also had agency drivers interested in joining us so that they can take advantage of the scheme.
“We’re really confident this project will help our business deal with the HGV driver shortage, which is now around 80,000 nationwide.
“In addition to the training, an arrangement with Towergate (insurance company) will help us take on younger and new-pass drivers without the huge excesses on insurance policies which previously made this an almost impossible task.
“This concept hasn’t been used anywhere before and we really think it could help start to solve our network’s driver recruitment problems.”
The launch of Translink’s training project comes shortly after PalletTrack chief executive Caroline Green called on all of the company’s shareholder members to write to their MPs to raise the issue.
Caroline said: “I’ve said previously that collective action is the way to tackle this crisis – it is too big for one company to solve alone.
“The scheme being introduced by Translink Express is exactly the sort of innovative, forward-thinking action needed to help us deal with this issue.”