Share truckers in run-up to Christmas, retailers are told

MOST lorries that transport goods are only 60 per cent full, a business group has claimed, as it called on supermarkets to share them.

The HGV driver shortage has led to competition for the limited drivers available with each retailer trying to minimise disruption to their stock.

Shane Brennan, of the Cold Chain Federation, which represents businesses that run the temperature-controlled supply chain, said supermarkets must work together.

He told The Grocer: “The biggest choice supermarkets have got is are we going to have a survival of the fittest Christmas or are we going to all work together and try to get through.

“The problem with the crisis is everyone fights to protect their own. So what you are finding is businesses fighting to protect the certainty of their own deliveries and that pushes against collaboration and co-ordination of efficiencies.”

Department for Transport figures show poor utilisation of capacity sees around 31 per cent of lorries on the road empty while those that contain goods are on average only 60 per cent full. “If the HGV network was effectively utilised there would be more than enough distribution capacity,” said Jack Fleming, of Chill-chain.

“But the people that would enable that change are running around with their hair on fire just trying to apply more pressure to their haulier to get them to deliver stock.”

Last week, Tesco announced it would increase its use of trains by 40 per cent. Government officials privately said that the crisis will not be resolved in time to prevent disruption at Christmas.

Last week, it emerged that only 127 foreign drivers had applied for 300 visas made available last month in the hope of tackling the shortages.

The Government is offering a further 4,700 temporary visas for foreign food lorry drivers, which will last from late October to the end of February.

Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset told a Conservative Party conference event: “It is in our mid and long-term interest that these logistics chains do break.

“It will mean the farmer down the street will be able to sell their milk in the village shop like they did decades ago. These commercial predators – the supermarkets – have wiped that out.”