Recruitment Challenges facing the Driver Shortage
Ask most transport operators how many vehicles they have parked up in their depots today for which they have work, but no driver and the answer is usually “none”. Clearly this does not mean that there aren’t people facing this position and you can’t get away from the headlines on a current or future shortage of some 50,000 qualified drivers.
However, how much of the coverage on increasing driver shortages really refers to the real challenges in recruiting and retaining the right type of drivers. We all know, regardless of industry sector, that in any team we can identify:
• the best, the ones we want to keep
• those who can, but can also get better and
• those who are currently looking elsewhere and/ or we would be happy to lose
Historically, even currently, newly qualified HGV drivers have too often not been part of the solution – lacking experience, they cannot be immediately productive, need more looking after and are not as efficient.
The answer may not always be to go for experience. A properly inducted, supported NQD will be as productive as the 10-year license holder within 3 months We’re on a mission to re-shape how employers see newly qualified HGV drivers and the investment that is made in their development.