The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has published new figures that highlight the falling numbers of HGV drivers in the UK.
An estimated 268,000 people were employed as HGV drivers between July 2020 and June 2021 – 39,000 fewer than the same period spanning 2018-2019, and 53,000 less than the peak of 321,000 recorded for the year ending June 2017.
The number of UK nationals employed as HGV drivers has fallen consistently since there year ending June 2017, whilst the number of EU Nationals increased between 2017 and 2020, but decreased during the period of the Coronavirus pandemic.
Ultimately there has been a fall of HGV drivers of 43,000 in four years, exacerbating the driver shortage.
From an age perspective, the 46 to 55-year-old bracket has seen the largest decline.
As expected, a larger proportion of HGV drivers are from older age groups, with 25.7% of drivers being in the 56-65 age bracket, vs 15.7% for the national average.
The reverse is true for younger age groups, with 19.5% of HGV drivers being younger than 36 vs 36.2% for the national average.
Road to Logistics
Back in 2016, Microlise and the Road Haulage Association unveiled the Road to Logistics concept at the Microlise Transport Conference.
In 2020 Road to Logistics was granted funding by the UK Government, and has since been working to attract, train and place new HGV drivers into industry.
Visit the Road to Logistics website to learn more, and get in touch with the team to find out if you or your organisation can get involved.
