1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144 
Enli tened firms tria young drivers
Page 9
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
by Jennifer Ball
A young driver who wrote to Commercial Motor complaining that insurance restrictions were preventing fully qualified young drivers getting jobs, has fulfilled his dream of driving an artic.
Jody Rust has just begun his new role driving a 38-tonne Scania for Newton-Le-Willowsbased DAT Haulage.
Rust says: "It's great that they were so keen to give me the opportunity to prove myself."
Rust wrote to CM following an article from Christian Salvesen boss Edward Roderick proposing that con
trolled immigration could be used as a means of solving the current driver shortage.
However, Rust says that the industry should be helping youngsters like himself who have licences but are turned down for work because employers cannot afford insurance for drivers under 25.
Terry Powell, owner of D & T Transport. says: "Quite often we train our own drivers, though many companies won't
take young drivers on because they haven't got experience. But how then do they get experience?" he asks.
"We have never had a problem with young drivers and already have a young crew," he adds. "One of our drivers is 29, another 23 and Jody Rust is only 22."
• Hauliers Taylors of Manley says that it is also recruiting younger drivers with the average age of the its latest HGV driver recruits being only 32, compared to the national average of 50-plus.
Taylors' f nahcial director, Celia Adams, says: "We are tak ing positive steps to increasf the popularity of the industry a: a career choice. Road haulagf has an ever-ageing driver popu lation which compounds thf recruitment problems over dri ver shortages. We aim to boos the perception of the industry,' he adds.
"At Taylors of Martley WE ensure the employment wE offer is an all-round positivE step to increase the populari'Q of the industry as a careei choice. We offer training of thE highest standards which no only motivates drivers but give; us an enthusiastic and skilleE workforce."