Ian Hetherington, head of external affairs at the Road Haulage
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& Distribution Training Council, explains the importance of its skills survey if the industry is to overcome the shortage of drivers.
'Anecdotes, straw polls and personal opinions count for little'
With current labour turnover rates in this industry of 8-10%, up to 50,000 drivers a year are leaving, increasingly concerned over the road haulage and distribution industry's apparent difficulty in recruiting suitably qualified and experienced LGV drivers. The Road Haulage & Distribution Training Council (RHDTC) is preparing a case to put to Government for both national and regional support to accelerate the pace of training for new entrants to the industry, as this is the only way to overcome these labour shortages without attracting back those who have left the industry.
In order to prove its case, the RHDTC has undertaken an employment skills survey of some 5,000 companies in 10 areas of the country, with the support of the Department for Education and Employment, the Freight Transport Association, the Road Haulage Association and the British Association of Removers (CM 15-21 Jan). The results of this survey will also help the RHDTC to mark out a strategy to promote training and qualifications relevant to the industry's needs now and into the future. One of the central questions which the survey addresses is to what extent there is an actual shortage of skilled LGV drivers, as opposed to a shortage of drivers who will accept the terms of employment on offer to them. In addition, the survey aims to define "skilled" in this context.
Anecdotes, straw polls and personal opinions count for little when a major skills crisis gathers pace. Digging for facts is harder work than jumping to conclusions, but it is ultimately more satisfying and makes for a fitter industry.
Without hard facts to analyse—to determine underlying trends, to discover changing skills needs, attitudes to acquiring those skills and so on—any measures, however well meaning, cannot be sure of addressing the underlYing problems which are causing the current significant imbalance of supply and demand.
Those who have the best, long-term interests of the industry at heart, as opposed to satisfying self-interest in the short term, should welcome such analysis, based on reliable data. The results should help us all to avoid the worst excesses of
boom and bust with regard to manpower and skills, which have been a feature of this industry over many years. There are many factors which may be contributing to the current lack of skilled drivers. Among them may be the increased cost of staged testing, individuals' resistance to the theory test, the escalating costs and difficulty of becoming a lorry driver, balanced against the demands of the job, including stress, wage rates, diminishing status and so on. The RHDTC is interested to hear employers' and other interested parties' views on how the industry could attract and train the number of LGV drivers it may need over the next one or two years. Please send comments to the RHDTC at 14 Warren Yard, Warren Farm Office Village, Wolverton Mill, Milton Keynes MK12 5NW, or send a fax on 01908 313006.
• If you want to sound off about a road transport issue write to features editor Patric Cunnane or Fax your views (up to 600 words) to Nicky Clarke on 0181 652 8912.