Large Goods Vehicle Drivers: Recruitment

(asked on 8th September 2021) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an urgent assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations for recruiting HGV drivers contained in the Grant Thornton Report on Labour Availability; and if he will make a statement.


Answered by
Rachel Maclean Portrait
Rachel Maclean
This question was answered on 15th September 2021

The Department for Transport has regular discussions with the road haulage industry on the issues raised in the report. The HGV driver shortage is an international problem with shortages being reported in a number of EU member countries and in the US. It is clear that our focus needs to be on developing domestic talent.

That is why the Government has already provided a 50% increase in HGV driver testing compared to pre-pandemic levels, and on 10 September announced measures to further increase HGV testing by up to 50,000 tests a year. This builds on existing actions including training for jobseekers and additional funding for apprenticeships.

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