Is your business prepared for the Impending Driver Shortage?

Dec. 18, 2012 - PRLog -- The UK is facing a driver shortage for Large Goods Vehicles (LGVs) that risks holding back economic recovery, according to a report released by Skills for Logistics. In the last four years, there has been a 31 per cent decline in the number of individuals passing their LGV test, resulting in more vacancies than candidates for the driving industry.

Added to this the result found that not all new licence holders are becoming professional drivers, with only 44 per cent of those passing their test in 2010/2011 legally allowed to drive professionally. All new drivers wanting to drive professionally now have to complete an initial Driver qualification and go on to obtain a Driver Qualification Card (DQC), with only 12,000 individuals, covering both LGV and PCV (Passenger Carrying Vehicle), obtaining both qualifications needed.

In addition to the driver shortage, the report also identified a shortage in uptake of the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) training, with a predicted shortfall of 1.7 million training hours, or to put it another way 250,000 days of training, by 2014. Currently only 8.2 per cent of drivers have completed the 35 hours worth of CPC training to gain their Driver Qualification Card.

Recognising this Encore Driving have joined forces with a market leading training business to offer our clients and drivers subsidised CPC training, after a qualifying period.

Safe & Fuel Efficient Driving Techniques, Daily Vehicle Checks & Defect Reporting and Drivers Day EU Drivers Hours are just some of the modules Encore Driving is offering which add value and credibility to a driving workforce.

Kim Blackburn, Senior Divisional Manager at Encore Driving, commented, ‘The driver shortage issue in the UK is not new, but with the shortage of new drivers coming into the industry, coupled with the fact 16 per cent of LGV drivers are aged 60 or above, means that we are looking at a potential shortage of 48,000 drivers in the next 5 years.’

‘As a company, Encore Driving is doing its part to make sure that all our drivers have completed their CPC training on time so as to try and alleviate the driver shortage issues for our clients.’

Encore Driving is a division of Encore Personnel, who specialise in the supply of blue-collar personnel (logistics, manufacturing and engineering, temporary and permanent) to industry throughout the U.K, employing over 2,000 temporary staff each week through its 8 locations and 21 divisions.

For more information please contact Encore Personnel - enquiries@encorepersonnel.co.uk