The government has finally given in to the deafening calls to help ease the chronic shortage of HGV drivers. After weeks of fruitless consultations with the industry, which issued stark warnings of empty shelves, consumer price hikes, scarce Haribo and vast quantities of food waste, transport minister Charlotte Vere offered a solution yesterday, via Twitter.

Yet it wasn’t an extension of visas to ease the shortage of EU workers, or even temporary financial aid. Instead, the industry was given lip service in the form of a one-hour extension to driver hours per day – from nine to 10 hours – and an allowance for two 11-hour shifts per week. That’s half the daily extension granted during the first national lockdown in 2020.

It’s questionable how much difference this will really make. Sure, it might favour small multidrop loads to squeeze in an extra delivery at the end of the day. One wholesaler suggested it might increase its capacity to distribute up to 15% more per shift. The Federation of Wholesale Distributors instigated this rescue measure, and its members largely back it.

But the extra hour will only help if drivers are prepared to work the additional 60 minutes.

Unite has pointed out employees are protected under the Employments Rights Act sections 44 and 100. If a member of staff feels that driving in excess of their contracted hours puts them at risk of “serious or imminent danger”, they can decline. Drivers can also ballot to strike – the impact of which could be devastating to the supply chain. 

And industrial action isn’t out of the question. Truckers have endured 12 months of extended hours, on and off, over the course of the pandemic. Should they really be asked to go the extra mile again? If social media is anything to go by, truckers have had enough. They are tired of poor conditions and poor treatment.

This is a workforce on its knees. But it’s also a workforce that is increasingly able to vote with its feet, as demand for drivers soars high above the 100,000-strong black hole in supply.

So businesses need to be careful to avoid pushing drivers into the arms of rivals. A wholesaler asking its fleet to drive for longer is arguably a less attractive employer than a rival down the road who is not. Many companies have already committed to keeping driver hours the same.

One of Tesco’s primary distributors and a major logistics heavyweight has already told The Grocer it will not be passing on the extended hours to its drivers, calling the move “dangerous” and a “health and safety issue”. That warning was echoed by the Road Haulage Association, which branded the extended hours “madness”.

The government clearly felt it had to do something – or at least be seen to do something. The problem, after all, was partly of its own making, as Brexit caused numbers to dwindle in an already stagnating profession.

But if it really wants to help keep the supply chain moving, suppress rising food inflation, bring back full product ranges and put a stop to lorry loads of food being wasted, the goverment must do a u-turn on its immigration policy. Extending temporary seasonal visas to EU HGV professionals is the bold move that is needed.

In return, the industry needs to do more to recruit home-grown talent. A temporary addition to the Skills Shortage List could bridge the gap, but a roadmap to a more sustainable workforce is key to ensuring the problem doesn’t recur.

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