LEGAL

‘It is the current shortage of drivers that is the over-riding problem in the transport industry and so far, no one seems to have a true solution’

A job is only viable if there are people who want to do it, and currently, it seems, no one wants to be a truck driver. There was a time when the idea of driving a large vehicle across Europe was considered romantic, but those days are long gone. The opportunity to travel abroad is now available to everyone, and so the possibility to drive a truck to a destination in Europe is no longer appealing to most.

Furthermore, the increase in bureaucracy in some European countries has made having some knowledge of the local language desirable if not essential. (There is of course always the translator on the mobile phone}.

The amount of the salary will always be relevant but the ‘going rate’ for the particular job will be a matter of common knowledge. No driver will accept a salary which is far below the norm for that particular work. Unless there is some special incentive.

To a certain extent the physical comfort of the driver is perhaps more important– the availability of good quality food, and a quiet place to sleep like a secure truck park or service station can make all the difference. But many of the drivers who lost their job when Covid-19 first struck discovered that working from home had its own advantages, and saw little reason to return to the role of ‘long distance driver’. Perhaps more importantly, they have been also reluctant to encourage others to consider that type of work.

As the news stories dealing with the shortage of drivers from all over the EC continues to make headlines, uncertainty is the only certainty. Manufacturers of products must be able to assure their market that goods will be delivered on time, and this assurance is no longer possible, particularly when the goods themselves may become the target for new legislation. Of course, those haulage companies whose work is entirely or primarily domestic are in a much better situation, as their market is more likely to be predictable and stable, although they may have problems with their own drivers going missing. The major difficulties arise when work has to be subcontracted, when the behaviour of the drivers of the subcontractors’ vehicles may well be unpredictable depending on the nature of the goods they are being asked to carry. The safe delivery of goods to their intended destination should be the aim of both the owner of the goods and the carrier, and it is increasingly important that they share any information that they receive that might affect the delivery of the goods.

Hauliers should also ensure that they are in contact with their local public representative, trade magazines and possibly their local radio station, so that they are not taken by surprise by some change in the legislation which will affect their business. The Dáil deputy or County Councillor is there to protect the interests of his, or her, constituents and hauliers should never be slow to use the help of their local rep.

Wherever one looks at this moment in time the future is uncertain and the haulage industry is particularly prone to problems arising from even very small political changes. As any boy scout will tell you ‘Be Prepared’.

Truck Driver Shortage Dilemma Continues – What’s the Solution?

Text: Jonathan Lawton – jonathan@fleet.ie