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VOX POP Is the driver shortage easing? Bob Terris, chairman, Meachers The situation has improved considerably. We cannot be sure of all the factors, but the fact that we have given three pay increases and introduced a six-monthly retention bonus in the past 12 months would certainly be the main reason. Retention has maintained a high level of productivity, which has helped cover the additional costs and the remainder has been covered by rate increases. The biggest concern at the moment is the constant escalation of other costs such as equipment and overheads. Lesley O’Brien, director, Freightlink Europe It’s calmed down a little bit. Drivers have stopped jumping from one company to another, chasing the high salaries. As the economy is slowing down a bit they’re realising they need job security. They don’t want to jump to a company that may not value them or look after them. How long that will last I don’t know. Ask me next week and I might have a different answer. But further south they’re really having problems. Things there tend to be more difficult. We’re based in Halifax now where there’s a high concentration of drivers, but
that can be worse because it’s really easy for them to look around. And the other problem is you’ve got office staff who were previously drivers thinking they can now earn more money being a Class 2 driver again – salary inflation isn’t just confined to drivers. Moreton Cullimore, MD, Cullimore Group As a company at the moment we are okay – we have what we need. But it has taken time and when we post jobs it takes longer to find one and we get fewer applicants, which is not something as a company we are used to. As for the incentive from the government I am not sure – I see more younger people asking about it as a vocation, so some interest has been stimulated following the publicity around the driver shortage. However, until we improve our facilities out there on the roads for drivers, the industry will always struggle to retain people. Kevin Buchanan, group CEO, Pall-Ex It is still challenging, but easier than it was at the peak of last year. More people are coming back into driving as the money is so much better, and more people are interested in taking
their licence as it now pays so well. We have no vacancies at the centre in Leicestershire, but typically have one or two at any time in our owned depots in the south. Drivers move for small pay improvements, so the churn of drivers is still too high as there are so many opportunities for them to move to. The multi-drop jobs are harder than most so we probably feel it more than some other parts of the transport sector. Andrew Malcolm, CEO, Malcolm Group The driver shortage is more regionalised now than it was last year. We have seen a degree of stabilisation in the north of England and Scotland, but we still have a long way to go with regards to full support for roles within the logistics sector that are seen as essential workers. Charlie Shiels, CEO, ArrowXL The issues around driver shortages are currently unclear. There are still geographic and skills/ knowledge-based shortfalls, for example with forklift or 7.5-tonne drivers. However, there is a light at the end of the tunnel as it doesn’t seem as bad as it was, but it is still causing us issues pretty much nationwide.
Road pricing report proposes different treatment for commercial traffic
Trucks ‘should pay more’ for road use There is a “compelling case” for commercial vehicles to pay more under a national road pricing regime, according to a new report by the Social Market Foundation. The news comes as ministers prepare to respond to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee, which earlier this year said that the government should start work on a road-pricing system “without delay”. Entitled ‘Miles ahead’, the report calls for government to “work at pace” to develop the infrastructure to support a simple national-level road pricing scheme – with a flat per mile rate and a free mileage allowance – and set out a 6 MotorTransport
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By Carol Millett
timetable for implementing it. However, it states: “A national road pricing regime need not be exactly the same for commercial vehicles and indeed there are likely to be compelling reasons for apply-
ing a different per mile rate to commercial road users, and similarly a different or no free mileage allowance. “This would reflect the fact that externalities generated by commercial vehicle use are likely to differ from household use. “Heavy goods vehicles are the only vehicle type to travel more distance on Strategic Road Network roads than on locallymanaged roads. “Combined with their heavier weight, they are likely to contribute proportionally more damage to major roads in Britain, something that might need to be reflected in the per mile charge in any road pricing regime.”
LWS buys transport division of T Wilson North-West produce company Len Wright Salads (LWS) has acquired the transport division of T Wilson & Sons (Farmers). LWS, which has operating licences for 40 trucks and 50 trailers, said the acquisition was an “amalgamation of skills and experience that will enable first-class transport services to be delivered to existing and new customers”. The deal will see the company trade as T Wilson & Sons (Transport) from its existing base at Rainford with its existing staff, under the leadership of Rob Wilson. The company’s application for an O-licence is under consideration. T Wilson & Sons (Farmers) currently has an operating licence for 25 vehicles and 40 trailers. 23.5.22
