Government to shorten HGV driver testing process

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
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The government is expected to announce a shake-up of the HGV driver testing process as soon as Thursday.

This is not the full article read it here - bbc.co.uk/news/business-58487347

It wants to fast track drivers into the haulage industry amid chronic shortages which have caused supply problems.

The BBC understands that during meetings between government officials, hauliers and suppliers, the “penny finally dropped” that the driver shortage was getting worse not better.

The government said meetings with affected groups were ongoing.

It added any change in policy would be announced in due course.

Widespread supply chain issues caused by the driver shortage have hit a range of sectors, including food, drink and medicines.

“The government seem to finally understand the scale of the problem. For the first time they looked rattled”, industry sources told the BBC.

Test plans

The government is expected to say that the new regime will mean up to 3,000 new drivers can be tested per week.

Currently the pass rate is 56% so that would mean an extra 1,600 drivers per week.

But Richard Burnett of the Road Haulage Association said the industry was losing 600 drivers a week from the industry and with a net shortfall of 90,000 drivers, it would take nearly two years to fill the gap.

The industry was already reporting shortages of about 60,000 drivers before Brexit and the pandemic.

Even allowing for that, he said there was no way to plug the recent gaps in time for Christmas - when the UK is more reliant on EU food imports.

In addition, the RHA said the onset of winter weather would throw up obstacles. “The reality is that an industry already struggling to meet delivery schedules will be brought to its knees at the first outbreak of bad weather conditions.”

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It is what we did years ago without any major issues

Also they should scrap the B+E test which leaves more room for LGV tests
B+E could be done the same as for the CBT

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But Richard Burnett of the Road Haulage Association said the industry was losing 600 drivers a week from the industry and with a net shortfall of 90,000 drivers, it would take nearly two years to fill the gap.

If those figures are correct they are going to have to come up with a plan B.

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Great idea but who will employ all these new drivers :exclamation:

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Passed my test direct to class 1 in 1996 and that cost enough, the only way the government will fill those vacancies is by paying more cash, building road side facilities and treating drivers like valued members of society.
Treat someone like the scum of the earth and they will leave that job, fair pay and conditions. Now if the haulage industry dares it’s the time to strike.

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Richard8:
Passed my test direct to class 1 in 1996 and that cost enough, the only way the government will fill those vacancies is by paying more cash, building road side facilities and treating drivers like valued members of society.
Treat someone like the scum of the earth and they will leave that job, fair pay and conditions. Now if the haulage industry dares it’s the time to strike.

The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed many family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

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adam277:
The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed all the family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

You don’t half talk out of your rear orifice pal.

all the family run businesses

There are still many “family run businesses” successfully trading in the UK!

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Grumpy_old_trucker:

adam277:
The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed all the family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

You don’t half talk out of your rear orifice pal.

all the family run businesses

There are still many “family run businesses” successfully trading in the UK!

Sorry I used the word “all” when I meant “Many”.

But it does happen. As I am sure you know.
For example when I worked at NightFreight there was something like 30 routes at the depot delivering via 7.5t trucks. A logistics firm took over a lot of the routes. Leaving like 2 left to owner operators. The logistics firm slashed their prices so Nightfreight told the 2 guys you either reduce your price as well because these guys will do it for less or leave. In the end they left. They just got priced out of it.

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Read some of the comments of the ill informed BBC readers, claiming that the roads are going to be filled with poorly trained HGV drivers going straight to class 1 , if they only knew that probably 70% of all drivers still driving did just that prior to 1997 and some from a provisional car licence on double Ls.

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adam277:

Grumpy_old_trucker:

adam277:
The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed all the family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

You don’t half talk out of your rear orifice pal.

all the family run businesses

There are still many “family run businesses” successfully trading in the UK!

Sorry I used the word “all” when I meant “Many”.

But it does happen. As I am sure you know.
For example when I worked at NightFreight there was something like 30 routes at the depot delivering via 7.5t trucks. A logistics firm took over a lot of the routes. Leaving like 2 left to owner operators. The logistics firm slashed their prices so Nightfreight told the 2 guys you either reduce your price as well because these guys will do it for less or leave. In the end they left. They just got priced out of it.

So just normal business then.

Have you ever used a comparison site? You know to get a rate cutter, or use a supermarket because they are cheaper, or Aldi / Lidl because they are cheaper than a normal supermarket? Or bought something online because it was cheaper than your local shop?

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stevieboy308:

adam277:

Grumpy_old_trucker:

adam277:
The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed all the family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

You don’t half talk out of your rear orifice pal.

all the family run businesses

There are still many “family run businesses” successfully trading in the UK!

Sorry I used the word “all” when I meant “Many”.

But it does happen. As I am sure you know.
For example when I worked at NightFreight there was something like 30 routes at the depot delivering via 7.5t trucks. A logistics firm took over a lot of the routes. Leaving like 2 left to owner operators. The logistics firm slashed their prices so Nightfreight told the 2 guys you either reduce your price as well because these guys will do it for less or leave. In the end they left. They just got priced out of it.

So just normal business then.

Have you ever used a comparison site? You know to get a rate cutter, or use a supermarket because they are cheaper, or Aldi / Lidl because they are cheaper than a normal supermarket? Or bought something online because it was cheaper than your local shop?

Yea, its normal business.
as trevHCS said

I think a lot is historic as they apparently ran contracts at a loss or at cost originally, caused a lot if companies to go bust and then when they had a monopoly they bumped up the costs.

trucknetuk.com/phpBB/viewto … 2&t=151473

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I don’t fully understand exactly what changes are going to be made, it may just be a press release from a PR type that includes all the keywords & spin to soothe the asleep & nothing may come of it. But the thought that they are going to lower the standards fills me with horror.

If they start handing out LGV licenses like ‘smarties’, then people are going to die.

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MickCharity:
I don’t fully understand exactly what changes are going to be made, it may just be a press release from a PR type that includes all the keywords & spin to soothe the asleep & nothing may come of it. But the thought that they are going to lower the standards fills me with horror.

If they start handing out LGV licenses like ‘smarties’, then people are going to die.

The way of thinking is that learners would be able to get a Class 1 licence without having to do Class 2 first, which is what many of us here did prior to 1997 or whenever they changed it.

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All sound bites. Nothing will change. Where are all these 90,000 drivers coming from? Maybe 1k wanting to get in but that’s it. What they really want are all the EEs to come back. Can’t see anything changing there either unless driving in their neighbouring countries suddenly becomes a lot less profitable than here.

It’s quite funny watching this all implode on itself from a safe distance. It’s come down to survival of the fittest for the hauliers as they’re stuck between a rock and a hard place - unable to offer more to retain/recruit drivers because they undercut all their competitors with cheap deals to win the contracts and so there’d be no profit in the job if the paid the drivers more. They won’t put the rates up for their customers because they’re either tied in to a fixed term, or they’re frightened to death of losing them.

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weeto said…Read some of the comments of the ill informed BBC readers, claiming that the roads are going to be filled with poorly trained HGV drivers going straight to class 1 , if they only knew that probably 70% of all drivers still driving did just that prior to 1997 and some from a provisional car licence on double Ls.

But then they had to be 21 yrs old. Not 18 and driving a 1 ltr corsa

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So there is going to be a shortage of class 2 drivers then? :laughing:
Why was the old system changed where you could go straight for class 1 anyway? Were there more accidents or was there some other reason for changing to the current system of class 2 first then class 1?
What year was the new system introduced?

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shullbit:
So there is going to be a shortage of class 2 drivers then? [emoji38]
Why was the old system changed where you could go straight for class 1 anyway? Were there more accidents or was there some other reason for changing to the current system of class 2 first then class 1?

Just wait for it…if you’ve had your car license 2 years after a days training you will be entitled to drive class 2.
A bit like when I got my CBT 20 years ago, ride around some cones etc.

Sent from my Pixel 3 using Tapatalk

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adam277:

Richard8:
Passed my test direct to class 1 in 1996 and that cost enough, the only way the government will fill those vacancies is by paying more cash, building road side facilities and treating drivers like valued members of society.
Treat someone like the scum of the earth and they will leave that job, fair pay and conditions. Now if the haulage industry dares it’s the time to strike.

The industry does not want to pay drivers more. Thanks to the likes of Eddie Stobarts who have pushed many family run businesses into the ground by slashing the profit margins.

Well I at one time ( fridges ) worked for Eddie stobart , those companies I collected for said stobarts were far from the cheapest , they could get there produce collected cheaper but with stobarts ( at the time ) they could ring the office & get 2/3 etc lorries extra that day , if they needed a stand tri they’d get one , if they were told 7 lorries were needed that day , 7 were there , they’d tried other cheaper hauliers but if they needed a extra lorry they couldn’t get one etc etc
Didn’t a year or 2 ago William stobart say if it doesn’t make money we won’t do it .
I’m no stobart fan , 15 yes of pain , but I do think we should be debating the true facts , not recycling what joe bloggs etc claimed 20 yrs ago with nothing to back it up

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SWEDISH BLUE:
weeto said…Read some of the comments of the ill informed BBC readers, claiming that the roads are going to be filled with poorly trained HGV drivers going straight to class 1 , if they only knew that probably 70% of all drivers still driving did just that prior to 1997 and some from a provisional car licence on double Ls.

But then they had to be 21 yrs old. Not 18 and driving a 1 ltr corsa

Mainly but not exclusively. I did my class one at the age of 17 without ever having sat in a class two. I know that the numbers doing this weren’t significant, but there were quite a few.

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Ok you have past your test how long and who much will it cost to get all the rest of the cards …digi card .driver CPC. haz chem,MPQC …will it be easy to get insured ■■?