There IS a driver shortage in certain sectors, we all know the companies that struggle to retain drivers and the types of driving work that nobody wants to touch with a bargepole. As to whether anyone would want to undertake an ‘apprenticeship’ to get lumbered with these undesirable jobs is at best questionable.
So how do you make driving HGV’s desirable to newcomers? Obviously money is the great motivator, but when many people treat lorry drivers like ‘something stuck to their shoes’, traffic planners make constant unreasonable demands and monitor every aspect of a drivers activity through telematics and trackers and councils constantly close laybys and introduce overnight parking bans, then I guess it has little attraction compared to other occupations.
There are tens of thousands of HGV license holders, that never venture anywhere near trucks anymore and the reasons for that are somewhat rather obvious. It isn’t the job it once was. 
I do disagree with this philosophy that often gets mentioned about “truck driving has to be in your blood” for you to enjoy it and find it a rewarding career. It certainly wasn’t for me when I started 4 years ago at age 29 with no prior links to the job!
I will say though that if the industry as a whole changed it ways and was more appealing then we wouldn’t be looking at this potential shortage in years to come. However as long as in most cases the job involves any combination or ALL of Long hours, low pay, unsociable hours and start times, nights out sleeping in a layby as the norm, weekends, then why are people (not just young) but of all ages wanna come into the job.
I will counter the above statement by saying you can earn a good living and income from the industry. I certainly have managed it so far in my relatively short time (4 years) but maybe I am lucky because it is far from the norm.
Benjie83:
As a noob wishing to get my tickets at the grand old age of 32 I’m disgusted that funding/apprenticeships/well to be honest any chance to get a license isn’t open too all
ages through someone like the RHA as i don’t really see it being governments responsibility to get people into the trade, its merely their place too get wages/standards/and the availability of work sorted by growing our need for this line of work.
And as for government offering training to wasters for free…SOMEONE PLEASE LINK IT TOO ME as by Christ I ain’t a waster…(employed too lol)…and would RIP their arms out of their sockets for the chance to get mine for free!!
Sadly I’ve gotta do my obtaining the hard way, but its in my blood trucking so by god somehow
I’m gonna get me tickets, be nice if they were for free though 
Sorry for my post, I’m a noob so please discount my op in this forum and i will return to my relevant forum sub section 
its not free,the government still want you to find £1,300
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its not free,the government still want you to find £1,300
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How exactly does it work fella?
I SUPPOSE if you want the training, can and will pay it however its done then ok, but if this is
one of those schemes where someone’s made no effort to find employment of any kind, gets the offer for training and then gets a free government grant too pay it and nowt back to gov…imop that’s bang out of order.
Who knows, I’ve looked all over for sponsorship, as in I get trained, get a job with same company then boom they deduct straight outta my wage for duration, trouble is I can see folk taking advantage of this idea too.
Either way it seems only takes one as usual for the rest of us genuine folk to loose out…so save save save the peanuts I can from the ■■■■■ I shovel hahahaha
LIBERTY_GUY:
There IS a driver shortage in certain sectors
No, there isn’t. If those “sectors” put up the money to £20/hr and time 1.5 after 8 hours their driver shortage issue would instantly disappear. It always the same sectors : food service, skips, hospital laundry, white goods/furniture deliveries. Even a lazy and choosy [zb] like me would probably do food service and skips for that kind of money and that’s all it would take (no chance of me ever doing the others though). The problem is that why would you want to break your back doing any of that ■■■■ when you can do a 1-hit trunk run drop and swap with zero hassle and spend 99% of your work day in warm comfy cab listening to your favourite tunes all for the same money? Until those sectors realise that and start to offer appropriate renumeration then the issue will remain.
Younger people don’t come into the industry because they perceive it to be inhabited by scary men, where they will be expected to drive around a big dirty truck for a pittance.
They’d rather go to university where, upon graduation, they’ll have the opportunity of a lifetime in the form of an £18,000 per annum apprenticeship. Upon completion, they can enjoy the stress, politics and general hierarchal ■■■■■■■■ that goes along with a career sat in front of a computer 
You can twist a lot of job titles round to sound impressive, whereas HGV driver/LGV driver/C+E Driver/Lorry Driver/Trucker does carry a stigma and a stereotype that doesn’t attract many people.
So many drivers moan about ■■■■ poor money in this industry, but I’m doing alright out of it after actively chasing the better jobs, friendly face and all that… I say let them keep their apprenticeships. As far as driving trucks goes, I see it as a trade secret that you can earn such relatively good money for generally sitting down listen to music all day. That’s even taking into consideration the ■■■■ days, blindsides when it’s dark and rainy etc etc.
On a serious note, I’m not surprised many young people aren’t interested in this job; if I listened to all the moaning from various drivers I asked about the job, I’d have never done it. I realise now that they were their own worst enemies; nobody wants to progress a whinger!
Benjie83:
:
its not free,the government still want you to find £1,300
[/quote]
How exactly does it work fella?
I SUPPOSE if you want the training, can and will pay it however its done then ok, but if this is
one of those schemes where someone’s made no effort to find employment of any kind, gets the offer for training and then gets a free government grant too pay it and nowt back to gov…imop that’s bang out of order.
Who knows, I’ve looked all over for sponsorship, as in I get trained, get a job with same company then boom they deduct straight outta my wage for duration, trouble is I can see folk taking advantage of this idea too.
Either way it seems only takes one as usual for the rest of us genuine folk to loose out…so save save save the peanuts I can from the [zb] I shovel hahahaha
[/quote]
just quoting what the article said so no idea how it works,but no youngster is going to find that kind of money,and as I say if they do get the money there is no guarantee of a pass
I look forward to the time the authorities decide to train us up as Pilots instead. I’ve always wanted to be a pilot me… 
If anyone wants to REALLY create a driver shortage in this country - and drive up wages to the same levels as Train drivers & Pilots get - then persevere towards UKIP being involved in a Coalition government.
All it would take would be to close the ports to foreign HGVs coming here from abroad - and Bob’s your Uncle! 