Signs driver shortage is waning, but fundamentals still need to be addressed, warns Pallet-Track chief

There are promising signs that the worst of the driver shortage crisis could be over as 2022 gets underway, according to Pallet-Track chief executive Caroline Green (pictured).

However Green warned that underlying causes for the shortage such as the unpopularity of the Driver CPC among older drivers and poor facilities have yet to be addressed.

Green said: “We had a frenzy of activity and shortages around September, caused by people still being on holiday, the ‘pingdemic’ and ongoing issues caused by Covid-19 and Brexit all exacerbating the underlying industry issues.

“But we have definitely seen the noise decrease since then for a number or reasons, not least the significant pay increases that have been widely implemented.

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“Things have settled down and we are seeing more tests coming through, although we’re yet to see any statistics which show how many drivers may have been attracted back to the industry with the better pay on offer.”

Green’s comments follow a recent report from Logistics UK which concluded that the number of drivers leaving the profession had begun to ease.

The report also reflected her belief that more trainees were making their way through the testing system but work still needs to be done to make the sector more attractive to new recruits, with more trainees coming through the system.

“However, my concern is many of the fundamentals have not changed. The CPC test is the same, the facilities for the drivers are the same and we don’t know if we’ll have another pingdemic. With the emergence of the omicron variant, there is still a lot of uncertainty for 2022,” she cautioned.