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Brexit complexities and the impact of Covid-19 continue to be the biggest challenges for operators during 2021, according to a brand-new report by MT and sister title Commercial Motor.

The 'Hot Topic: Industry Insight 2021' report asks industry readers their thoughts on a range of topics affecting trading conditions, as well as exploring fleet investment trends for the year ahead.

When asked about key business challenges, respondents put Brexit and the continued coronavirus pandemic at the top of their list, closely followed by concern over a potential recession and a further squeezing of already-tight margins.

The continued driver shortage and fleet compliance with regulations also scored highly on the scale with operators, with other issues cited including wage increases, lack of secure parking/driver facilities and undercutting to secure contracts.

Confidence for the year ahead, scored between zero meaning ‘very concerned about staying afloat’ and 10 meaning ‘expecting robust growth’, operators scored a middle of the road average of 6.2.

“The 'Hot Topic: Industry Insight 2021' provides a thought-provoking snapshot of the mood of industry during the past 12 months and its confidence for 2021,” said MT events and projects editor Hayley Pink.

“It clearly highlights which business challenges will be keeping company owners awake at night, and explores key investment trends for fleets in the coming year.”