The daily focus of HR and training teams working with HGV operators is deceptively simple: how to ensure an adequate base of technicians to service a constantly growing repair and maintenance requirement through a balance of recruitment and retention.
The HGV sector has seen retention drop since 2020 as demand for mobile and delivery services grew, HGV fleets got bigger and older and the shortage of skilled employees became an increasing challenge.
The resulting war for talent saw many businesses offering the best hourly rate at every level, even apprentices.
While good remuneration is important, it is by no means everything when it comes to retention. Technicians will move jobs for marginal increases in hourly rate – and then return when they realise that there are other important factors to consider.
This is where focusing on broader talent retention strategies can have a great impact.
Build a welcoming place to work
Key retention factors include recognising performance and skills, providing opportunities for development, and creating a culture of inclusion and engagement where workers feel trusted, supported and valued.
Involving leadership teams helps ensure buy-in to investing in skills, especially for apprentices, given there is typically a short-term effect on workshop productivity. This often means there is a resistance to taking on apprentices, as it can slow work down while they are learning the basics – and can sometimes mean apprentices are relegated to less meaningful work if there is no one with time to train them.
HGV workshop teams must welcome the arrival of new apprentices and see them as a benefit, ensuring they get a great experience and progress beyond basic duties where many apprentices can feel ‘stuck’.
Clear career progression
Designing a career progression programme that’s transparent and easy to explain is essential for engaging HGV technicians.
This can be easier said than done. We found that breaking down the learning journey piece by piece, giving a real sense of timescales, and attaching a pay increase to the acquisition of new skills, was an effective combination.
Creating a roadmap for skills progression helps apprentices to see how their day-to-day work is taking them towards a bigger role in the business and the industry, and how those skills might be applied to different roles, making them more valuable.
While retention is the goal, creating an industry-recognised training programme that enables HGV mechanics to be valued for their skills is helpful in a competitive environment.
When technicians become competitive around how quickly they can progress and achieve different skills, almost as badges or trophies, it means they value their achievements and are hungry to keep moving forwards. Certificates matter!
Assessing each training module – ideally with externally recognised accreditation, such as through the IMI – also helps with transparency and communication.
Train the trainers
While much of the focus is on engaging apprentices, it’s essential to ensure workshop managers are on board and have been trained to clearly explain the development programme.
Managers need to understand why apprentices are being asked to do certain types of work, and why they cannot become the workshop ‘dogsbody’.
Over time, we see workshop managers and lead automotive supervisors wanting HGV apprentices because they see it as part of their own progression and succession planning.
Many apprentices are recruited straight from school. At Enterprise Flex-E-Rent we took on five 16-year-olds in our 2024 intake. This means there are additional pastoral responsibilities which fall on the lead technicians and workshop supervisors.
Feeling cared for and looked after is so important to retaining talent at this age. Sometimes managers need to check that the new employees have had lunch, or that they’re okay to get home if they work late. Workshop parties and events need to be thought through as well so they are appropriate for all age groups.
Mental health awareness is also becoming more important in the HGV industry. Running awareness training for supervisors and having mental health first aiders in the business breaks the stigma and means everyone has someone to talk to when they need it.
Measuring the impact of retention strategies, by looking at retention figures alongside engagement, sense of recognition and belonging in the business, further demonstrates the business value.
While there are still people who will leave for another job for a minimal pay increase, every month we also see the ‘boomerangs’ who return for better training and career opportunities after realising that the grass isn’t always greener.
Louise Alexander, group human resources manager, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent
