Charlotte Haye 7th December 2016

You’re Driving Home For Christmas – But Are Your Presents?

The Christmas period is a time of great joy for many. A time to be close to our loved ones, enjoy some well-earned time off work and (maybe most importantly) open our presents! But what if your presents didn’t arrive? Despite what the little ones might believe, Santa’s sleigh is powered by lorry drivers – and this year we are experiencing a shortage of that particular breed of reindeer.

The Online Shopping Explosion

The run up to the Christmas period is the busiest time for transport and haulage companies, who are constantly on the road delivering increased amounts of food to supermarkets, stock to shops and presents to your door. Last year, surveys found that only 10% of people did all of their Christmas shopping in a store, with most preferring to do some or all of it online. In fact, 38.36% said they did most of it online, only going into the shops for one or two things. 8.71% said they bought everything for Christmas online, leaving only 10.32% dedicated to buying from stores. Every year Internet shopping orders skyrocket from November 1^st,and this year it is predicted to be even worse. In order to cope with that amount of orders and deliveries, drivers are needed to move goods all across the country. Unfortunately, the industry is currently tens of thousands of drivers short of the number they need this year.

Why Is There A Driver Shortage?

The Road Haulage Association (RHA), who represent over 8,000 haulage companies, has warned that this drastic need for lorry drivers could put millions of Christmas deliveries at risk. Their sources claim they are short of between 45,000 and 50,000 drivers, with the situation getting worse every year. They attribute this dire need to the fact that thousands of older drivers are leaving the industry every year, and they are not being replaced by new, younger drivers quick enough. With a basic lorry license costing at least £3,000, they believe that many young people simply can’t afford to become lorry drivers.

But it’s not just Christmas at risk. More than 85% of all goods bought in the UK are carried by a lorry at some stage in the supply chain, making lorry driving the lifeblood of the UK economy. The road freight industry and the warehouse operations that come with it are responsible for employing over 2.2 million people, but they need more in order to keep up with the increasing demand on online shopping. RHA are crying out for the Government to offer them some support in the form of a lorry driving apprenticeship, since they are already paying the apprenticeship levy, but so far they have had no success. This year haulage firms are set to deliver a record number of packages thanks to the increase in online spending. There are currently over 3.5 million vans and lorries registered in the UK, and retailers are constantly competing to offer the cheapest and fastest deliveries, putting a strain on an industry already struggling thanks to a shortage of drivers.

If you are interested in becoming a lorry driver, don’t let the speculation get in the way. Lorry driving is an incredibly rewarding career options, which will see you travelling across the country and ensuring that children and adults everywhere get the Christmas they deserve. For more information or to start your lorry driving journey, get in touch with us today.