NEWS DRIVERS
12 TRUCKING Summer 2019 http://www.truckingmag.co.uk
H
auliers anticipate
15 per cent of
their current HGV
driver vacancies
will not be filled
due to the nationwide skills
shortage, according to a
worrying new report.
The 2019 Logistics Report,
launched by the FTA in
partnership with Santander
Corporate and Commercial,
polled the opinions of more
than 500 freight and logistics
businesses operating in the
UK and internationally, to
provide industry insight into
the latest political and
economic developments.
“The nationwide shortage of
skilled logistics staff continues
to blight the sector,” said Sally
Gilson, head of skills
campaigns at FTA.
“Respondents anticipate 15
per cent of current vacancies
for HGV drivers will not be
filled and for a further 36 per15% OF HGV DRIVER VACANCIES
“CANNOT BE FILLED”
NEWS IN BRIEF
Music menace!
Metal merchants beware, as new
research by road safety charity IAM
RoadSmart has found heavy-metal
music could cause motorists to lose
their cool behind the wheel and
become almost as extreme as their
guitar god heroes. And the calming
tones of classical music might not be
much better, encouraging too much
relaxation and slowing drivers’
progress. But pop music could be
just the ticket, creating the perfect
atmosphere for smooth and
controlled driving. In a study to
discover the effects of different types
of music on driving style and safety,
a high-tech racing rig was used at
simulator expert Base Performance
Simulators near Banbury. During the
test, a driver was tasked with
undertaking two simulated laps of
the Grand Prix track Red Bull Ring in
Austria while listening to songs at full
volume from different genres of
music – thrash metal, classical and
pop. After setting a control lap time
with no music of four minutes 34
seconds, the driver tried the same
test again while listening to the fast
and noisy song (sic) by heavy-metal
band Slipknot –which added 14
seconds to his lap time. The next
attempt was made to classical music- but while the driving was better, the
time was 12 seconds slower than the
control lap. But then came Shake It
Off by Taylor Swift, which produced
a lap time only two seconds slower
than the control time.
FORS funds training
FORS has announced it is offering
funded places on a selection of its
driver-specific training courses to help
members upskill their driving
workforce. The spaces are being
funded to help FORS members fulfil
the training requirements set out in the
FORS Standard, and to aid
progression through the scheme’s
tiered accreditation. The free places
are being offered on key FORS
Professional training courses, due to
be held across the UK in the coming
months. Places are available on
mandatory FORS Safe Urban Driving,
Van Smart, and LoCITY Driving
courses, with each place allocated on
a first come, first served basis. Sonia
Hayward, FORS manager, said: “At
Silver, the FORS Standard requires
drivers to undertake training on road
risk and the safety of vulnerable road
users every five years. At Gold, drivers
must undertake training on reducing
fuel consumption and vehicle
emissions, also every five years. Safe
Urban Driving and Van Smart meet the
FORS Silver professional development
requirement, and LoCITY Driving
meets the FORS Gold professional
development requirement. In addition,
each course is seven hours in duration
and is Driver CPC accredited, which is
helpful for drivers ahead of the DCPC
deadline in September.”FORMER HCL DRIVER JAILED FOR
DANGEROUS DRIVING
A
truck driver has
received a jail sentence
after he overturned a
26-tonne, 3000-gallon sewage
tanker on the M25 after a bout
of drink- and drug-driving.
After the crash, which occurred
at the Junction 2 interchange on
July 28 last year, driver Simon
Shea, 41, who worked for
Hydro-Cleansing Ltd (HCL), was
found to be three times over the
legal limit with 66 mg of cocaine in
his system.
Shea received an eight-month
custodial sentence and 3.5-year
driving ban after being sentenced
for charges of dangerous driving,
drug-driving and drink-driving at
Maidstone Crown Court on May 23.
A 12-minute video clip of the
incident, which was played in court,
showed how Shea jumped red
lights, very nearly mowed down a
woman on a pushbike, and caused
a petrol tanker to swerve violently
on the M25.
He went down the Dartford slip
road at 53 mph, jumped another set
of lights and attempted to turn the
vehicle left – which caused the
tanker to go up on its right-hand
side wheels and eventually tip over.
Hydro-Cleansing Ltd said thevehicle, worth £420,000, was
written off after the incident. In
addition, due to the
involvement of drugs and the
alcohol, the company said its
insurance would not pay out for
the accident – creating a
£900,000 deficit for the
business after it had to pay outfor damages and costs.
Simon Shea received an
eight-month jail sentence for
dangerous driving and will only
have to pay a £140 victim
surcharge. He will also be
required to take an extended
driving test after release before
his licence can be reinstated.FTA said it was campaigning
for unused Apprenticeship
Levy funds to be utilised for
more flexible training
programmes, and for amends
to the Future Immigration
White Paper so non-UK
logistics workers are welcomed
in the UK, both before and
after Brexit.
The report also found UK’s
global competitiveness has
“dropped significantly”, and
investment in the UK’s
transport and logistics
infrastructure is “urgently
required” to boost its
attractiveness to
international investors.
Furthermore, the survey
indicated uncertainties
surrounding Brexit are
taking their toll on the industry,
with 61 per cent of
respondents saying this
uncertainty is a barrier to the
growth of their businesses
internationally.cent of current vacancies, they
anticipate a long delay to find
the right candidate.
“And it is not just HGV
drivers,” she added.
“Significant shortfalls of van
drivers, warehouse staff, fitters,
technicians and mechanics are
also anticipated over the next
12 months.”
Gilson said an ageing
workforce, competition for
skilled staff and shifting
migration patterns – in part in
response to Brexit – mean the
UK road transport industry is
facing serious challenges in the
recruitment and retention of
labour for key logistics roles.
“After all, the average age of
a HGV driver is 48 years, as
found in the survey, and 13 per
cent of HGV drivers working
in the UK are EU nationals –
their continued residency is
not guaranteed post-Brexit,”
she said.
To tackle the skills shortage,ABOVE Driver Simon Shea flipped HCL tanker as a result of drink- and drug-driving