Europa flags up driver shortage problem

Europa Worldwide Group has reported that 2017 was its most successful year on record and it has “bold recruitment plans” and “ambitious sales targets” for 2018 – but it also warns that obstacles for the year could include the ongoing driver shortage, as well as rising costs.

According to Europa, the UK haulage industry is currently facing a shortage of between 45,000 and 50,000 drivers, while across the continent the shortage is the same. In a statement sent to Post&Parcel today (23 January), Europa’s Operations Director Dan Cook said the industry is “working proactively” to tackle the problem, but more can always be done to make younger people in particular see HGV driving as a rewarding career.

Cook said: “2017 was Europa’s most successful year on record, with consignment growth running at 25% across the business. This was the result of a combination of factors, including how the partner changes we made in Spain, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands all came to fruition and an increase in overseas controlled business as well as our own UK generated growth.

“Our goal is to offer a structured direct service to every country in Europe, with multiple entry points in many cases, and we are fast approaching this benchmark – however there are certainly some challenges at play, particularly the decrease in availability of skilled HGV drivers.

“The problem affects us in the UK, to employ our own drivers performing distribution within the UK, something I believe our whole sector feels. It also affects us via the third parties we contract for international haulage, as well as the European market place for sub-contractors.

“Wherever you look, and whatever your business model, there are not enough drivers in Europe for the traffic volumes available. This can only have an upward impact on cost, and in the end prices to the consumer. Customers can tell us they can’t pay more. We understand that conundrum, but in the end, the pressures on cost are real, and are not absorbable by the industry. Multiple legislative changes throughout Europe in recent years also drive up operating costs significantly. The uncertainly surrounding Brexit, also I suspect, makes the UK a less secure place for EU nationals to want to work – a workforce that is also crucial to our sector.

“Whatever the complex reasons for the shortage, we see more opportunities than in previous years, and due to the smaller pool of candidates, costs are on the rise. At Europa, we firmly believe in fair and equal working conditions and the opportunity for progression. We want to see more young people considering logistics as a profession, be it as a driver, branch manager or operations specialist.

“This is how, in the long run, we will tackle the shortage, combined with increased flexibility for drivers in where they want to be based and by investing in our driver facilities. We hope to see more investment across the board in training and apprenticeships going forward.”