Preparing the road transport workforce for Net Zero

Net Zero will not be delivered by targets or technology alone. It will be delivered by people.

Today, the RHA launches ‘Driving the Transition: Preparing the Road Transport Workforce for Net Zero.’ This is a new evidence-based report examining the skills our industry will need to make decarbonisation practical, achievable and commercially viable.

Our research is clear: this is a workforce transformation, not simply a vehicle transition.
Drivers, technicians, engineers, transport managers, route planners, operational teams and business leaders will all need new knowledge and capabilities. Green skills, digital competence, AI, leadership and adaptability are increasingly part of the same conversation.

This matters across HGVs, coaches and vans, and especially for SMEs, which make up the overwhelming majority of operators and often face the greatest barriers to accessing training, funding and expertise.

We are calling for:
• a coordinated UK-wide approach, with portable skills and qualifications
• a regularly reviewed training pathway for road transport decarbonisation
• accessible resources covering vehicles, energy systems, digital capability and AI
• more flexible apprenticeship funding
• short, modular and stackable training
• long-term, cross-party policy certainty

Vehicles. Infrastructure. Energy. Investment. Regulation. Skills. People.

Every element is connected. Progress in one without progress in the others will not deliver the transition we need.

The people who operate, maintain and manage our fleets must be placed at the centre of the journey. Policy must be developed with our industry and reflect the different operational realities of HGV, coach and van businesses.

Read the full report HERE