Road transport’s skills crunch: Why we need bold reform, not half measures

This past week I’ve spoken with industry colleagues, unions and trade associations about skills not just in transport, but across the UK economy. The conclusion was clear: road transport sits at the centre of a workforce crisis that affects not only our own sector, but also those supporting us.

Electrification is advancing fast, but it’s not alone. New propulsion technologies, rising retirement ages, a falling birth rate, and fragmented training policy all intersect in ways that will decide whether our industry continues to keep Britain moving or stumbles.

Why the current fixes fall short

The government’s new Return to Driving pathway, allowing lapsed drivers to re-enter with a 7-hour refresher, was supposed to help. But it’s so tightly ring-fenced, only open to those whose Driver CPC expired less than two years ago, that uptake has been negligible. Most people who left the industry did so longer ago, and this scheme does nothing to entice them back.

Meanwhile, we are still insisting that brand-new drivers complete their full Initial Driver CPC before being allowed near a professional role. Contrast this with the New Entrant Vocational Training (NVT) model seen in other safety-critical sectors: there, entrants can begin working under structured supervision while completing qualifications.

A pragmatic adaptation would be to let new HGV drivers start employment with a 12-month window to complete their DCPC, tying them contractually to an employer. This would:

• Get them earning faster – removing a key barrier to entry at a time when licence acquisition already costs thousands.
• Build real-world competence – learning on the job as well as in the classroom.
• Encourage retention – because both driver and employer have skin in the game during the qualification period. That kind of reform would have more impact on workforce supply than any half-open return scheme.

The demographic headwinds

We can’t ignore the maths. The average age of an HGV driver is pushing 60. Less than 3% of 18–21-year-olds enter transport jobs. Birth rates have hit record lows, meaning the pipeline of younger workers is shrinking further. By the 2030s, even if recruitment improved, the pool simply won’t be large enough to replace natural exits.

That puts enormous pressure on keeping older drivers in work longer. But this is not realistic in a sector where musculoskeletal problems, fatigue, and long hours push many out years before State Pension Age (SPA). Without tailored retirement pathways, lighter-duty roles, or earlier pension access for arduous occupations, raising the SPA is just a paper exercise.

Supply chain pressures: JIT without balance

Another major theme from my conversations was the one-sided nature of Just-In-Time (JIT) retail contracts. Retailers extract efficiency by cutting warehousing and demanding ultra-tight delivery slots, but the hidden cost is pushed back onto hauliers and drivers through penalties, unpaid waiting, and stress.

This is not only unfair; it’s inefficient. Drivers rush to meet 15-minute slots, only to sit idle at congested RDCs. We need a Logistics Booking Fairness Code, backed by an adjudicator, to rebalance risk and outlaw punitive practices.

Electrification — and why it’s not just about trucks

Electrification and hydrogen are reshaping haulage. Yes, zero-emission HGVs are coming, but we must look wider. Richard Smith, RHA Managing Director, has already highlighted how hydrogen has a dual role: not only powering vehicles directly, but also generating electricity for depot charging. This flexibility will matter as grid constraints bite.

But whether it’s megawatt-scale chargers or hydrogen systems, one reality is unavoidable: we don’t yet have enough skilled electrical and mechanical contractors to install, certify, and maintain this infrastructure. That industry is already reporting shortages of accredited trainees. If the skills gap isn’t filled there, our sector can’t decarbonise safely.

What if we do nothing?

Our scenario modelling shows that under “business as usual” long hours, weak recruitment, fragmented training capacity lags demand through the 2030s. The only way to close the gap is through moderate or transformational reform: shorter hours, smarter contracts, and a stronger recruitment pipeline.

Think of it this way: today’s average driver works ~58 hours per week. If we rebalanced towards two people at ~35 hours each, we could:

• Make the job more attractive to young entrants and career-switchers. 
• Retain older drivers longer by easing health pressures. 
• Improve safety by reducing fatigue. 

It would cost more unless paired with efficiency gains. But our scenario models show that with 10–15% productivity improvement through fairer contracts, better routing, and less wasted waiting costs return close to baseline.

Where apprenticeships and company-led schemes fit

Apprenticeships remain one of our strongest tools. In Scotland, 12,000 employers back 40,000 apprenticeships, with retention rates close to 90%. Sector-specific routes like the Driving Goods Vehicles apprenticeship (SCQF Level 6) or the Removals Operative apprenticeship as a stepping-stone into HGV driving prove the model works.

But apprenticeships are only one part of the answer. This week I reviewed three separate company-led schemes designed to bring in and train new talent. Each was innovative, employer-funded, and clearly committed to the individuals they wanted to support. The problem? Red tape. The regulatory and funding complexity surrounding such schemes makes them almost impossible to implement at scale.

That’s a missed opportunity. We should be encouraging not stifling employer innovation in training. If businesses are willing to co-invest in people, government and regulators should create a fast-track approval system that gives those programmes legitimacy, portability and funding support.

Scaling apprenticeships and freeing up company-led initiatives is the surest way to embed loyalty, create structured entry routes, and professionalise the workforce just as the RHA has been doing for 80+ years.

My call to action

1. Reform Initial Driver Qualification – allow a supervised 12-month pathway before full DCPC, tying drivers to employers. 
2. Adopt fair-contract rules for JIT logistics – ending one-sided slot penalties and paying for waiting. 
3. Invest in apprenticeships, and company-led schemes – proven to improve performance and attract younger entrants. 
4. Recognise the support industries – from electricians wiring megawatt chargers to hydrogen engineers, these sectors face the same training shortfalls and need urgent backing. 
5. Plan realistically for ageing workers – create flexible, lighter-duty pathways and recognise driving as an arduous occupation for pension purposes.

Closing thought

We can’t patch this with narrow schemes or hope the labour pool somehow replenishes itself. Reforming how we qualify, train and retain drivers while recognising that electrification requires a whole ecosystem of skilled trades is the only sustainable way forward.

The choice is simple: act boldly now, or watch supply chains, costs and safety unravel in the years ahead.