HGV driver shortage could 'lead to higher grocery prices' - hauliers
A "critical shortage" of HGV drivers has the potential to push up grocery prices and impact on Christmas food deliveries, the president of the the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) warned today (Monday, September 1).
Ger Hyland has called for "immediate action" on HGV driver shortages as the countdown begins to the Christmas rush and festive delivery schedules.
The IRHA believes that 4,000 HGV drivers are needed over the next five years.
Hyland is now calling on the government to "take simple steps" to deal with what the IRHA has described as the "bureaucracy" that is preventing the association from bringing in more overseas drivers in the short term.
He added: “We are rapidly reaching a tipping point in our industry. We cannot get the drivers to keep the trucks rolling.
"One Cork haulier is short 40 drivers and has lorries parked up. Every haulage company in Ireland needs at least two extra drivers, such is the extent of the problem."
According to the IRHA, one of the key issues the industry is currently facing is the time it takes and costs associated with getting a HGV licence.
The president of the the IRHA also wants the government "to cut red tape" to get more HGV drivers on the road.
"It can take two years or more and over €1,000 to get a HGV licence for a young man or women leaving school.
"This is unacceptable and it puts prospective drivers off entering our industry.
"Other countries have quicker routes to becoming a HGV driver.
"The Road Safety Authority (RSA) has not covered themselves in glory when it comes to operating an efficient and affordable driving test regime. We need to take the driving test system away from the RSA immediately," Hyland said today.
According to the IRHA, there is currently a "complete mismatch" between the operation of the licensing exchange programme operated by the Department of Transport and the RSA, the visa requirements operated by the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Employment Permit Schemes operated by the Department of Enterprise.
Hyland said: "Each of these entities apply differing rules, requirements and timescales which are not joined up or operated effectively.
"Bringing in drivers from abroad can take over a year. We would prefer to hire Irish drivers but at this stage, we will take any qualified drivers we can get.
"It seems wrong that young Irish drivers are moving to Australia and Canada to drive their trucks whilst we are left importing South African drivers into Ireland to meet demand".
The IRHA wants the government to set up a "working group" to urgently address the skills shortage in the industry which it believes will negatively hurt Ireland’s economy in the short- to medium-term.
