Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Shortage of lorry drivers may be easing, says trade group

UK’s shortage of lorry drivers
Getty Images

The UK's shortage of lorry drivers may improve soon, which could help ease the supply chain crisis next year, Logistics UK- which represents freight and haulage businesses- has said.

In a new report, Logistics UK shows that there were 44,000 fewer HGV drivers this autumn than in 2019. But, the number of HGV driver tests is up 25 per cent, along with a three-fold increase in applications for vocational provisional licenses.


Elizabeth de Jong, policy director at Logistics UK, said the sector was seeing “green shoots” of recovery, and that HGV driver numbers should improve as new trainees join the sector.

“It is still a challenging time, there is still an acute shortage of drivers certainly but there are a number of signs of improvement that could be coming.”

“We’re seeing hope that more people are beginning to enter the industry, but we’ve got to keep attracting them by really improving the facilities.”

Average driver pay increased by 10 per cent in the nine months to October 2021, the trade body said.

She added that a lack of roadside facilities may be one of the reasons the industry is "seeing higher proportions of young people leaving".

However, it said more action was needed by the government and industry to make the sector attractive to new recruits.

Many UK sectors, from petrol stations to supermarkets, have experienced problems with deliveries due to the to the chronic shortage of lorry drivers. The shortage of drivers is one of the reasons retailers have warned that consumers will have a reduced choice of food and drink at Christmas.

More for you

SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.

Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pound Sterling bank notes
iStock

National Living Wage to increase to £12.21 in April 2025

The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).

The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Fletcher

Michael Fletcher

Former Nisa chief Michael Fletcher appointed SPAR UK managing director

SPAR UK has announced the appointment of Michael Fletcher as its new managing director.

Fletcher spent 22 years at Tesco plc, where he held numerous senior commercial roles in the UK, Ireland and Asia. He joined Co-op Retail in 2013 where he held the position of chief commercial officer before moving on to become CEO of Nisa Wholesale, a role he held until 2022.

Keep ReadingShow less
Food inflation eases as retailers treat customers to spooky season deals

iStock image

Food inflation eases as retailers treat customers to spooky season deals

October saw shop prices fall marginally further into deflation for the third consecutive month with food inflation eased, particularly for meat, fish and tea along with chocolate and sweets as retailers treated customers to spooky season deals, shows industry data released today (29).

According to British Retail Consortium (BRC), shop price deflation was at 0.8 per cent in October, down from deflation of 0.6 per cent in the previous month. This is below the 3-month average rate of -0.6 per cent. Shop price annual growth was at its lowest rate since August 2021.

Keep ReadingShow less
National President Mo Razzaq 2024 serious 1 1
Fed National President Mo Razzaq

Indies: It’s criminal police and government turn blind eye to shoplifting

Independent retailers are demanding tougher police action, more bobbies on the beat and harsher punishments as shoplifting levels reach an all-time high, a new survey reveals.

A whopping ninety-one per cent of respondents to a survey conducted by the Federation of Independent Retailers (the Fed) called for more police patrols on streets, while a similar number - 90 per cent - said that shoplifters should be handed harsher sentences.

Seven out of 10 respondents (72 per cent) said their stores had experienced shoplifting, break ins and damage to property, while they and their staff had been physically or verbally threatened.

Just under half of respondents (47 per cent) said they and their employees had been threatened or had suffered abuse and violence when asking for proof of age ahead of selling an age-restricted product.

Forty-four per cent reported that they and their staff had faced abuse or violence because they had refused to make a proxy sale – selling an age restricted product to a customer buying for a minor.

The results of the Fed’s survey came as new figures from the Office of National Statistics revealed that shoplifting was at a record high, with almost half a million offences recorded last year.

According to the ONS, 469,788 offences were logged by forces in the year to June 2024 – a 29 per cent increase on the previous 12 months.

The ONS added that this figure was the highest since records began – in March 2003.

“Inadequate responses from the police and a slap on the wrist for offenders means that shoplifting is soaring, and offenders are becoming more aggressive and brazen,” said Fed National President Mo Razzaq.

“From the responses we received, it is clear that real action is needed by police, by courts and by the government to stem the overwhelming tide of crime against retailers and their staff. Everyone deserves to feel safe at work and for their businesses to be protected against criminals.

“Fed members are also sending a clear message that one of the catalysts for verbal and physical abuse in stores is asking for proof of age before selling an age restricted product. If the government presses ahead with its plans to phase out smoking and vaping through a progressive ban to gradually end the sale of tobacco products across the country, independent retailers will be subject to even greater levels of violence, abuse and theft.”

Calling for action from the government and not just words, Mr Razzaq continued: “Without effective deterrent, criminals and opportunistic members of the public will continue to commit crimes.”

According to Ministry of Justice statistics, during the year to March 2024, 431 fines were handed out for retail theft under £100, while Home Office statistics for the same period show that 2,252 cautions were accepted for shoplifting.