The Road Haulage Association (RHA) says that, of the 600,000 registered HGV license holders, half have left the industry. 16-20,000 foreign drivers are estimated to have returned home since Brexit and about 40,000 driving tests were cancelled due to the pandemic. Poor roadside facilities including a severe lack of roadside toilets and showers are also an issue.
The RHA is reporting that business leaders say the government must act now to tackle the HGV driver shortage.
Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union (NFU) has said that pig farmers are facing a “human disaster” due to a shortage of abattoir workers. Farmers are already having to destroy healthy pigs due to a backlog on farms, the NFU added.
