10 Nov Logistics Skills Network calls for urgent rethink on decision to end HGV Bootcamps

The Logistics Skills Network (LSN) wishes to highlight the implications of the government’s decision to prematurely end national funding for HGV Skills Bootcamps. LSN warns that this will worsen driver shortages, derail the government’s growth plans, including the government’s ambition of building 1.5 million new homes, and risks losing vital training capacity in the sector.

Logistics Skills Network calculates that this decision could mean 15,000 fewer new HGV drivers trained annually. This comes as the Road Haulage Association has already said that over 117,000 HGV drivers have left the industry in the past year. 

The lack of testing capacity for HGV drivers is further exacerbating the shortage, with the DVSA shifting resources away to focus on car drivers. This is directly affecting the workforce pipeline across the sector, including the emergency services as well as commercial providers.

“Curtailing funding for HGV Skills Bootcamps puts the UK’s infrastructure and growth plans at risk,” says David Coombes, Chair of the Logistics Skills Network. “Given existing driver shortages, we calculate that 9,600 new drivers per year are needed for delivering and removing construction materials alone. If we factor in the additional tonnage that will result from the government’s ambitions on housebuilding, this figure rises to 15,250 in the first year.”

“We will continue to make a positive case to the Government about HGV Bootcamps, given their stellar record so far of training over 20,000 new drivers and providing stable, well-paid work and career development, often in areas crying out for more opportunities.

“The devolution of skills policy is not filling the gap, given only 3 out of 12 devolved authorities have signalled commitment to further HGV skills funding. We call on the government to urgently reinstate HGV Skills Bootcamps to safeguard existing training capacity and address ongoing driver shortages.” 

Notes to editors

What we are asking the government to do:

• Urgently extend existing HGV Skills Bootcamp contracts to maintain the national training pipeline and address driver shortages. These contracts have already shown excellent ROI for the public purse through increased tax revenue and reducing the number of NEETs. Further funding might be found from future stamp duty receipts from new homes enabled by properly functioning logistics supply chains.
• Allow existing HGV 3a examiners to be trained to deliver 3b tests under a delegated model to ease testing bottlenecks.
• Encourage devolved and local authorities to include logistics and transport skills in their Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) to support growth and construction priorities.

For interviews, further analysis or to discuss in more detail, please contact David Coombes, Chair, Logistics Skills Network: David.Coombes@logisticsskillsnetwork.co.uk