Lorry licenses surge easing driver shortages
The number of lorry licenses issued this year has increased in recent months to ease HGV shortages.
Figures obtained by the Telegraph have shown that between January and October around 230,000 licenses were handed out, of which 40,169 only in October.
Compared with the 100,000 driver shortage which plagued the good part of this year, numbers have gone back to almost 2019 levels.
According to transport secretary Grant Shapps, the measures taken by the government to face the shortage were behind the growth.
“We’ve ramped up the number of HGV driver tests being carried out and licences issued, with 1,350 more tests currently being made available every week compared to pre-pandemic levels – a significant 90 per cent increase,” the Telegraph reported him say.
“Meanwhile the DVLA has processed over 40,000 HGV and vocational licenses in just four weeks, and efforts to encourage people into the sector are bearing fruit, with a significant increase in the number of people requesting application packs for vocational licenses.”
On Friday, the government launched the first HGV bootcamps to train new drivers, who are set to be on the road from March.
“To help even more people get the training they need to be road ready, we’re expanding our HGV Skills Bootcamps to support more than 11,000 people to gain the skills they need to progress in the industry, and to help those with previous experience refresh their skills so they can get back on the road,” said education secretary Nadhim Zahawi.