Millennial HGV Driver Shortages

Statistics may vary according to your source but two facts are clear. Firstly, the UK (like many other countries) has a shortage of HGV drivers. Secondly, the average age of HGV drivers is going up. These should be alarming statistics for everyone, not just the haulage industry. Addressing them starts by understanding why millennials (and Gen Z) are not showing any interest in becoming HGV drivers.

To explain further, Andrea Easton, Head of Finance and Operations at Walker Movements, shares her insights into the millennial HGV driver shortage.

Understanding the competition

The appeal of any job (or indeed any other activity) is ultimately measured against other options. It’s therefore down to employers to promote the roles they need to fill and explain why people should be interested in them. So far, the logistics industry has clearly failed to connect with younger people and draw them into the trade.

To be fair, the logistics industry does face specific recruitment hurdles it could use government help to address. Trade bodies are hard at work on lobbying for this. The industry as a whole cannot, however, just sit on its hand and wait for the government cavalry to arrive. It has to do whatever it can to promote itself to millennials.

Overcoming the barrier to entry

This is one of the major bones of contention in the haulage industry. In principle, you can qualify as an HGV driver aged 18. In practice, it’s highly unlikely that the average 18-year-old would either get through the qualification or get a job after it.

An 18-year-old would only have been driving on public roads for at most a year, probably less. That’s a fairly short time to get experience with regular cars and HGVs are much more challenging to drive. What’s more, it’s a legal (and practical) requirement for drivers to have insurance. Premiums for under-21 car drivers are notoriously high. Premiums for under-21 HGV drivers are astronomical.

In reality, therefore, a person is going to need to be at least 21 before they even start the process of qualifying to become an HGV driver. By this point, however, there’s a good chance that they’ll already have had at least some form of post-school education and/or work experience.

They may be perfectly happy in their post-school career. Even if they’re looking for a change, they may be reluctant to make the financial commitment required to become an HGV driver. Currently, qualifying as an HGV driver can easily cost in the region of £5K. What’s more, there is very little funding available to cover this. Candidates are expected to pay their own way upfront and recover the money through their wages.

Comparing HGV-driving courses with other courses

The cost (and time-commitment) for an HGV-driving course is much less than for a university course or even for an apprenticeship. This is, however, an “apples and pears” comparison. A more reasonable comparison would be to look at what other courses are available for the same sort of cost and/or time. The short answer is “a lot” and with a lot of different outcomes.

If a young adult can afford £5000 then they can take their pick from a huge range of courses on just about every topic. A lot of those courses are likely to help them to get ahead in trades which, superficially at least, offer a number of advantages over HGV driving. For example, they may offer higher pay and/or more attractive working conditions including greater flexibility.

The importance of this last point should never be underestimated. In fact, it’s probably only going to get more important as time passes. There are probably relatively few working adults who retain any meaningful link with the concept of “a job for life”. What’s more, they’re probably nearing retirement age. Younger adults expect to have to change jobs and possibly trades and careers as well.

In fact, younger adults are increasingly likely to think in terms of a “portfolio career”. For example, they may combine employment with freelancing with running their own business. They may even change the various elements in the portfolio over the years as their overall lifestyle changes. This means that they’re likely to be cautious about anything which puts any kind of a lock on them, including debt.

Making HGV driving more attractive to younger people

The features of HGV driving which appealed to past generations are unlikely to capture the attention of younger adults. For example, up until fairly recently, the fact that HGV drivers spent a lot of time on the road could actually be seen as a benefit. It was a way to get paid to travel at a time when opportunities for travel were limited.

These days, by contrast, in normal circumstances, people have a huge selection of travel opportunities. There usually is something to suit every age, taste and budget. This means that travelling where your employer decides when your employer decides is now more likely to be seen as a drawback than a perk.

Quite bluntly, the HGV industry needs to rebrand itself to show what makes it a worthwhile trade for modern young adults. For example, it needs to show how it welcomes people of all backgrounds. In particular, it needs to shake off its image as a “men-only” trade. It needs to show how drivers are integrated into teams (rather than just left on their own) and how they can be challenged and developed.

One potential way forward for the HGV industry is to focus more on recruiting drivers who only want to work limited hours. For example, they might work a week on and a week off or, and possibly more likely, only for part of the year. This would allow them to combine HGV driving with other jobs or interests.

Putting the word on the street

Possibly above all else, the logistics industry needs to get out and get connecting with younger adults where they congregate. The obvious place to do this is online and this will certainly be important. As the world gets back to normal, however, there should be scope for getting out to schools and other key locations. These opportunities should be grasped eagerly.