London, UK: The Road Haulage Association has told MPs that the widespread shortage of lorry drivers has not eased.
The RHA’s policy director, Duncan Buchanan, was giving evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee about the impact of labour shortages on the supply chain.
Buchanan said that “things are not visibly getting better at this stage”.
Buchanan was asked if the government’s 5,000 HGV driver visa programme, which expires on February 28 next year, would make a difference. “No,” he said. “If you were designing a visa system to fail, you’d design it something like this.” He thought that the visa scheme should last for a year, instead of just a few months. He also thought that the shortage occupation list was based on “snobbery”. It focused on Level 3 skills, whereas lorry driving was considered a Level 2.
Buchanan was also asked why the government had taken such a sticking plaster approach. He blamed “complacency” (they didn’t believe the warnings) and the “toxicity” of the Brexit debate which poisoned clear thinking
Ian Wright, chief executive of the Food and Drink Federation, said: “Six months ago our businesses all thought this was transitory, now every business I know expects this (situation) to last into 2023 and 2024. Every single one.”
