HGV drivers in Wales quitting industry over lack of rest facilities and threats of violence

• Video report by ITV Wales National Correspondent Rob Osborne

Missing out on seeing children, poor toilet facilities and even threats of violence are just some of the reasons HGV drivers are quitting the industry, a new report reveals.

The Senedd's Economy Committee is calling for urgent improvements for HGV drivers following the impact that a shortage of drivers has had on supply chains in Wales.

One driver told the Committee: "The age demographic of drivers is now into the late 50s so in the next 10-12 years, most drivers in this country will have retired.

"Why on earth would any young person want to go into the haulage industry? Any child of a driver will know how **** it is as they never saw their father.

"It's dirty, **** pay, stuck in traffic, treated like a second-class citizen, spoken to like ****, continually hassled by office clerks who can't even drive a car, VOSA and the Police. Made to wait in cold, damp, draughty corridors with no facilities while the warehouse takes hours to tip you. **** pay."

After supermarket shelves were left empty, petrol stations closed and services were disrupted last year, the Senedd Committee carried out an inquiry, looking at the reasons for driver shortages and problems in the industry.

The impact of the pandemic and leaving the EU were contributing factors, however an existing shortage of HGV drivers amplified these issues and is a key underlying cause of the supply chain problems.

After speaking to drivers, industry representatives and businesses, the Committee report, released on Thursday (January 27) is providing recommendations and calls for urgent action from the Welsh Government.

'Behind the shortages are real people'

Paul Davies MS, Chair of the Senedd's Economy Committee said: "It's quite clear that HGV drivers play an essential role in the supply chains that support almost every aspect of modern life. Last year we saw what happens when a shortage of HGV drivers causes these supply chains to breakdown - some empty shelves, some closed petrol stations, and some disrupted services.

"Behind the shortages are real people, working very hard to keep the Welsh economy moving and keeping us fed during extremely challenging times. Our inquiry has heard some distressing stories of the conditions that HGV drivers are facing on a daily basis.

"If we do not address the issues then there is little hope for us to recruit new drivers, so today we're calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action to improve drivers' facilities across the country. To safeguard future supply chains the government and industry must work together and address the chronic ongoing shortage of HGV drivers.

"Our report sets out recommendations which we believe will improve drivers' experience, prospects, recruitment, and retention in order to meet that goal and support our valued HGV drivers."

The report has a raft of recommendations to the Welsh Government and haulage companies for urgent improvements and measures to support the industry. They include:

• Developing HGV drivers Apprenticeship programmes

• Engaging the UK Government around the content and quality of HGV drivers’ continuous professional development training

• Carrying out an audit of rest facilities for drivers and create a national inventory similar to that available for England

• Improve HGV driver rest provision in areas where it is found to be lacking

• Introduce a voluntary standards system which indicates to drivers the comfort level and security of rest stops

• Update planning policy so that planning permissions granted to warehouse facilities and other developments expecting regular deliveries are required to provide high quality driver facilities

• Engage with the UK Government on any review of legislation which affects the working conditions of HGV drivers

• Haulage companies should ensure their drivers feel the hours they are asked to drive are safe

The report says that HGV drivers raised a number of complaints about the quality of rest stops across Wales. Stops lack facilities, are often dirty and have expensive poor quality food. Members were particularly concerned to hear drivers' reports of regular robbery and threats of violence with some drivers viewing this as an occupational hazard.

The Committee concluded that this lack of safe rest stops with good, clean facilities is a key reason many drivers quit and people do not see HGV driving as a viable career choice.

The Welsh Government welcomes the recommendations by the Committee report.

A spokesperson said it sees this as an "opportunity to reverse the problems that have been building in the industry over many years" by creating "fairer pay and working conditions as well as better facilities for drivers to attract more people to work in the sector."

"We are doing what we can to support the industry despite the majority of powers relating to these issues not being devolved and will soon develop a Logistics and Freight Plan for Wales under the Wales Transport Strategy.

"We were disappointed to learn that the £32.5m of new funding to improve lorry parking facilities will only be made available for England but will continue to work with the UK Government to ensure the sector is given the support it needs to continue delivering for the whole of the UK."