Brexit logistics - in British eyes
Six months after the actual implementation of Brexit, driver shortages remain the single biggest crisis in the haulage industry, according to the Road Haulage Association. The current shortage, which affects both HGV drivers and drivers of small vans, is due to two main reasons.
Firstly, in the build-up to Brexit itself, many European drivers decided to leave UK due to the uncertainty over their right to live and work post-Brexit, reducing the overall number of available drivers in the country.
Secondly, even though the new protocols are now firmly in place, it has become common for remaining drivers to prioritise UK based contracts ahead of EU ones, to avoid any potential delays that may arise at the border.
According to the Road Haulage Association, the combination of these two issues has led to a staggering driver shortfall of over 65,000 in UK since January, which is already having a knock-on effect on logistics in all parts of the country. For many larger brands, there just isn’t the driver supply to keep up with customer demand, especially over the last few months now that UK is easing out of lockdown. (sh)