UK driver shortage hasn’t gone away – it’s just been hidden (new figures)
The UK driver shortage hasn’t gone away. It’s being masked. Reduced freight movements, driven by ongoing events and growing industry cost pressures, are hiding the true scale of the problem.
The underlying numbers tell the real story:
Our refreshed driver shortage analysis in September 2025 found that around 110,000 HGV drivers did not renew their Driver Qualification Cards in December 2024.
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That’s a remarkable amount of work hours for a single machine, the Norcar 600 owned by Erkki Rinne is taken well care of, it even has the original Diesel engine.
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Kieran Anders is a forestry contractor working in the lake district. His work involves hand cutting and extracting timber using a skidder and tractor-trailer forwarder.
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It is not possible to eliminate chain shot, but there are simple steps that can be taken to reduce the risk.
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Arwel takes great pride in the fact that the mill has no waste whatsoever, “the peelings are used for children’s playgrounds, gardens and for farm animals in barns in the winter and the sawdust has multiple uses in gardens and farms as well.
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Timber hauliers need to encourage young blood in, and also look after the hauliers we have, we need make the sector a safe and positive place to work.
FIND US ON
The current number of drivers with an up-to-date DQC stands at 586,597. That’s down from 684,000 in 2024. A significant drop in a short space of time. (Aricia Ltd data)
Retirement explains some of it. It doesn’t explain the sharp fall-off in the 35-44 age group. These are working-age drivers in the prime of their careers, and they are leaving the sector. Long hours are cited a key reason. It’s a challenge our sector will have to confront head-on, and one we’ve explored in detail in our Intergenerational Workforce Report.
So what do we need from government?
Our ask is straightforward, and it’s been the same since the Apprenticeship Levy launched in 2017: make short-course driver training available through the levy.
The government has reformed it into the Growth and Skills Levy, but the flexibility businesses actually need still isn’t there. We need to see progress. Road transport is a key economic enabler. To future-proof the industry, we need to recruit, train and retain tens of thousands of drivers every year just to meet demand.
With an ageing workforce, attracting young people in is key. Flexible, funded training options are how we get there. Industry and Government (at all levels) must urgently work collaboratively to provide more pathways to work, and to ensure we have the workforce in place for the next decade and beyond.
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Written by loggers for loggers and dedicated solely to the equipment used in forestry operations.