Central Scotland MSP Graham Simpson joined the Road Haulage Association (RHA) on site to celebrate National Lorry Week. The visit aimed to highlight the vital and often-overlooked role that the logistics industry plays in our lives every day and the need to increase recruitment in the sector.
National Lorry Week, which runs between the 25th and 31st October and is in its seventh year, was designed to showcase the huge variety of careers logistics has to offer and encourage anyone who may be considering a new challenge to think about joining the next generation of drivers, managers and technicians.
Mr Simpson was briefed on the challenges facing UK haulage by Martin Dean, Key Account Manager at the RHA and Martin Reid, Director of RHA Scotland. He also got the chance to ride in one of the Heavy Goods Vehicles used by the industry.
Logistics is the fifth largest sector in the UK, worth £126bn to the economy and employing more than 2.5 million people. Nearly everything consumers buy has at some point been handled by a number of logistics professionals – from producer, to warehouse operative, to distributor, to delivery driver and others in between.
There is a widely recognised 100,000 shortage of HGV drivers. As well as a decline in the number of applicants taking tests, the reduction in lorry drivers over recent years has also been caused by the working conditions and pay faced by those in the sector. Schemes like the National Lorry Week are vital for reversing these trends and showing people how rewarding a career in this industry can be.
Graham Simpson, MSP for Central Scotland said: “It was great to meet with the Road Haulage Association to hear about National Lorry Week and the challenges facing the logistics industry.
“The pandemic has shown us the value of lorry drivers to our whole society.
“The UK Government have already made some important changes, such as simplifying the licensing process, but there is still plenty more to do. This industry has a serious recruitment issue and we must do more to encourage the younger generation to consider this as a long-term career choice.
“I would encourage anyone to consider a career in this essential industry”.
Declan Pang, Head of Public Affairs at the RHA said: “It was great to welcome Graham Simpson to our training site to see the first-hand the work we do to train apprentices to become HGV drivers.
“National Lorry Week is an important way to celebrate all that the industry does to keep our supply chain moving.”
