Haulage group: A Cork haulier is short 40 drivers
The president of the Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) has warned there will be no turkey on plates this Christmas Day if more drivers are not found.
With little over three months to go until the Christmas rush, Ger Hyland this week cautioned that his industry is facing a critical shortage of drivers and that the industry may not be able to meet the Christmas rush this year due to a lack of drivers.
He has been told how a Cork haulier is short 40 drivers.
Without immediate urgent action, he warned the driver shortage will lead to higher grocery prices, delayed deliveries and uncertainty that the haulage industry will be able to meet heightened demand this festive season.
Mr Hyland has called on the Government to take simple steps to alleviate bureaucracy that is preventing the association from bringing in drivers from abroad to meet demand. Hyland called on all politicians to intervene to avert a bigger crisis in Ireland’s economy.
Mr Hyland said: “We are rapidly reaching a tipping point in our industry. We cannot get the drivers to keep the trucks rolling.
“One Cork haulier is short 40 drivers and has lorries parked up. Every haulage company in Ireland needs at least two extra drivers such is the extent of the problem.”
Hyland raised the alarm as he wrote to several ministers pleading with them to intervene. The IRHA is calling for urgent Government intervention to help to cut red tape to bring in more overseas drivers in the short term but also to remove barriers to young Irish men and women taking up roles as HGV drivers in the longer term. Hauliers are concerned about the amount of time and costs associated with a young Irish person getting a HGV driver’s license.
Mr Hyland added: “It can take two years or more and over €1,000 to get a HGV license for a young man or women leaving school. This is unacceptable and it puts prospective drivers off entering our industry. Other countries have quicker routes to becoming a HGV driver. The RSA have not covered themselves in glory when it comes to operating an efficient and affordable driving test regime.”
According to Mr Hyland, driving a HGV is a rewarding career for a young person who likes to meet new people and see different parts of Europe.
He has encouraged more young women to consider careers as HGV drivers and said that women are grossly underrepresented in his industry.
According to Mr Hyland, urgent Government reforms are needed to address red tape in bringing in drivers from overseas. He said different arms of the State are imposing different obligations and requirements on licensed hauliers seeking to engage drivers and mechanics from outside Ireland to fill the driver gaps.
He cited chronic bureaucracy at government department level that is making hiring drivers from abroad almost impossible.
The IRHA has called on the Government to set up a working group of stakeholders in the field with the aim of breaking down barriers to address a skills shortage that will negatively hurt Ireland’s economy in the short to medium term.