The UK’s HGV driver shortage has been a recurring headline for several years. But where does it stand as we enter 2026? Find out in our HGV driver update here.
The UK’s heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver shortage has been a recurring headline for the past few years, with the crisis peaking in the wake of COVID, when supply chains buckled under pressure. Three years on, the landscape has shifted, but the challenges facing the logistics sector remain the same.
All of this despite recent data from the Department for Transport, which reveals an optimistic picture. In the fourth quarter of 2024, 24% of HGV businesses reported driver vacancies, down from 28% the previous quarter. This marks the first decline following a steady climb since late 2023. Yet context is key: at the height of the shortage in Q4 2021, 43% of operators were struggling to fill positions. Whilst the immediate crisis may have eased, the sector is far from stable.
Not enough drivers
The ONS data exposes a reality about the UK’s HGV driver workforce. The profession is ageing, with a substantial proportion of drivers approaching retirement. The data spanning from 2014 to 2024 shows a concerning pattern: younger drivers are not entering the profession in sufficient numbers to replace those leaving.
This demographic imbalance creates a challenge. When the government’s own statistics show that driver retirement is cited by 34% of businesses as a reason for vacancies, the scale of the looming problem becomes clear. The sector is not simply dealing with a temporary recruitment issue but a workforce crisis that threatens long-term capacity.
The nationality breakdown adds another dimension to the story. Following Brexit, the composition of the driver workforce has shifted, with fewer EU nationals working in UK haulage. Whilst only 7% of businesses now cite lack of European drivers as a reason for vacancies (down from higher levels in previous years), the loss of this labour pool has contributed to the tightness of the market.
Why drivers are walking away
Understanding why experienced professionals leave the industry is critical to addressing the truck driver shortage. Government data identifies three primary factors, each reported by roughly a third of businesses experiencing vacancies: better pay or benefits elsewhere, existing drivers leaving the industry entirely, and retirement.
Behind these statistics lie human stories of frustration. Anonymous accounts from serving drivers paint a picture of an undervalued profession where loyalty is poorly rewarded. One fuel tanker driver, speaking to Motor Transport, described how colleagues with decades of service receive low pay increases despite soaring inflation. When new hires command signing bonuses whilst long-serving drivers see their real-terms wages decline, resentment is inevitable.
Alongside pay are working conditions. The reality of life on the road includes inadequate facilities, long hours away from family, and the physical demands of loading and unloading in all weathers. When other sectors offer comparable or better wages without these drawbacks, the calculation becomes simple for many drivers.
The median hourly pay for HGV drivers in 2024 stood at £15.78, some 8% below the median for all employees. Whilst businesses have responded to the shortage of HGV drivers, and young drivers in particular, with wage increases (the median rise has hovered around £1 per hour since early 2023), these adjustments have struggled to keep pace with the cost of living or to reflect the skill and responsibility involved in the role.
Furthermore, drivers know their worth and will often prioritise single delivery roles instead of multiple stops that require more loading and unloading.
The business perspective
It’s not just drivers dealing with these pressures, but operators too. The proportion of HGV businesses reporting missed deliveries due to driver unavailability reached 20% in Q4 2024, the highest level of the year. Whilst this remains below the 30% peak seen in late 2021, it represents a real operational constraint that affects customer service and profitability.
Financial incentives, once seen as a quick fix, have largely fallen out of favour. Since Q3 2023, fewer than 5% of businesses have offered recruitment or retention bonuses. This suggests that businesses can no longer sustain the expense. In Q4 2024, those companies still offering incentives paid a median of £250, a far cry from the more generous packages seen at the height of the crisis.
The reasons businesses blame for increasing wages have also changed. In Q4 2024, keeping existing drivers overtook planned pay rises as the primary motivation for wage increases for the first time since early 2023. This shift indicates that operators are increasingly focused on limiting departures rather than simply keeping pace with inflation or industry norms.
The skills development challenge
So what can be done?
The Road Haulage Association has called for the UK to train 60,000 new HGV drivers annually to avoid a worsening crisis. This figure reflects not only current vacancy levels but the need to replace the thousands of drivers reaching retirement age each year and those who let their Driver Qualification Cards lapse.
Approximately 100,000 drivers have allowed their DQCs to expire, suggesting they have either left the profession entirely or moved to roles not requiring these qualifications. This represents a substantial loss of qualified personnel and a significant waste of training investment.
The pathway into the profession remains challenging. Training is expensive, testing capacity has improved, but still presents bottlenecks, and the apprenticeship routes are underdeveloped compared to other skilled trades. Only 1% of businesses asked blamed unavailable HGV driving tests as a reason for vacancies in Q4 2024, indicating that testing capacity has recovered from pandemic-era disruption. However, the broader question of how to make the career attractive to young people remains largely unanswered.
New drivers who do enter the profession often find that the reality fails to match their expectations. When 19% of businesses cite new drivers not entering the profession as a reason for vacancies, it suggests that recruitment efforts are falling short. More concerning is that 36% report existing drivers leaving the industry entirely, indicating that retention failures compound these challenges.
Potential solutions to HGV numbers
Addressing the HGV driver shortage requires coordinated action across multiple fronts. Pay and conditions must improve significantly if haulage is to compete with other sectors for talent. This means not just headline wage increases but genuine investment in driver facilities, predictable scheduling, and respect for work-life balance.
The profession’s image also needs rehabilitation. Highlighting the skill involved, the variety of work, and the genuine importance of the role to the economy could attract those seeking purposeful careers. Technology can help: better routing, improved communication systems, and modern vehicles make the job more pleasant and efficient.
Training pathways must be expanded and made more accessible. Whilst government schemes have increased testing capacity, more needs to be done to reduce the financial barriers to entry. Employers could do more to develop earn-while-you-learn programmes that spread the cost of qualification over time.
Retention of existing drivers should be the priority. It is far more cost-effective to keep experienced professionals than to constantly recruit and train replacements. This means listening to what drivers actually want: fair pay progression, decent facilities, and recognition of their expertise.
These are by no means small feats, and businesses, industry bodies, and the government will have to work together to make change possible. Whether that happens, especially in light of the latest Budget, remains to be seen.
Looking ahead
All in all, the UK logistics sector is facing a crisis. Not the crisis of a lockdown, but a crisis nonetheless.. An ageing workforce, poor recruitment numbers, and ongoing retention problems paint a concerning picture for the future resilience of the supply chain.
Solutions exist, but they require investment, imagination, and genuine commitment from operators, policymakers, and training providers.
For those working in logistics, these challenges are not abstract policy debates but daily operational realities. Finding sustainable solutions will require collaboration, innovation, and honest conversations about what it takes to build a resilient, attractive profession.
At Multimodal, we bring together industry leaders, businesses, speakers, and more to explore the issues and opportunities in this vital industry. If you’re interested in learning more as an attendee (or exhibitor) or would like to connect with industry leaders working on practical solutions, visit Multimodal, and join the conversation shaping the future of British freight transport.
