Lorry driver shortages are not solely the result of Brexit – but it certainly hasn’t helped

Editorial: There are a number of other reasons why the UK faces an issue over HGV drivers, but the way we left the EU was the straw that broke the back of the Great British supply chain

(Brian Adcock)

The shortages affecting popular restaurant chains and now Iceland shops are not solely the result of Brexit, but the way in which we left the European Union has undoubtedly made them worse.

Other European countries are suffering a shortage of lorry drivers, but other European countries have not run out of milkshakes and are not discussing drafting in their armies to help move essential goods. In Britain supermarket bosses are already warning that the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers could “cancel Christmas”.

There are a number of non-Brexit causes of the problem. The labour market for hauliers was highly competitive to start with, with low wages ensuring that there was little slack in the system to cope with disruption. Thus when Covid-19 struck it affected test centres, slowing down the issue of new licences, as well as taking some drivers off the road – although they were soon exempted from isolation requirements. This happened to coincide with a change in the tax treatment of lorry drivers setting themselves up as limited companies, which further reduced their incomes.