Hauliers call for driver agencies to be regulated by government

Hauliers have called for driver agencies to be regulated by government in a bid to raise agency driver standards. However, Driver Require boss, Kieran Smith, believes government intervention is unnecessary and that hauliers have their own role to play in driving standards up.

The call for greater regulation follows substantial rises in driver agency rates of around 20 per cent over the past year, driven up by the driver shortage crisis, the IR35 tax reform and the introduction of pay parity in 2021.

Currently, there is no requirement for driver agencies to be accredited to any government-regulated scheme, which hauliers argue is an oversight that undermines road safety by allowing agencies to avoid liability.

Read the article in full by Rhys Taylor-Brown, The Leader's Council