Bulletin: The HGV Driver Shortage Crisis: Another Crisis on the Horizon?

Following the release of our fifth bulletin “The HGV Driver Shortage Crisis, Where Are We Now”, we received revised statistics from the Office for National Statistics which shed some interesting light. 

Most significantly, another crisis may be on the horizon much sooner than originally anticipated. We previously believed the 2021 driver shortage was caused by a 23% drop in drivers (70,000) from pre-pandemic levels (Q1 2020). However, revised ONS statistics indicate the shortage was in fact triggered by a smaller 15% drop (45,000) between the pre-pandemic period and crisis point in Q2 2021.

In this bulletin we will re-examine our previous conclusions in light of these new, more accurate ONS statistics. This will provide fresh insight into the factors behind the 2021 Driver Shortage Crisis.