Member Article

Agency’s recruitment drive after HGV rule changes

A North East recruitment agency says the region is suffering from a shortage of HGV drivers after changes to qualification requirements led to many giving up the haulage profession.

Velocity Recruitment, part of the Reece Group of companies, is calling on more qualified heavy goods drivers to add their names to the company’s books as it is turning down hundreds of hours of work every week for the region’s truck drivers.

With established offices in Sunderland and having opened a second base in Darlington within the past 12 months to meet an increasing demand for its recruitment service, Velocity serves the logistics, industrial, commercial, engineering and construction sectors.

However, its specialist driver hire service is experiencing a driver shortage for the first time after a strict new qualification for professional lorry drivers, the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), was introduced under a European Union directive.

Velocity Recruitment manager, Mike Bones said: “The Driver CPC has been introduced for the right reasons, to maintain high standards of driving. But combined with the time and money it takes to get a HGV license, it has resulted in the haulage industry losing many experienced drivers, who have simply given up driving. The changes to the industry are going to have far-reaching effects.

“Jobs are scarce across most areas in the current economic environment, but we arehaving to turn down haulage work every day, amounting to 250-300 hours every week.

“It’s a crazy situation because the demand is still there, for North-East deliveries to long-haul work and everything in between.”

Providing drivers for customers including blue chip food distributors, furniture delivery businesses and general hauliers, Velocity Recruitment regularly have opportunities for drivers of Class 1 HGVs and Class 2 seven-tonne waggons, as well as for driver’s mates.

They hire drivers to carry out either one-off trips, known as trunking, or long-distance trips taking in several nights in the cabin, known as tramping.

Velocity Recruitment’s Mark Davis, himself an experienced HGV driver and one of nine staff employed by the firm, said: “Despite the increasing shortage, I’m convinced there are still plenty of people out there with the right HGV qualifications who need work but haven’t registered with agencies such as ours.

“As a small independent recruitment agency, we’re taking on the big guys and have never been busier across most areas but our shortage in registered HGV drivers is a real anomaly. Our message to them is ‘we can give you work if you need it’ – and we can help with training too.”

Formed in 2007, Velocity Recruitment staff operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week and 52 weeks a year.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Martin Walker .