Solving the driver shortage issue – one driver training programme at a time

The fleet industry is struggling with the growing issue of driver shortages in the UK, but also globally. The most obvious factors are one, older drivers approaching retirement age, and two, Brexit forcing thousands of drivers out of the UK. However, that wouldn’t be an issue if there was a steady stream of new blood pumped into the industry. Failure to recruit and retain younger drivers has played a huge role in the state we’re in now.

According to data by the Recruitment and Employment Confederation, 70,000 HGV drivers left their role between 2020 and 2022, 12,500 of which were EU nationals (Recruitment and Employment Confederation data). However, it’s not just the pandemic and Brexit that have caused this – as prior to 2020, there was already a shortage of 60,000 HGV drivers in the UK.

Driver recruitment and retention are still at the top of fleets’ agendas, just as important as reducing costs and maintaining safety standards. What some may not realise is that rather than putting off drivers, recruitment and retention can be improved through data-backed driver training programmes, if also combined with competitive pay and balanced working hours, according to recent research.

In this day and age, people want more from a job than they did 15 years ago – salary and additional benefits are easy to offer. However, increasingly employees want to feel that businesses are taking a value-first approach, matching their own and doing ‘the right thing’.

As such, we’re seeing more businesses and drivers looking at training and professional development as a differentiator when it comes to recruitment and retention – what’s going to make me drive more safely on the road so that I get back to my family at the end of each day? And what helps me prove my worth to the business and unlock those additional bonuses and benefits that will make up for the long hours on the road and missed family meals?

We are seeing a lot of our customer base introduce reward programmes and talk about them from the get-go – so when people are considering a career in HGV driving, they have the full picture. Employees want to feel trusted and respected, so being transparent from the beginning is always the best strategy for businesses, driving employee trust and loyalty forward.

And this isn’t about being Big Brother – drivers do understand the value of the assets and loads they’re in charge of and are respectful of that, so driver training programmes should always be positioned as empowering, collaborative measures that put safety and wellbeing first.

With AI top of the news agenda at the moment, what’s more exciting is that AI can exponentially elevate the ability to keep both drivers and assets safe on the road, by providing connected, predictive, real-time monitoring and alerts about dangerous driving behaviours and fatigue.

For example, smart dashboard cams in the cab can revolutionise a fleet’s operation – AI powered software records data and sends signals to fleet managers, noting any risk-mitigating and risk-increasing driving behaviours. The Smart Dashcams can unobtrusively review every minute of drive time through forward and driver-facing cameras to develop sophisticated and engaging driver coaching – simplifying complex data for both the driver and the fleet manager and automating the production of training programmes aligned to driver behaviour objectives.

This is the sort of visibility a fleet manager would only have had if they were actually sat in the cab. It makes reward or bonus scheme conversations much more viable as there’s data and visible evidence to back up the conversations for and against, making for a more harmonious working relationship and supporting both recruitment and retention.

Even to this day, certain telematics systems can require users to spend an excessive amount of time analysing digital reports to identify opportunities for improvement. However, AI removes that analysis period for its users and allows managers to take corrective action as soon as anomalies occur, through customised and integrated reports – what better way to protect the health and wellbeing of both drivers and the public through real-time in-cab coaching, with further training adapted post-event.

While securing competitive salaries and bonuses to offer is half the battle in finding and keeping drivers, being able to showcase how you’re using the best technology available to ensure that not only will they get home safely to their families, but they’ll be given the data to unlock any performance related bonuses without subjectivity, is golden in recruitment and retention conversations.

The capabilities of AI backed driver training programmes are growing at pace and the technology should, and will soon become an integral part of many fleets’ HR strategies.