The UK’s logistics sector has long been the unsung hero of our economy - quietly powering commerce, retail, healthcare, construction, and everything in between. But behind the warehouse doors and motorway miles lies a growing concern beginning to impact productivity and service levels: a chronic shortage of HGV drivers.
We’ve heard the headlines before. However, it isn’t a temporary blip, it’s a long-term challenge. The situation requires more than short-term fixes - it needs smarter, scalable training solutions that work.
📉 The Numbers Behind the Wheel
Let’s look at the figures.
- According to Logistics UK, the sector is currently short of around 50,000 - 60,000 drivers, down from 76,000 but still severely disruptive.
- The average age of an HGV driver is 55, and fewer than 2% are under 25.
- More than 30,000 drivers left the profession in 2023 - to retire or switch industries due to unsustainable hours or lack of support.
- Worryingly, only 1,000 new drivers under 25 entered the profession last year, highlighting a massive generational gap.
What does this mean for transport and logistics teams? More work, fewer drivers, and more risk.
🧩 Training: The Missing Piece in the Workforce Puzzle
A contributing factor to the shortage isn’t just recruitment—it’s the bottleneck in training. Many companies still struggle with:
- Disjointed training processes
- Low pass rates
- Delays in medicals and theory tests
- A lack of clarity around CPC requirements and licence upgrades
- Providers that promise the world but deliver very little.
In short, it’s hard to train at scale when the systems are slow, generic, and fragmented.
🚛 Enter UK HGV PRO: A Training Partner, Not Just a Provider
At UK HGV PRO, we’re not here to book a few tests and walk away. We’ve designed a fully managed, end-to-end corporate HGV training service that eliminates complexity and delivers results. Whether you’re a large logistics firm or a local council, we help you build driving capacity - efficiently, compliantly, and professionally.
✅ Medical bookings, theory support, and practical test scheduling—all handled by us
✅ Dedicated account management and tailored reporting
✅ Support with Operator Licence compliance and DVSA audits
✅ Scalable solutions: train one driver or a hundred
✅ Exceptional pass rates and retention-focused training
🔄 Try It. See the Difference.
Changing providers is a big decision—we get it. That’s why we created our One for the Road initiative. It allows companies to trial our service by putting just one driver through our training process. No risk, no disruption, just results.
👉 Already have a larger cohort in mind? We’re ready. Our system is built to scale and designed to adapt to your operations.
🏁 The Road Ahead
Driver shortages won’t resolve themselves. Inaction has a cost—missed deliveries, staff burnout, and ultimately lost business. Companies are investing in future-ready training infrastructures now.
At UK HGV PRO, we believe solving the driver shortage starts with transforming how we train. If you agree, let’s talk.
The UK still faces an HGV driver shortage - and the bottleneck isn’t just hiring, it’s training. UK HGV PRO offers a smarter, scalable, fully managed service for businesses that want results, not excuses. Let’s solve this, one driver at a time.
.svg){kind=small}
