Senedd Cymru	Welsh Parliament
Pwyllgor yr Economi, Masnach a Materion Gwledig	Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Diffyg gyrwyr cerbydau nwyddau trwm a phroblemau â’r gadwyn gyflenwi	HGV Driver Shortage and Supply Chain Issues
HGV - 10
Ymateb gan: Pencadlys 160ain Brigad (Cymru)	Evidence from: HQ 160th (Welsh) Brigade

20211123-National HGV Driver Shortages - Military Support in Wales

National HGV Driver Shortages - Military Support in Wales

This briefing note is at the request of the Senedd’s Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee who are conducting a Welsh focussed Inquiry into HGV driver shortages and supply chain issues. The committee are specifically interested in MACA activity being conducted in Wales in support of increasing HGV supply chain capacity.

There are currently 2 MACAs running in Wales, that relate to HGV driver activities; the provision of Defence Driving Examiners (DDEs) and the provision of fuel tanker drivers. The details of both are as follows:

DDE Support

This is a UK wide operation at the request of the Department for Transport (DfT). It is predicated on a short-term basis to meet the urgent demand for additional HGV drivers, estimated to be understrength by approximately 40,000-70,000 qualified drivers. Although both industry and UK Government are taking urgent steps to recruit and train new drivers, the limited number of qualified HGV driver examiners is causing a bottleneck in supply, amounting to a backlog of HGV driving tests and a 10-week waiting time to being able to conduct a test. MOD support is intended to bridge the gap in Driver Vehicle Safety Agency (DVSA) Examiner capacity until additional DfT measures deliver in late 2021.

Following a period of DVSA Examiner conversion training[1], 3 x MOD DDEs (out of 24 pan UK) deployed to Wales to conduct Cat C and Cat C+E HGV practical examinations from 11 October until the expected end date of 31 December 21 (or until test centres officially close for the Christmas break). Each driver is scheduled to conduct four HGV driving tests per day over a 5-day week and at two locations: DVSA Llantrisant and DVSA Caernarfon.

Noting the lower-than-expected productivity of the 3 DDEs in Wales, one of the drivers was transferred to a ‘high demand’ DVSA site in England on 5 November. Further moves either into or out of Wales may take place subject to the varying demands on DVSA test sites. As of 23 November, DDEs have conducted 169 HGV driving tests in Wales to date.

Fuel Tanker Drivers

As per the DDEs, this is a UK wide initiative as a response to the downstream oil sector experiencing some impacts of the HGV driver shortage, consistent to the challenges faced by the wider logistics sector. It is understood that there is no shortage of fuel in the UK, with refineries and terminals continuing to have normal stock levels. The challenges being faced by the sector relate to moving that fuel to the places it is needed, ahead of when it is needed. Business Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) engagement with hauliers identified exact locations, numbers of drivers to support and start dates. For Wales, this amounted to a team of nine, consisting of four tanker drivers, four driver assistants (four driver teams) and one Senior Non-Commissioned Officer in a leadership role (Haulier Liaison Officer and Shift Manager). This cohort commenced initial training on 10 October 21 ready for a first shift start of 14 October 21. They are operating exclusively in support of one haulier, based out of a terminal in Cardiff.

Working from Monday – Friday and using two fuel tankers, the team is predominantly focussed on transporting fuel from the Cardiff Terminal to various fuel distribution sites. From inception, the plan has been to provide tapered military support until sector resilience is increased with a completion date of 30 November 21. As such and in alignment with productivity, one driver team was stood down on 3 November 21, leaving 3 crews operating until the end of the month. As of 23 November 21, the military crews had delivered in excess of 2.5 Million litres of fuel.

1. [1] DVSA provided one week of familiarisation and conversion training to ensure DDEs met the relevant conditions to be a civilian examiner appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport. This covered Category C, C+E, C1 and C1+E specific content, customer service and operational training. Following training, the DVSA Chief Examiner authorised DDEs as examiners for the purpose of conducting manoeuvres tests, practical tests or unitary tests under paragraph (1)(a) of regulation 24 of the Motor Vehicle (Driving Licence) Regulations 1999.