UK retailers and supply chains could face fresh disruption as a new HGV driver shortage emerges following the end of government-funded training programmes.

The loss of central funding for the government’s HGV Skills Bootcamps has significantly reduced the number of newly trained drivers entering the workforce, raising concerns across logistics and distribution sectors that support retail operations.

The UK experienced a major HGV driver shortage in 2021, which disrupted deliveries to supermarkets and retailers and contributed to empty shelves across parts of the country.

In response, the Department for Education launched Skills Bootcamps in HGV Driving, which provided businesses with subsidised access to driver training.

However, central funding for the initiative ended last year.

According to the Road Haulage Association, the UK must recruit and train around 60,000 HGV drivers every year to meet demand.

The scheme has played a key role in helping businesses recruit new drivers during the past few years.

Insite, a training provider, alone trained more than 4,500 new HGV drivers across 1,100 organisations through the scheme, with over 85 per cent moving straight into employment.

The warning highlights growing concerns within logistics and distribution sectors that ongoing labour shortages could once again place pressure on UK retail supply chains if the flow of newly qualified drivers fails to keep pace with demand.

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