Railfreight operators say they have the solution to Britain’s long-term truck driver shortage. A permanent solution to the supply chain shortfall in drivers would be a radical adjustment to make much more use of rail freight. That change could be almost immediate, thanks to capacity released by pandemic-reduced passenger travel, and rolling stock now available for conversion.
UK supply chain problems are making the headlines. A shortage of truck drivers has seen empty shelves at supermarkets and companies offering ‘golden handshakes’ to attract qualified recruits. However, the solution doesn’t lie in heavier lorries and higher competition for drivers, say rail industry sources.
A traffic jam everyone saw coming
“The truck driver shortage is nothing new to the UK”, says Phil Read of Varamis Rail, one of a cohort of companies seeking to shake up the logistics market in the UK. “It has been an issue for a generation, and this is really a traffic jam everyone in the logistics chain has seen coming.” Read has been working on a long-distance, high-speed, rail-based alternative to the convoys of trucks that snake up and down the UK motorways.
