A driver shortage is the biggest challenge facing the transport industry in 2018, according to a UK customer survey by Paragon Software Systems.
The annual survey revealed that almost half of respondents (46 percent) state that the lack of drivers and other skilled workers across the industry was the biggest hurdle to success. This was an increase by more than a third compared to the previous year, and significantly ahead of other factors such as rising transport costs (13 percent) and Brexit (2 percent).
When asked what the logistics sector should be doing to attract young talent into the industry, more than a third said more education and training initiatives were needed, while a quarter thought that improvements in pay and conditions were the most important factor.
Respondents were also asked what planning pressures were affecting their transport operations and 46 percent cited the need to compare planned routes against actual performance, and another 45 percent saying a demand for more accurate time windows were the most significant factors.
“The findings of our customer survey highlight the importance of using routing and scheduling software to help manage all available drivers and vehicles at an individual resource level,” said William Salter, Paragon’s Managing Director. “This means that logistics operations can mitigate the impact of driver and skills shortages, as well as meet the increasing expectations of customers.”
