It's not only a HGV driver shortage impacting UK supply chains, but also Brexit has removed cabotage, which made UK haulage more efficient. A truck from Spain dropping fruit in Glasgow could pick up dairy in Glasgow for delivery in Hull, then fish in Hull for delivery in Madrid.
This created additional flexibility because the driver involved was employed in Spain, not UK. The same was true for UK-employed drivers travelling across Europe. UK haulage companies are now effectively excluded from a system operating across 27 countries, hence no shortages.
For reference, the EU cabotage regulations, alongside the revised UK rights as a third country
eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/…
gov.uk/haulage-in-the…
Additionally, there is another element of flexibility that is negatively impacted by Brexit. Articulated vehicles separate into a tractor unit & a trailer. Trailers can be switched. Vehicle registration rules, now different in UK from EU, make leaving a trailer in UK less easy.
A recent logistics industry article alluding to these points is available here:
trans.info/en/there-s-a-e…
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