Thread by @Joe_Mayes

A worsening driver shortage in the U.K. - exacerbated by Brexit and the pandemic - is increasing costs for businesses and leading to empty shelves 1/ bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

Multiple factors have come to a head to cause the shortage, including:
- EU drivers returning home post-Brexit
- Brexit customs delays tying up vehicles for longer
- Covid disrupting tests for new drivers, creating a big backlog waiting to get licences 2/

So what's happening on the ground? Supermarkets are beginning to see gaps in their supplies. Fresh produce is going to waste because it's not being collected. And businesses face a daily struggle and higher costs to get their goods to market 3/

What's the solution? The haulage industry wants a temporary visa scheme to get more EU drivers back, but this is being resisted by the government. “Employers should invest in our domestic workforce'' DfT said in a statement 4/

Driver wages are starting to rise, which should help plug the shortfall. The average salary for an HGV driver pre-pandemic was £32k. Agency drivers can now make £40k+ and it's rising, according to @DriverRequire 5/

Moreover, there are 300,000 qualified lorry drivers in the U.K. who currently work in other fields, having quit the profession due to poor pay and conditions. They'll come back if the price is right, says @kieransmithuk 6/

But it's going to be a painful adjustment period. The July 19 easing of restrictions may also put more pressure on supply chains as demand in the economy increases further -- it's a tough time to be in logistics... 7/ bloomberg.com/news/articles/…

And here's my take on the problem on @BloombergTV
ends/

https://twitter.com/Brexit/status/1417423421835825158