Keep off truckin

Going downhillGRIMSBY, home to Britain's best fish and chips, has one of the highest unemployment rates in the country. Yet in the very same town an industry is crying out for workers. Grimsby's port welcomes everything from Russian wood-pallets to French cars. But as adverts around the town attest, road-haulage firms, which transport these goods around the country, complain about a shortage of labour. The trucking puzzle hints at three problems facing the wider labour market: discouraged workers, unambitious employers and a government that does too little to get people into jobs.Lobby groups estimate that the road-haulage industry is short of 45,000 drivers (the government agrees). Only 17,000 new truck-drivers' licences are issued each year, half of what is needed. The result of this lack of personnel is that haulage firms must turn down work. Products turn up late. With three times as much freight transported by road as by rail and water combined, this is bad news for consumers.One reason for the labour shortage is that people do not fancy the work. Driving the lorries is not tricky; after having a go,...Continue reading
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