Heavy goods vehicle drivers to benefit from £20 million of funding for better roadside facilities

• £20 million allocated to improve security, lighting and shower rooms at roadside services for heavy goods vehicle (HGV) drivers
• adds to package of government measures to tackle effects of the global driver shortage in UK
• aims to improve working conditions and retain HGV drivers, backed by overall £52.5 million investment in driver facilities

HGV drivers will benefit from £20 million to improve roadside facilities, as part of continued government action with industry to boost driver welfare and tackle the effects of the global driver shortage in the UK.

The funding is part of National Highways’ existing £169 million Users and Communities Fund, and will go specifically towards improving security, showers and eating facilities as well as exploring increasing parking spaces for lorry drivers. Roadside service operators are being encouraged to apply for the multimillion-pound fund immediately.

It means the government has now taken 33 actions to support the sector and address a shortage of HGV drivers affecting countries around the world.

The funding takes the total government investment in driver facilities to £52.5 million since last year. £32.5 million was previously committed in the Chancellor’s budget to provide better facilities right across the country for HGV drivers, to drive up standards and further safeguard driver comfort and safety.

Among other measures already taken to support the haulage industry:

• the number of HGV driving tests available increased by 90% compared to pre-pandemic levels through measures including overtime and allocating additional employees into testing
• the processing of provisional HGV driving licences was prioritised at the DVLA
• plans were set out to widen the pool of registered healthcare professionals authorised to complete DVLA medical questionnaires, reducing administrative burdens on general practitioners (GPs)

Thanks to the measures taken, over the last 6 months DVLA processed more than 240,000 vocational (bus and lorry) licence applications, and in December 2021 they issued 150% more provisional vocational driving licences (14,210 in total) than in the equivalent pre-pandemic month in December 2019.

Meanwhile, DVSA carried out an unprecedented 27,144 HGV driving tests between October and December last year compared to the same period in 2019 when 17,685 HGV tests were carried out.