A thoroughly sound analysis.
On a simplistic level it had struck me that one would expect the average age of HGV drivers to be ~40-45, not 55 as reported.
This suggests that there has been insufficient recruitment and training over 15-20 years. The shortfall in new drivers was partly covered by recruitment of EU drivers. Brexit and covid have crystallised a problem that already existed.
Individual businesses in the haulage industry found it quicker and cheaper to recruit already trained drivers from EU than train new. The same pressures have created shortages in nursing and care staff with recruitment of ready trained staff from EU and the Far East.
The haulage industry together with their user base (retailers, fuel, industry) should take prime responsibility for the failures. Government, in a market based economy, could only ever have ensured a framework was in place, not actually solve the problem.
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