DVLA faces pressure to clear backlog of 54,000 HGV licences

29 September 2021, 12:17 | Updated: 29 September 2021, 12:24

HGV driver can't get through to the DVLA to renew license

By Patrick Grafton-Green

The DVLA is facing growing pressure to clear a backlog of 54,000 HGV licences as a shortage of drivers sparks huge problems across many industries.

The fuel industry is the latest to suffer a crisis with days of chaos at petrol stations sparked by reports that a shortage of tanker drivers was threatening supplies.

This prompted a wave of panic buying, with pumps running dry and violence erupting at some forecourts.

READ MORE: Fuel crisis 'to last weeks', but PM insists it is stabilising as the army gets ready

READ MORE: 'Fuel-ish behaviour': Police mock motorists queuing for three hours at closed station

The Government has revealed plans to grant 5,000 temporary visas to EU drivers to alleviate the supply chain crisis, however this has drawn criticism as tens of thousands of UK drivers wait months to receive or renew licences.

One caller, Deep, told LBC his HGV licence expired about a year ago and he hadn't been able to get a replacement due to Covid.

He explained to Nick Ferrari that drivers with an HGV licence are expected to do to a medical every five years.

Deep said he had spent days trying to call DVLA to get the required medical pack so, after repeatedly failing to get through, sent an email.

James O'Brien: Tomasz Oryński full interview

He told Nick "you won't believe this" as he revealed he got a response telling him to call the same number that he had been trying to get through on for days.

He said it will take another four weeks to get a medical from a doctor and another two or three weeks on top of that for licence to be sent.

He added: "And yet they want to have Europeans to come along and do our driving when we've got people in this country who are waiting to drive, waiting to do this stuff and they can't. It takes forever."

It comes as Boris Johnson received a fresh warning that the situation is threatening supplies in the run-up to Christmas unless ministers adopt a "more decisive approach" to the issue.

Lorry driver 'cannot see' how HGV temporary visa scheme would work.

Fashion giant Next said its service was likely to to experience "some degradation" as the festive season approached without a relaxation of the immigration rules.

In his first public comments on the issue, the Prime Minister said on Tuesday the situation was "stabilising" and urged motorists to fill up their tanks as normal.

He said the Government was putting in place preparations to ensure "all parts of our supply chain" - not just petrol - were able to "get through to Christmas and beyond".

At the same time, however, he insisted he was not prepared to address labour shortages through "uncontrolled immigration" leading to a "low wage, low skill" economy.

Meanwhile 150 military drivers, together with a further 150 drivers' mates, who have been put on standby to assist in the crisis are beginning training to operate petrol tankers.

More Latest News

See more More Latest News

Mother Natalie Pinnell

Mother left in tears after daughter with complex needs 'erased' from school photo

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard have both been nominated to the Garrick Club

Amber Rudd and Mary Beard among seven women nominated for membership of all-male Garrick Club

Exclusive
Anneliese Dodds said Labour would make sure local people have 'skin in the game' with tackling inequality

'Rebuild has to start from ground up,' Labour's Anneliese Dodds says, and 'local people must have skin in the game'

Mohamed Mansour has been awarded a knighthood

Conservatives accused of 'cronyism' after donor who gave £5 million awarded knighthood in surprise honours list

Exclusive
Justin Welby recalled his experience of coping with his father's drinking as a teenager.

‘It was utterly isolating’: Archbishop of Canterbury recalls harrowing childhood with alcoholic father

More than 2 million drivers are set to hit the road on Good Friday.

Easter Carmageddon: Over two million drivers to hit the road on Good Friday after Storm Nelson travel chaos

Michael Gove has slammed the water firm as a 'disgrace'.

Thames Water bosses branded a ‘disgrace’ as Michael Gove tells firm ‘not to punish consumers’ for its failings

South Africa Bus Crash

Girl, 8, the sole survivor as 45 die in bus crash off South Africa bridge

A spokesman has denied reports the sausage dog could be banned.

The wurst news is over: Germany denies claims of sausage dog ban

Israel Palestinians Britain Aid

UN top court orders Israel to open more land crossings into Gaza

Greece Confidence Vote

Greece’s government survives no-confidence motion called over rail disaster

A council has had to apologise following the incident.

Fury as parents offered version of school class photo without complex needs pupils

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Conjoined twin who shot to fame with sister on The Oprah Winfrey Show marries army veteran in private ceremony

Israel Palestinians UN Security Council

Russia ‘abolishes’ monitoring of sanctions on North Korea with UN veto

Firefighters at the scene of a bus crash in Limpopo

Bus falls from bridge in South Africa and erupts into flames, killing at least 45 and leaving child, 8, as lone survivor

Music-Green Day UN

Green Day to headline UN-backed global climate concert