ECTA acts on driver shortage

GET BEHIND THE WHEEL

DRIVER SHORTAGE • ECTA IS CALLING FOR AN INDUSTRY-WIDE EFFORT TO OVERCOME THOSE SUPPLY CHAIN INEFFICIENCIES THAT ARE EXACERBATING THE PERSISTENT LACK OF DRIVERS

THE SHORTAGE OF heavy goods vehicle drivers is now endemic across Europe and North America. It is an especial problem for the chemical sector, with those young people coming into the transport industry no longer being attracted to the chemical driver job with its special requirements and obligations. As a result, every year more drivers are retiring than are joining the ranks.

The European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic) and the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA) published a best practice guidance document two years ago, offering practical recommendations for tackling the shortage of drivers. However, ECTA says, low engagement from most chemical shippers has made the situation worse – and it is has been further impacted by the current Ukraine crisis.

ECTA is unequivocal of its criticism of current working practices in the chemical supply chain, saying that today’s chemical loading unloading processes in road transport are “broken”. In some 30 per cent of loading and unloading operations, gate-to-gate time exceeds three hours. This means that drivers are being confronted by longer and more unreliable waiting times at loading and unloading sites and this is one more reason prompting many to quite the job. Further, while unnecessary waiting time impacts driver productivity, it can also have a negative effect on safety, health and the environment.

“This trend is worsening day by day and can no longer be resolved through waiting time demurrages,” ECTA says. “If no immediate actions are taken, the supply of chemicals will be disrupted even further.” THE ROAD AHEAD “The ‘over-optimisation’ at loading and unloading sites over the past years has happened at the expense of increased driver flexibility,” ECTA stresses. “This one-sided process optimisation approach is no longer sustainable when it comes to truck drivers’ productivity and job attractiveness. Assuming we can eliminate the current lost driver time, we can retain chemical truck drivers more easily and increase the capacity of chemical drivers by 10 per cent. We should also realise that the chemical driver shortage is worsened by the heavy demands on the labour market. Such driver demands like e-commerce drivers have less strict requirements and do offer a better work-life balance.” ECTA is calling for immediate action and recommends, for instance: • Adjusting site inventory level requirements • Revising opening hours at loading/ unloading sites • Taking responsibility for outsourcing site operations • Making slot booking more flexible • Handling drivers with more respect • Supporting initiatives for digital gate registration.

ECTA now wants to give drivers a voice, through a neutral app where they can leave their experiences at each site. That could generate data to allow a ‘score’ to be assigned to each site – and perhaps be extended to cleaning stations, intermodal terminals and port terminals. ECTA could then highlight to best and worse performing sites, which could encourage poor facilities to improve their operations.

ECTA is calling on all stakeholders to join forces to improve the attractiveness of driving as a career and the productivity of existing drivers. “We all need to ensure that chemical truck drivers are treated with respect and are considered as a very valuable resource to transport chemicals in a sustainable and efficient way,” ECTA concludes. www.ecta.com

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