The rules on the number of deliveries overseas lorry drivers can make in the UK are set to be relaxed in a bid to tackle supply chain problems in the run-up to Christmas, as reported by the BBC.
Last month, the government announced it would grant up to 5,000 temporary visas for HGV drivers from abroad – but so far only a fraction have been issued.
But now ministers are going further, and plan to make temporary changes to cabotage rules, which govern how many jobs a haulier can make in a foreign country.
Under the new plans, drivers will be able to make unlimited deliveries or collections within a 14 day period. Currently EU drivers can only make two pick-ups or drop-offs each week.
The changes still need to be approved after a one-week consultation – but if passed they will come into force “towards the end of this year for up to six months”, according to the government.
The UK’s lorry driver shortage – due to a combination of Covid, Brexit and other factors – has affected petrol stations, supermarkets and left containers piled up at Felixstowe Port unable to be moved.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told BBC Breakfast: “Having some additional capacity right now… it is a good idea. This is a quick way of doing it. It doesn’t require visas, it’s just a common sense measure.”
Mr Shapps said the long-term answer to the supply chain issues “must be developing a high-skill, high-wage economy here in the UK”.
