The 50km restriction on 18-19-year-old drivers is holding back our ability to attract new staff, writes Edwards Coaches‘ Commercial Manager
The majority of us in the coach sector will have been pleased to hear in January that the Department for Transport (DfT) is reopening the case on whether the 50km restriction on the youngest PCV drivers should be relaxed. Wording on the approach and potential outcome has been cautious and there is no firm guarantee of a positive outcome, though the reopening of discussions is positive.
What impact would it have on an operator such as ourselves? We are no different to other coach and bus operators in that there continue to be periods of shortfalls in drivers and recruitment difficulties. Touch wood, we haven’t fared too badly of late, even with expansion of our scheduled intercity operations portfolio from the start of the year.
Capturing young prospective coach drivers early on would help us to avoid losing them to other industries where there are no such restrictions. In the professional driving sector, 18-20-year-olds can drive HGVs with no restriction and there is no clear evidence of difficulties having arisen as a result. Why should this be any different in the coach sector? Indications suggest that findings from the HGV sector will be mirrored in ours.
With a primary focus on the removal of restrictions on young drivers, maybe we have inadvertently ignored other barriers to entry to reduce shortfalls in driver numbers
Through capturing young drivers earlier and with appropriate support, mentoring and monitoring mechanisms, we can “mould” them to become successful coach industry long-servers. We can shout about career opportunities at recruitment fairs and the like, with a shorter list of potentially prohibitive entry-level requirements. There are many more benefits to list – the above is by no means exhaustive. Even an incremental distance approach would be more attractive than the current state of play.
Would the removal of the 50km restriction mean that recruiting experienced drivers no longer matters to the coach sector? Of course not – experience is important. However, the option to use younger drivers on longer-distance work, when they have had a full induction, training, appropriate mentoring, and sign-off, will assist with periods when establishment numbers ebb. There will be more resource to draw upon, which is important for all operators and for keeping our industry alive and kicking.
What else can be done to alleviate other restrictions that operators face? With a primary focus on the removal of restrictions on young drivers, maybe we have inadvertently ignored other barriers to entry to reduce shortfalls in driver numbers. What further action could be taken? How restrictive is the PSV licence renewal process, for example? Is it off-putting and does it prevent renewal? Should this be subject to further review? Should the PSV licence acquisition process, including testing, be subject to further review?
In summary, for our part at Edwards, we would certainly value more flexibility with young coach drivers, though we are not ignoring the merits of employing drivers with a wealth of experience. Experience can and should be nurtured; we don’t condone not supporting new employees or, moreover, new licence-holders.
We have completed DfT’s survey that was open until early March. After all, a strong response from operators would significantly strengthen our case for change.
