Scotland’s Transport Minister, Jenny Gilruth visited the RHA’s training facility in Bathgate on the 20 October, showing her support for Scotland’s road transport industry ahead of National Lorry Week. The minister toured the RHA’s facility, which delivers a range of training and tests for logistics professionals, including: HGV licensing, Transport Manager CPC, and apprenticeships.
Since January, it has seen 85 candidates pass their HGV driving test for Cat C/CE and in the last seven months has helped 42 people complete their Modern Apprenticeship – a qualification aimed at people aged 16 or over that provides paid employment alongside learning with a college or education provider.
The visit comes ahead of National Lorry Week (24 – 30 October), an annual event in its eighth year, that celebrates the essential work of the road transport industry, and promotes the wide range of career opportunities available to young people or those looking for a new challenge.
The RHA has been travelling across the UK in a specially liveried DAF XG lorry, meeting with schools, colleges, Government, operators and drivers to champion the industry.
The facility in Scotland is an example of how the RHA is working together with industry to address the UK’s HGV driver shortage, which stands at around 50,000. The road transport industry plays a vital role in supplying everything that we rely on, from food and drink to clothing and medicine and is under tremendous pressure to recruit.
Transport Minister Jenny Gilruth said: “I am delighted to give my backing to the RHA’s National Lorry Week, which is the association’s annual campaign to champion the industry and shines a light on the businesses and individuals who work tirelessly to keep Scotland moving.”
“I am grateful to everyone involved in the haulage industry in Scotland, which has worked extremely hard during the pandemic and to help mitigate the impacts of Brexit to help ensure food, drink and other essential items have remained available. Your efforts clearly demonstrate the importance of the logistics industry to the Scottish economy. Your sector is also a key enabler of sustainable economic growth.
“I am aware that the logistics sector faces challenges recovering from Brexit and the impact of Covid. That is why I value the relationship the Scottish Government has with the RHA and why we will continue to look at helping the sector to meet some of those challenges where we can and have powers to do so, for the benefit of Scotland as a whole.
“In conclusion, I would once again like to thank the industry for the hard work it does and the RHA in particular for the positive messages it is putting out as part of the National Lorry Week.”
RHA Managing Director, Richard Smith, said: “We are delighted to have the support of the transport minister. The logistics industry is the lifeblood of our economy; just look around you, virtually everything you see has at some point been moved by a lorry.
“People in our industry have shown great resilience over the last couple of years in the face of huge challenges, from Brexit and the pandemic to driver shortages and energy costs.
“National Lorry Week is our opportunity to celebrate them and the great work they do.”
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