Scroll through any HGV driver forum and you will find the same conversation playing out week after week. A recruitment agency posts a job advert. The rate is £15 an hour. The comments roll in like a tidal wave.
That is a joke. I made more stacking shelves at Aldi. Good luck filling that.
The haulage industry loves to talk about the driver shortage. The Road Haulage Association says the UK needs tens of thousands of new drivers every year. Politicians hold summits. Think tanks write reports. Everyone asks the same question: where have all the drivers gone?
Ask the drivers themselves and you will get a different answer. It is not that the drivers have gone. It is that the jobs are not worth doing anymore.
This article is built from real conversations: Reddit threads, driver forums, Facebook groups and conversations with working drivers. It is not a corporate take on the shortage. It is what drivers are actually saying, in their own words, about why they are walking away.
The £15 an hour problem
Let us start with the numbers, because the numbers tell the story.
In 2026, the UK living wage sits at £12.21 per hour for adults aged 21 and over. Warehouse work at Aldi, Lidl or Amazon pays £13 to £14.50 per hour with shift premiums, predictable hours and no responsibility for a 44-tonne vehicle or the safety of other road users.
Meanwhile, Class 1 HGV work, requiring a licence that costs £3,000 to £5,000 to obtain, a CPC qualification renewed every five years, a digital tachograph card and a medical every five years, is being advertised at £15 an hour by agencies up and down the country.
Drivers are not having it.
I can stack shelves at Aldi for £13.50 an hour, get home at the same time every night, have zero responsibility for a truck worth £150k, and I do not have to deal with planners who treat me like a number. Why would I want your job?
This sentiment is echoed across every driver forum. The pay differential between HGV driving and lower-skilled, lower-responsibility work has collapsed. When drivers can earn almost as much in a warehouse, without the hours, the stress or the time away from home, the value proposition of HGV work falls apart.
What drivers are actually being offered
Based on job adverts shared on driver forums in 2026, here is the reality of what agencies and operators are trying to pay.
- Container work: £15 to £16 per hour, 12 to 15 hour shifts, some days 7 hours.
- General haulage: £14 to £17 per hour, 50 to 60 hours per week.
- Supermarket work: £18.50 to £23 per hour, union-backed, includes premiums.
- Tramping: low flat rate, away all week, nights out paid at £25 to £35.
- Night shifts: £17 to £20 per hour, depending on region and contract.
The drivers who are taking the £15 an hour jobs are often newly qualified, trying to get experience, or trapped by circumstances. The experienced drivers, the ones who know how to handle a loaded artic in high winds, who can reverse into a tight yard first time, who keep the wheels turning when everything is going wrong, they are the ones walking away. If you are a new driver trying to get a start, see our guide on getting your first HGV job with no experience.
The driver shortage myth — straight from the drivers
Here is the uncomfortable truth that the industry does not want to hear: there is no driver shortage. There is a shortage of drivers willing to work for the rates being offered.
This distinction matters. When the RHA talks about a shortage, it implies a lack of qualified people. But the UK has a huge pool of qualified drivers. They are just not driving for a living anymore.
Where have they gone? Ask them and they will tell you.
| Where experienced drivers have gone | Why they left HGV work |
|---|---|
| Warehouse and logistics | Better hours, comparable pay, no responsibility for a vehicle |
| Construction and trades | Higher pay, more autonomy, better conditions |
| Bus and coach driving | Home every night, fixed routes, union representation |
| Delivery and courier work | Less regulation, more flexibility, similar pay |
| Retirement | Done with 15-hour days, poor facilities and disrespect |
| Anything else | Literally anything that treats them like a human being |
The industry cries shortage when what they mean is nobody wants to work for £15 an hour with no guaranteed hours, poor facilities and a planner who treats you like dirt. Pay the rate and the drivers will come back.
The experienced drivers who have left are not gone forever. They still hold their licences. They still have their CPC cards. Many of them would return tomorrow if the job was worth returning to. But they have done the maths, and the maths does not work. For a deeper analysis of what drivers actually earn, see our article on HGV driver pay in 2026.
What drivers say about the shortage
There is no driver shortage. There is a pay shortage. And a respect shortage. And a being treated like a human being shortage. One driver with 20 years of experience said he is not working for £15 an hour, because his time is worth more than that. Another driver observed that every company he has left has replaced him with two new drivers who do not know what they are doing. They are paying the same money for less experience and more mistakes. It makes no sense.
Are you paying enough to attract real drivers?
HGV Agency works with haulage operators and logistics firms who understand that experienced drivers are worth paying for. If you are struggling to fill shifts with low rates, we can help you benchmark your pay against the market and connect with drivers who are actually looking for work, at rates that make it worthwhile.
Benchmark your pay rates with HGV AgencyThe real numbers: what drivers are actually earning
It is easy to assume that the £15 an hour jobs are the exception. But ask drivers and they will tell you it is the opposite: the £15 an hour jobs are becoming the norm, and the decent-paying jobs are the exception.
Here is what drivers are reporting across the UK in 2026.
| Driver type | Reported hourly rate | Annual salary (approx.) |
|---|---|---|
| Container work (average) | £15 to £17 | £33,000 to £37,000 |
| General haulage | £14 to £17 | £30,000 to £38,000 |
| Supermarket work (union) | £18.50 to £23 | £40,000 to £50,000 |
| Tramping (flat rate) | Low flat rate | £35,000 to £40,000 |
| Tanker / ADR | £22 to £30 | £45,000 to £60,000 |
| Night shifts (premium) | £17 to £20 | £38,000 to £45,000 |
The gap between the best and worst-paying HGV jobs is enormous. A supermarket driver on £23 an hour with premiums is earning almost 50 per cent more than a container driver on £15.50. But here is the thing: it is not just about the hourly rate. It is about the hours, the conditions and the total package.
The hours problem
Drivers do not just look at the hourly rate. They look at the total hours they will have to work to earn a decent living. A driver on £17 an hour working 50 hours a week earns around £850 per week before tax. Sounds reasonable until you realise those 50 hours include 4am starts or midnight finishes, unpaid waiting time at depots and delivery points, reduced rest periods that leave you exhausted, nights away from home and being on the road in all weathers.
Now compare that to a warehouse job at £13.50 an hour working 40 hours a week: £540 per week, but with fixed hours, no travel time, no responsibility for a vehicle and the ability to go home to your family every night. The financial gap looks smaller when you factor in the quality-of-life gap. And for many drivers, especially those in their thirties and forties, quality of life wins. Our article on the hours nobody warned you about goes deeper into this reality.
The hidden costs of HGV driving
Drivers point out that the hourly rate does not tell the full story. The real costs of HGV driving include CPC renewal at £250 to £500 every five years, medical costs at £50 to £100 every five years, travel to work often to an industrial estate with no public transport, food at motorway services prices or eating out of a cool bag, time away from family which is the intangible cost that drives so many out, and health impacts from sitting for long periods, irregular sleep and poor diet.
Why £15 an hour does not cut it anymore
Let us break down why £15 an hour is no longer a competitive rate for HGV driving.
The responsibility factor
A Class 1 driver is responsible for a vehicle worth £100,000 to £150,000, a load worth anywhere from £10,000 to £500,000, the safety of other road users as a 44-tonne truck can kill, compliance with complex driving hours regulations, customer relationships at delivery points and the company''s reputation every time they are on the road. Compare that to a warehouse operative, who is responsible for not dropping a box. The pay differential does not reflect the difference in responsibility.
The skills factor
Driving an articulated lorry is a skill. It is not just steering and braking. It is reversing into tight yards, sometimes blind-side, sometimes with inches of clearance. It is reading the road and anticipating what other drivers will do before they do it. It is managing weight distribution and load security. It is planning routes to avoid low bridges, weight limits and restricted zones. It is handling hours regulations while keeping the job moving. And it is dealing with customers, often under pressure. These are not unskilled tasks. They are the result of years of experience and training. The pay should reflect that.
The sacrifice factor
HGV driving involves sacrifices that other jobs do not: being away from home sometimes all week if you are tramping, missing family events such as birthdays, school plays and anniversaries, irregular sleep with 4am starts, night shifts and broken rest, poor facilities with dirty showers, expensive food and unsafe parking, physical toll including back problems, circulation issues and weight gain, and mental toll including isolation, stress and the constant pressure of deadlines.
Drivers are tired of making these sacrifices for £15 an hour. They have done the maths. They know they can earn similar money in a warehouse with half the hassle. The only reason to drive is if the pay makes the sacrifice worth it.
What would make drivers come back?
Drivers on forums have been clear about what they want.
- £18+ per hour as the baseline for Class 1 work.
- Guaranteed hours rather than being called when needed.
- Predictable schedules so drivers know when they will be home.
- Paid waiting time rather than sitting at a depot for 3 hours unpaid.
- Decent facilities with clean toilets, safe parking and hot food.
- Respect and being treated as a professional, not a commodity.
What drivers are saying in their own words
Here is a selection of comments from UK driver forums and Reddit threads, reflecting the mood of the industry in 2026.
On pay
One driver described being offered £14.50 an hour for nights and telling the agency he would rather work at Tesco for £13 and sleep in his own bed. They could not understand why. Another driver with 25 years of experience said his hourly rate, adjusted for inflation, is lower now than it was in 2005. A third driver called £15 an hour for Class 1 an insult, pointing out you can get £14 stacking boxes with zero stress.
On hours
One driver said the job is not the driving, it is the 15-hour days. You are too tired to enjoy your time off, and then you are back at it. Another driver described doing 65 hours a week and when he worked out his hourly rate including the unpaid waiting, it was below minimum wage. A third driver noted that tramping is fine if you are young and single, but if you have a family, forget it.
On respect
One driver said the planner talks to him like he is an idiot, even though he has been doing this longer than the planner has been alive. Another driver pointed out that you get treated better by the security guard at a depot than you do by some transport managers. They forget you are the one making the money. A third driver said he does not need a thank you, he just needs to be treated like a human being. That is it.
These are not the complaints of lazy or entitled drivers. They are the complaints of skilled professionals who are tired of being undervalued, overworked and disrespected.
What the industry needs to understand
The HGV industry has a choice. It can keep insisting there is a driver shortage and hope something changes. Or it can listen to what drivers are actually saying and do something about it. The evidence from the drivers themselves points to three fundamental issues.
1. Pay rates need to reflect reality
£15 an hour is not a competitive rate for Class 1 work. If the industry wants experienced drivers, it needs to pay for them. That means £18+ per hour as a baseline, with proper premiums for nights, weekends and overtime.
2. Hours need to be predictable and fair
Drivers will work long hours if they are compensated properly and treated fairly. But they need guaranteed hours rather than ad hoc agency work, paid waiting time because if you are on duty you are on pay, predictable schedules so drivers can plan their lives, and real rest periods, not just the legal minimum.
3. Facilities and respect need to improve
The RHA has called for better roadside facilities. Drivers have been complaining about dirty showers, expensive food and unsafe parking for decades. But the issue is not just physical facilities, it is a culture of disrespect. Drivers want to be treated as professionals. That means being listened to when they say a route is unsafe or a delivery is impossible, being trusted rather than having every decision questioned, being recognised for experience, loyalty and good work, and being treated with basic courtesy by planners, warehouse staff and management.
The connection to retention is direct. Our article on mid-career drivers leaving the industry explores how poor conditions and disrespect drive experienced drivers away in their thirties and forties. And the DQC lapse crisis shows the scale of the exodus: around 100,000 drivers allowed their qualification to lapse in a single year.
The bottom line
The driver shortage is not real. The pay shortage is. There are thousands of qualified HGV drivers in the UK who have chosen to do something else. They have not lost their skills. They have not forgotten how to drive. They have just decided that the job is not worth doing for the money and the conditions currently on offer.
If the industry wants these drivers back, and it needs them, it has to make the job worth doing. That means paying a fair rate of £18+ per hour as a baseline with proper premiums, offering predictable hours so drivers can have a life outside work, improving facilities with clean, safe and comfortable rest stops, and treating drivers with respect as professionals, not commodities.
The alternative is a continued exodus of experienced drivers. The industry will fill their seats with newly qualified drivers who will leave as soon as they realise what the job actually involves. And the driver shortage will keep getting worse.
Drivers are not asking for the world. They are asking for a fair deal. The industry should give them one.
I do not want a medal. I want a decent wage, a decent truck and to be home for my tea. Is that too much to ask?
Frequently asked questions
Is there actually a driver shortage in the UK?
Drivers on forums say there is no shortage of qualified drivers. There is a shortage of jobs that pay enough to be worth doing. The real issue is retention, not recruitment. Experienced drivers are leaving because the pay, hours and conditions do not add up. If the industry paid properly, the drivers would come back.
What hourly rate do HGV drivers consider fair in 2026?
Driver sentiment suggests £17 to £18.50 per hour is the baseline for Class 1 work. Supermarket and union-backed roles pay £18.50 to £23 per hour plus overtime. Anything below £16 is widely rejected by experienced drivers, who point out that warehouse work pays almost as much for a fraction of the responsibility.
Why are experienced drivers leaving the industry?
The most common reasons cited are poor pay relative to responsibility, 15-hour days, poor facilities and feeling disrespected by management and warehouse staff. Many say the job no longer offers a good quality of life, especially for drivers with families.
What do HGV drivers earn in 2026?
The median for Class 1 drivers is around £17 to £18.46 per hour, or £36,000 to £38,000 annually. But rates vary hugely. Some drivers are on £15 flat, while supermarket and tanker roles pay £20+ per hour. The gap between the best and worst-paying jobs is enormous.
Why do companies say there is a driver shortage?
Companies often confuse a shortage of drivers willing to work for low pay with an actual shortage of qualified drivers. Drivers argue that if the pay and conditions were right, the drivers would come back. The shortage is really a retention crisis caused by poor pay and conditions.
How can haulage companies attract HGV drivers in 2026?
Pay a fair rate, offer predictable schedules, respect driver experience and stop treating drivers as a commodity. Drivers say they will take slightly less money for a job that respects their time and gets them home. But they will not work for £15 an hour with no guaranteed hours and poor facilities.
Ready to pay what drivers are worth?
HGV Agency connects haulage operators with experienced, verified HGV drivers who are looking for work, at rates that reflect their skill and experience. If you are serious about attracting and retaining the best drivers, we can help you benchmark your pay, streamline your onboarding and build a workforce that stays.
Whether you are a haulage firm struggling to fill shifts or a driver looking for a fair rate, we can help.
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