KAI SCHWOERER/The Press
A shortage of truck drivers means rural customers could experience delays when it comes to delivery of fresh produce and other goods, say freight industry experts.
A shortage of truck drivers and freight workers could grow from 4700 to 18,000 workers within six years, particularly affecting rural areas and perishable goods deliveries.
A government study showed the rural and food sectors would be among the first to feel the impacts because perishable goods placed more demands on delivery time frames.
“Logistics working effectively means connection. If that connection is broken, then those most at risk could be those in remote and rural locations. Cyclone Gabrielle was a devastating example of this. This is why building workforce reliance through skills development and attracting, retaining staff, as well as building sector resilience through technology, workforce and work model investment [is important],” Samantha McNaughton, deputy chief executive of Hanga-Aro-Rau, the Government Workforce Development Council, which produced the report, said.
McNaughton said there had been a shortage of truck drivers since the pandemic, and this would become worse in future as the workforce aged.
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Samantha McNaughton, deputy chief executive of Hanga-Aro-Rau, a Government Workforce Development Council says rural communities would feel the impact of dwindling truck driver and freight worker numbers first.
A general freight workforce shortage would also impact timely loading and unloading of goods and refrigeration, she said.
Such shortages compounded and would affect how produce was delivered to local and international markets, she said.
McNaughton said the sector could not access the number of immigrants it usually did and had to rethink how it attracted and retained staff.
It needed to attract more Maori and Pacific people and had to learn how to attract younger workers, retain them and give them careers – not just jobs, McNaughton said.
“Every single sector in New Zealand, if not the world, is struggling with a labour shortage. It’s not just about finding more people from offshore or finding people to plug those gaps. It’s about creating a sustainable pipeline,” she said.
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A migration increase in recent months would provide short-term relief but was not expected to last.
A spokesperson at Produce Express, a fresh produce freight company, said it had difficulties in finding truck drivers.
“The industry has an ageing workforce of drivers, it is difficult to engage with younger drivers as our culture of long hours, seven days service is not that attractive. In certain companies it is difficult to get a start for new drivers as they don’t have the junior pathways available.
“The industry has some serious challenges moving forward but the road transport entities, like National Road Carriers and the Road and Transport Authority, are trying to work with the transport industry to develop programs to recruit more drivers”.
A Countdown spokesperson said it had not experienced worker shortages in distribution centres but had noticed a shortage of truck drivers since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The supermarket worked with transport partners to manage that, the spokesperson said.
“We’re actively working on new options for long distance deliveries, for example moving from road to coastal shipping and rail,” the spokesperson said.
Countdown made sure it had regular, fair and transparent rate increases that reflected cost increases in the market.
“We’ve also recently brought in optimised delivery rosters to reduce the kilometres required to make our deliveries, helping to take some pressure off,” the spokesperson said.
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