Tackling the logistics skills shortage will be top of the agenda at the FTA transport manager conference which will take place on September 9 at Brands Hatch.

The FTA said filling skill gaps in the industry and engaging, developing and retaining staff will be top of the agenda at the forthcoming conference series. 

According to the FTA, 34% of transport managers are planning to quit their jobs in the next five years.

Senior traffic commissioner Beverley Bell said that the role of the transport manager is often overlooked, and deserves greater recognition, stating that it is “one of the most important jobs in the entire transport industry.”

The FTA is also warning that the problem of the driver shortage is a long-term issue.

It said it is a worry shared by transport managers themselves, who voiced their concerns over the lack of drivers when they took part in a survey when attending the association’s conference programme last year. 

Delegates were asked to answer a ‘snap-shot’ survey relating to their own freight operations.

According to the survey results, 67% of respondents reported the driver shortage to be “very bad and seen as a major issue”, 60% of delegates replied that “it is bad and could impact Christmas deliveries” and 57% of attendees said that it is “a potential problem in the longer term".