News

A driver training and recruitment firm has launched a 'try before you buy' scheme, enabling operators to try out newly qualified drivers with no obligation.

Clearstone CEO Paul Jacobs says operators' concern over insurance costs, as well as newly qualified drivers' lack of experience, means thousands of recruits to the industry are struggling to find work. He estimates that there are around 80,000 driver vacancies in the UK, saying this skills gap can only be plugged with a major change  in attitude towards recruitment.

Now Clearstone has launched the 'Stepping Stone' service, which offers employers the chance to pay a flat day rate of £25 for new drivers, for up to 20 days.

Operators who then decide to recruit a driver on a permanent basis are offered a reduced introduction fee, from which the initial trial costs are deducted.

Jacobs says: "It is becoming more difficult to attract and retain well qualified drivers in the industry. There's an issue in the UK and it's not going to go away. This is an opportunity for [drivers] to prove themselves.

"There's no obligation companies can let that person go," he adds. "It's low risk from an employer's perspective. The encouraging thing is customers have said they find newly qualified drivers a more attractive proposition - they can train them as they wish to, there are no bad habits, and they are not jaundiced by previous experience."