Fewer people are becoming LGV drivers because the profession no longer offers an appealing lifestyle, says a Somerset haulage boss. The state of the roads, the lack of facilities for truckers and the collapse of respect for the profession are all putting off young people from becoming truck drivers, says Robert Wilcox, managing director of Chilcompton-based Massey Wilcox.
In the company's annual financial report, Wilcox writes about
the "decline in the social acceptance of LGV driving as a profession" as one of the challenges facing the industry. Massey Wilcox, which saw its annual turnover fall by 2.5% to £10.5m in the year to 31 May 2007, managed a rise in pre-tax profit to £302,000 from £260,000 the year before.
The company enjoyed a jump in turnover in 2004/05 from £8.5m to £10.5m but since then figures have remained flat. The company employs just over 100 staff. The aim for this year, says Wilcox, is to increase profit rather than turnover. He says: "Just like they always say, 'turnover is vanity, profit is sanity' - it's the profit figure we really want to get up." But he adds that rising fuel prices will make improving profits a challenge. He says: "In this industry, which generally has very tight profit margins, even a small rise in costs can wipe out all your profits."
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