Hauliers have called on the Government to make it easier to recruit drivers from abroad in a bid to alleviate a current driver shortage which they say is hitting the industry.
At the Irish Road Haulage Association's annual conference in Killarney, representatives said that driver numbers are at least 15% below where they should be and that, if this trend is not reversed before long, it will have an effect on the country's supply chain.
They are blaming a difficulty with drivers from abroad securing licenses in this country to allow them to drive here and want agreement between Ireland and recruitment-target jurisdictions, such as Georgia, North Macedonia and Argentina, on license equalisation.
The Government says it wants other countries to hit certain safety standards for drivers before such agreements can be reached.
Outgoing president of the IRHA Eugene Drennan said that "driver shortage" is one of the big issues facing the sector.
"People in the industry need to get accreditation for people to come here under permit. We need that process to be speeded up," he said.
McMorrow Transport in Leitrim, a family-run business specialising in the transportation of timber around the country, employed 42 people including drivers at one point but are now at 31 staff.
"We could do with 40% more drivers. I suppose you have to get specialised drivers for our industry so if there were more drivers available you probably would do more of that kind of work," says Gerry McMorrow.
He said it is a widespread problem right now. "These past two years we've really seen it, the timber industry is an industry that's suffering from a shortage of drivers. It's a specialised skill and it's a unique skill but obviously it's a skill that's needed, it's harder to get that driver."
"The driver age profile, where it's at at the moment and where it's going, every company, everyone you speak to has driver shortages at the moment and [with] availability."
The incoming president of the IRHA, Laois-based Ger Hyland, said his haulage business is fully-staffed but if drivers were to leave or go sick, it would be a "struggle" for them. "I don't have the pool of drivers I used to have," he said.
Every haulier in Ireland is struggling to retain drivers, he said. "Our demographic of our employees is somewhere around 57 years of age, 60 years of age... We will have an exodus from the industry in the next three to four years and we have no replacements, and it is going to affect the supply chain.
"We're actively out there trying to recruit drivers from foreign fields and we need a liberalisation of the bureaucratic paperwork to get this to happen."
He said the main delays are around license recognition and work permits. "That needs to be speeded up and that needs to be worked on a matter of urgency."
Georgia is one example of a country where they could recruit drivers on an accelerated basis, he said.
"There is a number of drivers out there ready to come to Ireland, looking to come to Ireland, but we need license recognition from the Government and help from the Government to expedite this."
The conference was addressed by Minister of State Jack Chambers, who has responsibility for road safety, who said the Government is taking steps to increase recruitment, both within and without the country, but that certain safety and training standards have to be met.
"It's a technical discussion between the Road Safety Authority and specific countries and, once the threshold is reached, then we can formalise driver exchange agreements that opens up options for industry to actually develop that pathway for people to come here and work in the sector."
