The commercial vehicle industry has had an interesting few years in terms of the pandemic and changes in industrial activity throughout the world. These factors have had massive impacts on both commercial vehicle companies and the commercial vehicle labour market, changing how the industry approaches salaries, shifts and benefits.
Suppose you’re a commercial vehicle professional such as an HGV Mechanic, Workshop Controller or Depot Manager. You may have been with the same company for several years, from before the pandemic, and are unsure about what the market holds for someone with your skillset. In that case, you might be wondering where this leaves you and your career.
In this article, we’ll be explaining how the points above have affected commercial vehicle jobs. You’ll also find our top tip if you decide it is time to level up your career.
The Labour Shortage
Over the last few years, one trend we have seen is the increasing shortage of talent in the commercial vehicle industry. It is becoming harder and harder for commercial vehicle companies to fill gaps that have been left by employees moving on outside of the business.
There is a massive demand for HGV, LCV and PSV Technicians throughout the UK. This demand has led to some employers changing their hiring process and packages to attract and retain commercial vehicle professionals for their workshops.
We see an increase in hourly rates and retention bonuses to encourage employees to stay with the business rather than look elsewhere. These are usually paid out at the end of each employment year and can boost earnings for Mechanics and Technicians.
Working With Multiple Agencies
A route that many commercial vehicle companies take when hiring new talent is using a commercial vehicle recruitment agency. These agencies take the recruitment process away from them, searching for people to fill the vacancies and arranging interviews with hiring managers. There are many recruitment agencies out there and some, like ourselves, specialise in a specific industry. In this case, we work solely on commercial vehicles and transport.
When a Truck Mechanic or Fleet Administrator enters the job market, they often submit CVs to jobs via a job board such as Indeed or CV-Library. At this point, they will likely receive calls from recruitment agencies looking to assist them with their job search and get them in touch with employers in their area.
One of the main pieces of advice we give to candidates that we work with is to work exclusively with one agency. This is because most agencies will be working on identical vacancies in the area. If your CV is sent to employers multiple times from different agencies, it can negatively reflect on your application.
Counter-offers
Due to the shortage of skilled labour in the industry, we also see the number of counter-offers increasing when an employee hands in their notice after securing a new job. A counter-offer may seem significant because you get to stay where you are. Still, before accepting your new counter-offer on a salary that is up to your expectations, consider a few things.
Firstly, what is the reason you are looking elsewhere?.. Is it because you want more money, a shorter commute, better shifts or progression? When you have offers and counter-offers on the table, consider these reasons before making your final decision.
Often, people look elsewhere for other jobs because they don’t think they are being compensated fairly for their work. They might have asked for a raise but ended up being turned down. If it takes until this point for your employer to pay you what you feel you are worth, what does this say about your position there?
There is also the risk that your employer might think that increased pay should increase your responsibilities and workload. You need to find out all the facts and consider whether the best option is to stay or accept your new job.
Our Top Tip
We would tell anybody currently working in the commercial vehicle industry that it could be time for you to make a change. Whether you have an HGV job, work in a Fleet company, or are in the Plant Hire sector, you can likely land a job that will result in a pay increase, offer bonuses or have a better work-life balance. Whichever is more important to you.
There are many vacancies in most major areas throughout the UK. Talk with one of our specialist commercial vehicle recruiters and see what the market offers to people with your skills and the jobs we are actively recruiting for. What have you got to lose?
You can reach them by applying for any relevant jobs on our website, filling out one of the contact forms or contacting us directly.
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