Figures showing there are fewer commercial vehicle insurance holders, vans and lorries on the road 'confirm the worst fears' of the industry, according to an expert.
The data, published by the Department for Transport, showed heavy good vehicles traffic has decreased by 12 per cent, more than the average reduction of traffic on the roads of five per cent, meaning fewer people may be getting commercial vehicle insurance.
Kate Gibbs, head of communications for the Road Haulage Association, said the figures concerning commercial vehicle insurance holders "confirm our worst fears", despite knowing they were not going to be good.
"Eighteen months to two years ago we were predicting a tremendous shortage of [lorry] drivers, now the amount of drivers seeking job seekers allowance is five times as many as six months ago," she added.
The government should be doing more to help the industry, the expert asserts, adding that fuel costs are high for firms in the industry, which could be altered by parliament.
Ms Gibbs added that while there was some hope that the situation would improve in the next quarter, seeing commercial vehicle insurance holder numbers rising, it is unlikely this will be the case.
