New research from Pallet-Track has revealed that young women are in top gear when it comes to passing HGV tests, with female drivers aged 20-29 gaining the highest pass rates.
The pallet network’s analysis of Department for Transport (DfT) data shows that women in this age category have gained the highest Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) practical pass rate in Britain every year between 2010 and 2022.
While women make up only a small proportion of HGV drivers, 67.9 per cent of 20-29-year-olds successfully passed their practical test in 2021-2022, compared to 63 per cent of men in the same age category. The overall pass rate for all drivers taking a practical HGV test in 2021-2022 was 58.7 per cent.
Pallet-Track’s analysis also shows that if the same number of women had taken tests as men in 2021-2022, based on the overall female pass rate of 62.4 per cent for drivers aged 18 to over 60, there would now be an extra 48,931 qualified HGV drivers on the road.
This would almost erase Britain’s current shortfall, which stands at 50,000 drivers according to calculations by the Road Haulage Association.
With young women accelerating ahead in HGV tests, addressing the current gender imbalance could be key to reducing Britain’s shortfall of lorry drivers and future proofing the industry.
In total, women made up just 9.1 per cent of those taking tests; 8,731 tests were completed by female drivers compared to 87,146 taken by male drivers.
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