Recruitment Challenges for HGV Drivers at NFT Distribution Limited

This report, prepared as part of a work-based learning (WBL) project, examines the challenges faced by NFT Distribution Ltd. in recruiting Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers. The study investigates the complexities in the recruitment process, identifies key requirements for candidates, and analyzes the current recruitment procedures. Secondary research highlights issues such as skills gaps, mental stability, and physical fitness. Primary research, including qualitative analysis, provides further insights into these challenges. The report also explores the difficulties in retaining skilled drivers due to factors such as wage stagnation and societal respect. Based on the findings, the report offers recommendations to improve the recruitment and retention of HGV drivers at NFT Distribution Ltd, considering the broader context of the UK logistics industry. The report also includes a reflective statement and appendices with supporting information.

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT AND CAREER
DEVELOPMENT
Name of the Student:
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Table of Contents
Section 1: Introduction....................................................................................................................3
Section 2: WBL Question, Aim and Objectives..............................................................................4
2.1 Questions of Work-Based Learning (WBL)..........................................................................4
2.2 Aim of the study....................................................................................................................4
2.3 Objectives of the study..........................................................................................................4
Section 3: Secondary Research........................................................................................................6
3.1 Challenges in recruiting the HGV Drivers............................................................................6
3.2 Theoretical Framework..........................................................................................................8
3.2.1 Recruitment, Selection and Retention Theory................................................................8
Section 4: Primary Research..........................................................................................................10
4.1 Data collection and methods................................................................................................10
4.2 Qualitative analysis..............................................................................................................10
4.3 Research limitation..............................................................................................................13
Section 5: Evaluation.....................................................................................................................14
Section 6: Conclusion and Recommendations..............................................................................16
6.1 Conclusion...........................................................................................................................16
6.2 Recommendations................................................................................................................16
Section 7: Reflective Statement.....................................................................................................17
Section 8: Appendix......................................................................................................................18
References......................................................................................................................................19
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Executive Summary
The report is mainly based on business management and career development for NFT
distribution limited. The core focus was to find the challenges which Heavy Good Vehicle
drivers face during the recruitment process. It was found that one of the major issue which the
company is facing is the lack of trunk drivers in UK.
As the research was carried out, it was found that candidates does not have proper mental
stability as well as they lack knowledge which is required in this field. Along with this, the
organization also faced difficulties in the retention of employees due to failure to increase wage
hike. In the workplace, due to lack of rules and regulation, it was found that there is very less
amount of respect among the workers which at times makes it difficult for the HR department to
take the situation in control.
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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT & CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Section 1: Introduction
In the process of business development, the recruitment procedure plays an important role in
recent times. Depending on the subject, several placement organizations are developed in the
United Kingdom that focuses on recruiting skilled workers in several industries. NFT
distribution limited primarily involves the logistic services related to the distribution of targeted
drinks and food in the UK. Moreover, the company focuses on providing better quality services
for attracting more consumers by collaborating with major European brand am importers. The
logistics system is essential for the company in order to supply the food items in several regions
of the country. Apart from that, other workers are recruited in the company in the marketing
department. Depending on the subject, the human resource manager is recruited by an agency.
The placement in the company has focused on the marketing department in the post of HGV or
heavy goods vehicle drivers. The recruitment process is completed by following the respective
guidelines of the organization and the higher recruiters perform the duty.
The study describes the placement process of the organization that is located in the UK. At the
same time, the main objectives and aims of the organization are described in the study. It can be
assessed targeted questions and answers of the respected post are analysed in the study. Apart
from that the secondary research, primary research and evaluation are described in the essay
(Mundorf, Redding and Bao, 2018).
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Section 2: WBL Question, Aim and Objectives
2.1 Questions of Work-Based Learning (WBL)
 What are the complexities in the recruitment process of heavy vehicle drivers in NFT
distribution limited?
 What are the requirements that are needed for the recruitment of the drivers in the
company?
 What is the procedure of recruitment in the post of heavy vehicle drivers in NFT
distribution limited?
2.2 Aim of the study
The present study focuses on the process of employment in the logistics firm that is situated in
the United Kingdom. In addition, the selected rules and regulations are described and analyzed in
the study regarding the recruitment of truck drivers in the organization. Apart from that, the
research provides a suitable definition in order to mitigate the issues that are prevailed during the
recruitment system of the company. Moreover, the complexities are also related to the
qualifications and experience of the candidates. On the basis of the statement, the present
research study wanted to find out the process to resolve the issues (Hauser, 2013).
2.3 Objectives of the study
Objective 1: To mitigate the complexities in the recruitment process
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound
To arrange
the advance
method
To find out the
challenges
To organize the
selection method
To examine
the challenges
To mitigate the
challenges in the
allocated time (Conrad
IV, 2018)
Objective 2: To identify the requirement regarding the candidates
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound
To identify the
educational
To find out the
capability in the
To select a
suitable
To examine the
authenticity
To find out the
efficiency of
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qualification respected field candidate regarding the
requirement in the
targeted field
the related
candidate
Objective 3: To improve the procedure of recruitment of HGV drivers
Specific Measurable Attainable Relevant Time-Bound
To apply the
advance
theory in the
selection
method
To use the
proficient HR
manager for the
recruitment
To find out the
issues that are
prevalent in the
process of
recruitment
To use the
experienced
placement
officer
To conduct the
task of
recruitment in
proper time
(Alagaraja, 2013)
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Section 3: Secondary Research
3.1 Challenges in recruiting the HGV Drivers
According to Ben-Akiva et al., (2016), the recruiter of the NFT Distribution ltd. has faced a
major difficulty in recruiting the Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers in the United Kingdom and
among them the skills with the proper qualification has been recognized as the vital challenge. In
most of the cases, it has been found that the driving ability has lacked among the aspirants, and
they have also required the proper experience in driving the heavy goods vehicles. As the heavy
vehicles have a great responsibility and to execute the process, the drivers have to gather the
appropriate expertise in the driving. The majority of the cases, most of the drivers has not had the
proper skills in driving the trucks as it is unusual in daily life. However, Conrad IV (2018) has
stated that the qualification and the execution skills have also considered a s the crucial aspect
for the driving career in the heavy vehicle driving. The drivers have to travel a lot on roads and
also has to meet with different people during the process. The minimum academic qualification,
as well as the proper execution and communication skills, are also required in this recruitment
process. In many cases, the two criteria have been missing in an individual, and it has structured
the recruitment process.
As opined by Dubey and Gunasekaran (2015), mental stability is also a significant aspect for the
recruiter to judge the aspirant. The driving pattern and the responsibilities of driving a heavy
vehicle are different from the normal vehicles, and mental stability should be steady for a truck
driver. Moreover, the drivers have comprised of the problem-solving ability as the job generally
took a long time to execute. The proper mental stability is required for the job, and the company
has faced difficulties in finding the appropriate employee with all the criteria. On the other hand,
Lemke, Meissen and Apostolopoulos (2016) have stated that the physical efficiency is also
needed for the job role as the job is not only related to the driving but also it is related to the
maintenance e of the truck as well. The UK environment is generally produced slender body
shape, and the required body shaped could not meet in most of the times. The recruiter has faced
the problems related to the mental as well as physical fitness of the drivers. It has also been seen
that the position of the stress level management has also lacking among the drivers.
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On the view of Ng et al. (2014), one of the significant problems in recruiting is not enough
application for the job. The heavy truck driving is regarded as a risky job among ordinary people,
and the risk-taking culture is not practised in the UK. Moreover, the UK weather has shown a
humid condition all the time, and the excess moisture and the rainy weather made the roads
unsuitable for driving. As a result of that, a very few of the candidates have applied for this post.
On the contrary, Stone and Stone (2015) have stated that the applications which were submitted
in the company, most of them are unqualified as per the criteria mentioned in the job profile. The
recruiters have mainly faced problems due to the risk of the job profile. The skillset is also
required, but the culture of heavy truck driving has not practised in the UK as the country has
been developing in the industrial sector. The technical improvement has triggered the
requirement of the drivers, but the lack of skilled drivers has been generating the issue. The
improper and the unqualified candidates have applied for the job and which has enhanced the
trouble for the recruiting process as it is risky for the company to recruit an ineligible candidate
for a responsible position.
As mentioned by Yang et al. (2018), apart from the recruiting issues, the other significant
challenges that have faced by the recruiters are inability in retaining the skilled drivers in their
company. The experienced and the qualified drivers have generally expected a hike in salary, but
this kind of jobs have typically not provided the regular increment in wages. Moreover, the
drivers who did not have their truck has been facing more difficulties in this field. The excess
rent for the car and the additional maintenance charge has triggered the unavailability of the
drivers in the UK. On the other hand, Stone and Stone (2015) have stated that the HGV drivers
have not got proper respect in society. Among the experienced drivers, the respect issues have
fueled the problems for the recruiters in retaining the existing drivers. Along with that, the deficit
pay scale also caused a deficiency in the driver's section for the HGV category. The inability to
retaining the drivers also triggered the recruiting challenges as the faith has been lost from the
drivers as they have thought that the field has no prominent future.
According to Yang et al. (2018), one of the significant problems that have faced by the recruiter
is regularly changing the recruiting process. Every recruiting process consists of different
approaches, which are incompatible from the companies. It has been seen that those companies
who have faced the growth in this sector have an advantage in this field, but those who did not
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take the market frequently changed the tactic of recruiting procedure. The frequent change has
caused them to maintain a sustainable system in recruiting. Moreover, the inability of the HR
managers is also causing problems in this process as the fake promises and the manipulative
approaches leads the drivers in the wrong way with mis-concepts. On the contrary, Dubey and
Gunasekaran (2015) has stated that the improper allocation of money in the recruiting sector has
resulted in major problems in the recruiting process. In every procedure, a consistent budget is
necessary for doing the business, but NFT Distribution ltd. have no proper financial distribution
in recruiting the HGV drivers as the market is not that much efficient rather than the others.
3.2 Theoretical Framework
3.2.1 Recruitment, Selection and Retention Theory
Recruitment, section and retention require a proper technique of the human resource managers to
prevent the growing problems as well as mitigate those challenges. The small enterprises do not
have the trained HR managers for the execution of the recruitment. The need for proper HR
management theory, that's why it is needed for the betterment of the recruiting process.
Recruitment & Selection & Retention Theory has composed for the right planning in proper time
which has helped the HR managers to understand the requirements for doing their jobs in an
appropriate manner (Storme et al. 2019). The theory was based on the four various factors which
are mentioned below:
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Figure 1: Recruitment & Selection & Retention Theory
(Source: Ashe-Edmunds, 2019)
Recruitment:
The NFT Distribution ltd. has started the recruiting process with the proper advertisement. The
advertisement has included the details of the requirements that a candidate should be attained.
This procedure has not only helped the company to increase the chance of getting an eligible
applicant but also prevented the future legal obstacles related to the job (Ashe-Edmunds, 2019).
Selecting:
One of the critical parts of the recruitment is to select the proper candidate for the post. The
management of the company has divided the resumes of the applied candidates according to the
skill sets, and it has helped in selecting the proper candidate at the right time. The scoring system
has also been incorporated in this process by the NFT Distribution ltd. As it has assisted in
determining the capabilities of the candidates.
Hiring:
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During the hiring process, the company HR managers have discussed the wages and the other
staffs related to the job to avoid the misconception after the hiring process. It is essential to a
company to mention all rules and regulations with details to the candidate before recruiting them.
It helps the candidate in understanding the job profile thoroughly.
Retaining:
The retaining of the candidate is the most challenging thing for the recruiters as with the growth
of expectation, the chances of leaving the experienced candidate also increase. In order to
mitigate the challenge, NFT Distribution ltd. has practised the 60 and 90-day reviewing process
to know the demands of the freshly recruited drivers. The hike of the wages has also been
focused by the HR managers of the NFT Distribution ltd (Ashe-Edmunds, 2019).
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Section 4: Primary Research
The primary role of a human resource manager is to manage all of the responsibility of the
organizational process. It is noted the procedure of recruitment is included in the duties of the
HR manager. Depending on the subject, several limitations are arising in the employment
process.
4.1 Data collection and methods
The data collection is regarded as one of the principal features of data collection regarding the
employment of the drivers in the organization. It can be specified that the methods of acquiring
the information that is essential for the employment purpose include several methods. In order to
collect the information regarding the HGV drivers, the interview is the most proficient method.
In this aspect, a human resource manager intends to focus on the structured interview process
that is conducted by targeted questionnaires for the candidates. However, the process highlights
the qualification of the candidates and about their knowledge in the respective field. During the
process of an interview, the organization's HR managers and other higher authorities faced
several challenges due to having the unbalance in the qualification of the candidates. In the
interview process, several candidates have adequate educational knowledge, but some of them
have only the experience in the field of driving. Such kind of discrepancies creates a challenge
for the management of the company. On the other hand, the interview process also creates
several obstacles inside the recruitment process. The interview process also takes a huge time
that can demotivate the fresh candidate (Alagaraja, 2013).
In addition, such methods are performed in accordance with the situation of the organization. In
order to describe and analyze the process regarding data collection, qualitative data analysis is
presented in the study. The HR manager and the placement officer are selected for conducting
the interview process (Refer to Appendix).
4.2 Qualitative analysis
Q1. What is the role of observation in the process of recruitment of HGV drivers in the
organization?
The human resource manager says observation is regarded as one of the central methods that
are applied by the organization in order to shortlist the HGV drivers. In this aspect, the human
resource manager intends to focus on the attitudes of a candidate and also focus on the
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