The Irish government needs to introduce measures to tackle the lack of truck drivers, according to Clare’s youngest female articulated lorry driver.
Quin truck driver, Sophie Howard attributes the current driver shortage in Ireland to the lack of young people taking up truck driving as they don’t find it appealing and huge numbers are opting to emigrate due to the high costing of living and scarcity of affordable housing.
This means that truck drivers outside of Ireland have to be hired to keep freight moving in and out of the country and food on shelves, notwithstanding the fact they may not be used to right hand drives and driving on Irish roads.
“This is a huge issue that should be addressed at Government level. There should be faster testing for new truck drivers and we should not have to wait months for a test date,” she said.
“Most Irish drivers are doing runs in Ireland and very few of them are doing international work.
“More driving testers need to be hired to meet the demand for driving tests for cars, buses and trucks. More apprenticeships and courses should be made available to people after school who are interested in a truck driving career.”
It is believed she is one of the few female truck drivers in the region.
“99% of truck drivers I have seen going to deliveries, truck shows and truck stops are men.
“There are very few female articulated lorry drivers. I wouldn’t do anything else and can’t see myself doing another job. It doesn’t even feel like work. I don’t undertstand why more people don’t do it,” she said.
On average, it costs €150 for a 90-minute lesson on how to drive a truck.
Ms Howard had to wait six months to do her truck test and three months for the articulated lorry test.
Following in the footsteps of her father, Gerry Howard, who completes a father-daughter driving combination for Eoin Gavin Transport, Bunratty, Ms Howard wanted to be a truck driver since the age of four.
Mr Howard is driving the articulated lorry and double road train between Clare and Dublin.
“I always wanted to be a truck driver when I was younger and used to go on my dad’s truck when I was four. I grew up around trucks. I used to go on international driving trips to the United Kingdom and Italy with my dad. I did my first international trip at the age of ten,” she said.
“It is very enjoyable going on trips from Bunratty to Milan and you just want to do it yourself. You take the ferry from Dublin to Cherbourg. There is a day and a half driving down to Milan. I never found it tiring.
“A truck driver can only do nine hours driving a day. You have to stop driving for nine hours. Twice a week, you can do ten hours. You have to do three nine-hour breaks before two 11-hour-breaks.
“The tacograph records all your driving information, start time, speed, breaks and finish time. A report goes to the Road Safety Authority if you go one minute more than the legal time limit for driving.
“The RSA will get in contact and may apply a fine. Truck drivers never exceed their hours unless there is an emergency such as a road traffic accident.”
Modern trucks have bunk beds to faciliate an overnight sleep, fridge, microwave, and freezer.
Having completed Leaving Certificate Applied in June 2023 at Colaiste Muire, Ennis, the 19 year-old passed her car driving test on her 18th birthday in Shannon, her rigid C-licence test for a smaller truck on June 28, 2024 in Ennis and an articulated lorry licence test a few weeks ago in Limerick.
She explained the driving test for an articulated lorry is practically the same as a car test including a reverse around the corner, albeit with a much longer vehicle, which is a lot more difficult.
“I did practice reversing around a corner with an articulated truck but I never found it hard with a car or a smaller truck. It just came naturally,” she said.
“I don’t know any other female driver in Clare. Leah O’Carroll works for Rory Lynch Transport in Limerick but I don’t know any female driver as young as me.”
A week after passing her rigid test, Ms Howard, who works for Eoin Gavin Transport, completed multi-drop deliveries in Ennis, Shannon, West Clare and other locations in lorries about 12 metres long that could accommodate between 12 to 15 tonnes.
Using an articulated lorry licence, she can drive a heavy goods vehicle that is 16.5 metres long and the double road train that has an artic with two articulated trailers – one 22-foot trailer followed by a 45-foot trailer.
“There are only about six double trailers in Ireland. Eoin Gavin Transport had the first double trailer in Ireland, which we have been using since 2016. The rest of them are in Dublin where they were only bought last year.
In June 2023, she started work experience with Eoin Gavin Transport. Six weeks later, she secured a full-time office job, which included directing international truck drivers, having spent years going to the office with her father. Loading trailers in the evenings, Ms Howard says she loves the job and would gladly stay there 24 hours a day.
“I love the job and don’t want to go home. I drive trucks around the yard. When the three rigid trucks come back in the evening, I offload them and then load the road train for Dublin,” she added.
East Clare correspondent, Dan Danaher is a journalism graduate of Rathmines and UL. He has won numerous awards for special investigations on health, justice, environment, and reports on news, agriculture, disability, mental health and community.