A former HGV driver quit his job because he says the ‘excessive hours and low wages were unacceptable' during the current cost-of-living crisis.
Martin Burton, 61, of Burnley, had worked for 140 companies across East Lancashire and Europe for 37 years.
He started working for Driver Hire Blackburn after the pandemic, which provides temporary and permanent work for drivers across the region.
However, Martin shared that working overtime, which could sometimes reach up to 80 hours a week, for 'low hourly pay rate' forced him to leave the job last month.
However Driver Hire has disputed his claim, and said the firm is committed to doing business "the right way", and 89 per cent of staff would recommend the firm to others.
Martin said: “There’s a hell of a lot happening in this industry that is not being spoken about."
The Road Haulage Association has attributed a number of different issues to the acceleration of driver shortages including Brexit, Covid-19, and the Ukraine war.
However, Martin noted that the industry is “doing nothing to retain its staff.”
“I can think of countless drivers, young and old, who are leaving the industry because of the long hours and low wages.
“And for the ones that do stay, in order to make ends meet they’re working a ridiculous amount of hours and overtime.”
A spokesperson for Driver Hire said: "I would point to the fact that in nearly 40 years of trading, Driver Hire Nationwide has always been guided by a belief in doing things the right way.
"This means for our customers and our candidates, who are at the heart of our business.
"You might be interested to know that in our latest national survey (December 2021) we received responses from nearly 1,200 candidates and 97 per cent of them rated the service they received from their local office as Excellent or Good.
"Plus, 89 per cent scored eight to 10 out of 10 when asked if they would recommend working for Driver Hire.
"At Driver Hire Blackburn we are proud to be part of this picture, and we have many candidates who have worked with us for several years."
Last year, Martin worked on a job moving heavy military equipment around Europe and noticed an interesting gap in the market that sparked an idea to open an ex-military clothing shop in Burnley.
He said: “I noticed that when people were starving and freezing, they were going to have to end up buying military gear to sit in houses and keep warm.
“So, I opened this shop in Burnley and I’m already hearing from people that come in, that because of the energy bills rising so much, the warehouses they work in are so cold they need to buy warmer gear.”
Five weeks ago, Martin opened Burnley Military Preppers UK on Hall Street, Burnley to supply ex military clothing and equipment to customers.
“There’s no competition and I sell at a reasonable price, so the shop is doing well, it’s building slowly.
“Because of what’s happening, people are actually starting to buy military gear just to keep warm.”
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