A national survey of over 150 top managers in the Irish transport industry revealed that 32 per cent believe the driver shortage is hurting their business and seriously affecting their ability to expand, whilst 72 per cent say they find it difficult to employ drivers who are native to the locality.

The survey was carried out jointly by Michelin's truck tyre division and specialist transport magazine Fleet Management, and also found that almost a third of Irish fleets already employ either EU or non EU nationals as drivers.

Jarlath Sweeney, Editor of Fleet Management, said: "The driver shortage is currently one of the single most important issues for the transport industry and there is a serious lack of fresh blood taking up the profession.

'Whilst this has had a knock-on effect of forcing more and more hauliers to employ drivers from overseas, there are still significant opportunities for men and women already living in Ireland to pursue a career driving trucks.'

The survey also found that of those companies already employing foreign drivers, 39 per cent offer additional incentives to ease the burden on working and living so far from home.  These incentives vary, but might include free flights home or additional holiday time, as well as a special bonus scheme.

Commenting on the importance of solving the driver shortage, Tom Dennigan, National Sales Manager of Michelin Ireland, said: 'Road transport is the lifeblood of the national economy, and without drivers to drive the trucks which carry our freight, current standards of living could only be maintained for a few days.

'Few people realise it, but the overwhelming majority of the goods we buy in shops are transported by trucks, and many of the services we rely on each day can only function because they are kept supplied by the country's 220,000 trucks and their drivers.'

Full details of the survey can be read in the current issue of Fleet Management, released on 7th June.