Department for Transport official figures have been released showing that there has been a drop of some 12% of HGV’s on the road since quarter 1 2008.
The RHA has been speaking with BBC about the severity of the drop off and it’s knock on effects on the industry as a whole.
The number of lorry drivers looking for work has increased five-fold in the last year and the RHA says that the industry is losing more jobs quicker than any other sector.
As to be expected in a recession, the fall-off is closely related to a fall in consumers demand, especially in car manufacturing and general goods like furniture.
Simply, fewer goods are being bought and so less are being imported, reducing the need for logistics.
This time last year, there were some 3,000 lorry drivers claiming unemployment benefits. Today, that number has jumped to over 15,000.
The RHA told the BBC that unlike other industries where diversification is often the key to survival in a downturn. Haulage and logistics suffer from a lack of options in this respect and so feel the pinch that much harder.