An autistic trucker is determined to continue fulfilling his lifelong ambition despite the pressures causing a shortage of drivers.
Stuart Harvey was once laughed at in primary school when he told his class of his dream job but now drives his articulated lorry across the UK.
The 28-year-old, who has been driving for almost three years, set his sights on the heavy goods industry when he saw bin trucks on his street as a child.
His high-level Asperger’s, a form of autism, means he has a structured approach to his job, using a mind-map to avoid frustrating hold-ups.
Stuart believes the shortage of HGV drivers – with the government having to draft in the Army and RAF to resupply petrol stations – is due to the unrelenting, 24/7-nature of the road transport network.
‘I’ve wanted to drive all my life from when I was a kid seeing the bin lorries coming into our street to pick up the rubbish,’ he said.
‘It was my grandfather who really gave me the inspiration because he did national service in the Army driving heavy vehicles such as tank transporters and ambulances.
‘It got passed down because my father took the test in the 90s but he never drove professionally, just in his spare time.
‘For me, it was a no-brainer and in 2019 I got my full Class One and started out on rigid lorries before doing articulated work. I’ve since been driving during Covid and the transportation crisis.
‘You never think you’ll end up on the front line of all this stuff, but I’ve kept driving all the way through.’
Stuart, from Hoddesdon in Hertfordshire, drives an articulated truck and trailer, which he has named the Road Runner.
He has been told by his bosses at a logistics firm that they have never known of another autistic HGV driver, and he is also bucking the trend simply by being employed.
Figures show that autistic people – who find it hard to communicate with others or struggle with unfamiliar situations – face high rates of unemployment.
‘Because of my Asperger’s I see things from a different angle and I am very structured and methodical in the way I go about things,’ he said.
‘It can be a challenge keeping a cool head when you’re confronted with a situation that you might not be expecting but I have a mind map and if there is a traffic problem ahead I can plot the route at the same time as I’m driving.
‘It’s like having a map of the UK in front of my face and plotting a route through it.’
The haulier believes autistic people are an untapped resource, with just 21.7% in employment, according to the Office for National Statistics.
He identifies the round-the-clock demands of industry, including supermarket chains and delivery giants such as Amazon, as a key part of the driver shortage.
‘The problem is like climate change, it’s been 30 years in the making,’ he said.
‘In recent years the UK has gone into the 24-hour delivery business, with everything needed yesterday. That essentially is why there’s a shortage.’
Stuart began driving rigid lorries before becoming a Class One HGV driver working night shifts for Road Runner.
He is also breaking the mould in terms of years, as the average age of a trucker is 53, according to think-tank the International Longevity Centre-UK.
‘When I was at school in the 90s no one was being encouraged to be a lorry driver, because it was an unattractive industry,’ Stuart said.
‘There was a show-and-tell at my school and I was about seven years old at the time. I was told to stand up in front of the class and tell them what I wanted to be.
‘When I said I wanted to be a lorry driver, they all laughed at me. There’s not been enough education about the industry through the generations.
‘Computers and digital technology are progressing at lightning speed and the Driver Vehicle Standards Agency should look into developing mobile HGV simulator units, which can be taken to places like schools, universities, colleges and even driving schools, as a way of inspiring and training new people.’
Another young driver told Metro.co.uk earlier this week that he saw the profession as a dream job but is off work sick and now wants to quit the industry. He echoed widespread complaints from the workforce about exhausting hours, low pay and a lack of suitable resting places.
However Stuart is not about to take his foot off the pedal any time soon.
‘You work for a company obviously but when you’re out on the road you’re your own boss,’ he said.
‘I’ve worked for companies in other industries where they push you to go faster and faster and faster, which for my autism is catastrophic because I’ve only got one speed, and that is methodical.
‘My job is relatively easy compared with the lighter work where people spend days abroad or sleep in lay-bys. I’m back home within one shift, which could be anything up to 13 hours long
‘This is something I’ve wanted to do all my life and if I quit now, I’m giving up on my dream.’
The Government says it has taken a range of measures to try and ease the driver shortage, including encouraging those who have left the profession to return and ‘skills bootcamps’ to train up to 4,000 more drivers.
A spokesperson said: ‘We recognise businesses are facing a range of challenges and we are taking numerous steps to support them, including streamlining the process for new HGV drivers and increasing the number of driving tests.
‘Progress has already being made in testing and hiring, with improving pay, working conditions and diversity.
‘We are closely monitoring labour supply and working with sector leaders to understand how we can best ease particular pinch points.
‘Through our Plan for Jobs we’re helping people across the UK retrain, build new skills and get back into work.‘
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