Tesco is offering a £1,000 joining bonus for HGV drivers to help plug the massive gap being left by a shortage of workers.
There is currently an estimated shortfall of around 100,000 HGV drivers in the UK, caused by a mixture of the coronavirus crisis and Brexit.
The shortage - being made worse by the “pingdemic” as workers are forced to self-isolated - has contributed toward supermarket shelves being left empty in recent days.
To help entice more workers, Tesco says it will reward any HGV driver that signs up to the company before September 30 with a £1,000 bonus.
The update was confirmed on the Tesco careers website, where it says: “As a Tesco HGV driver you are the face of your distribution centre and an ambassador on our roads.
“You’ll play a vital role for our customers and communities, representing Tesco on the highways and byways of the UK.
“We’re looking for people to be our driving force, who love what they do and take pride in what they do.”
Earlier this month, Tesco said the shortage of HGV drivers is creating 48 tonnes of food waste each week as fresh goods destined for its stores are being left to rot.
The coronavirus pandemic has seen travel to the UK become extremely restricted, and haulage companies say European drivers have simply decided not to return due to Covid-19 and Brexit.
There is also understood to be a large backlog in HGV driver tests, again because of the pandemic, meaning it's been harder to get new drivers on the road.
More recently, scores of drivers are also being asked to self-isolate after being notified by the NHS Covid app as the “pingdemic” takes a toll on staff levels.
In response to the shortage, the government says it has ramped up testing for lorry drivers, is paying for more apprentices and is allowing current drivers to increase their working hours.
The new rules mean drivers can increase their daily driving limit twice a week from nine hours to 11 hours.
Even before Covid, the estimated shortage of drivers was about 60,000.
Rod McKenzie, managing director of the Road Haulage Association, today said it was becoming "increasingly competitive" to recruit drivers.
But he warned "we are not seeing any sign of it getting better in the short term”.
