As a long-established local HGV training provider, we’ve spent years helping people get the skills they need to start a career in road transport. We own our own vehicles, employ accredited instructors, work with local haulage firms, and understand the real cost of delivering proper HGV training because we do it every single day.
That’s why the Government’s post-COVID HGV Skills Bootcamp scheme, which reportedly cost taxpayers around £77 million, has left many in the industry feeling disappointed, baffled, and frankly, angry.
This scheme was supposed to solve the HGV driver shortage. Instead, it became a bloated, bureaucratic experiment that delivered poor value, enriched middle-men, and produced results that genuine training providers could have achieved at a fraction of the price.
This article breaks down exactly where things went wrong, why millions were wasted, and how the Government could have achieved better outcomes by working directly with the providers who actually train drivers.
The Driver Shortage Was Real But So Was the Opportunity to Solve It Properly
After COVID, the UK faced a genuine shortage of HGV drivers. Retirements, Brexit, test delays, and normal churn all contributed to supply chain disruption across the country.
Two Choices the Government Had
The Government could have:
- Supported existing DVSA-approved providers, enabling rapid training at realistic costs
or - Created a new, centralised government scheme, awarding huge contracts to “brokers” with no vehicles or instructors.
They chose the second option and the scheme went off track from day one.
Why Did Bootcamp Training Cost £10,000–£15,000 Per Trainee?
Real HGV Training Does Not Cost That Much
Typical genuine provider prices are:
- £2,000–£3,500 for Category C
- £3,000–£5,000 for Category C+E
That includes the medical, tests, CPC, and practical instruction.
So Why Did the Government End Up Paying Triple?
Because most of the money didn’t go to training.
It went to middle-men, admin layers, and inflated subcontractor fees.
The Bootcamp Supply Chain: A Pyramid of Waste
Instead of funding the people actually training drivers, the Government introduced a multi-layered system.
How the Supply Chain Worked
Government → Regional Authority → Prime Contractor → Subcontractor → Local Training Provider → Trainee
What Went Wrong in This Chain
- Each layer took a cut.
- None (except the last) delivered actual training.
- Many contractors had no trucks, no instructors, no facilities, and no track record.
Millions were spent before a trainee even stepped into a training vehicle.
Contractors With No Vehicles, No Instructors, No Experience
This was one of the most shocking failures of the scheme.
Types of Organisations That Received Funding
- Recruitment agencies
- Consulting firms
- Newly formed companies created only to bid for Bootcamp money
The Result
These organisations subcontracted all the actual training at prices far above normal market rates.
The model was doomed from the start.
Contractors Going Into Liquidation A Red Flag Ignored
A troubling number of Bootcamp-funded contractors went into liquidation soon after receiving funds.
The Impact of These Collapses
- Taxpayer money was lost completely
- Trainees were left stranded mid-course
- Local training providers ended up completing training without being fully paid
- Government oversight appeared nonexistent
In many cases, experienced providers like us delivered the training out of moral responsibility while middle-men disappeared with the funds.
A Direct Funding Model Would Have Saved Millions
The biggest tragedy is that the solution was obvious.
What Could Have Worked
- A simple training voucher of £3,000–£4,000
- Redeemable with any DVSA-approved provider
- Ensuring money went directly to real training
- Allowing competition to keep costs fair
What £77 Million Could Have Achieved
With direct funding, the Government could have trained:
- 20,000–25,000 drivers,instead of only a fraction of that.
How the Scheme Impacted Local Training Providers
For genuine providers, the Bootcamp scheme was both uplifting and frustrating.
The Positives
- Training demand increased
- More people considered HGV driving
The Negatives
- Millions wasted
- Unqualified companies winning contracts
- Real providers used only as subcontractors
- Trainees left confused or abandoned
- Providers forced to “pick up the pieces”
- Inflated pricing damaging industry trust
The Government relied on us anyway they just paid three companies before the money got to us.
The Real Damage: Loss of Trust in Public Training Schemes
Beyond financial waste, the Bootcamp scheme created long-term reputational issues.
Key Areas of Damage
- Trust between providers and Government
- Confidence in public procurement processes
- Public perception of government-funded skills programmes
- Industry frustration and demoralisation
Providers aren’t frustrated because they were excluded.
They’re frustrated because they were included only as subcontractors, while middle-men collected the majority of the money.
What the Government Should Do Next
There are clear steps to fix the approach if public HGV training is revisited.
1. Fund Trainees Directly
Eliminate intermediaries.
Let trainees choose DVSA-approved providers themselves.
2. Only Approve Asset-Based Providers
Any provider receiving funding must have:
- Their own vehicles
- Their own instructors
- Their own facilities
- A proven track record
3. Pay Realistic Market Rates
If training costs £3k–£5k, fund £3k–£5k, not £15k.
4. Partner With Local Providers
The infrastructure already exists.
The expertise already exists.
The Government simply needs to use it.
Conclusion : A £77 Million Opportunity Lost
As an established HGV training provider, we genuinely wanted the Bootcamp scheme to succeed. We wanted more drivers entering the industry, and we hoped the Government would finally recognise the value of the work that real training providers deliver every day. Instead, we watched a programme with enormous potential turn into a case study in inefficiency, weak oversight, and unnecessary spending. Yes, some trainees did benefit and we are genuinely pleased for them but it’s impossible to ignore the fact that the same, or even better, outcomes could have been achieved at a fraction of the cost simply by working directly with the providers who actually train drivers. Local HGV schools like ours have been doing this job for decades. We never needed layers of middle-men, inflated budgets, or new organisations created overnight just to win government contracts. We simply needed the Government to trust the people who already know how to deliver proper, efficient, high-quality HGV training. Unfortunately, that trust never came and taxpayers ultimately paid the price.That didn’t happen and taxpayers paid the price.
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