The UK government is expected to make a formal request for assistance to the military as the country tries to cope with food shortages caused by a lack of qualified truck drivers, which has left many supermarket shelves bare in recent weeks, Report informs referring to Daily Mail.
It comes after the Road Haulage Association warned in late July that there was a shortage of 100,000 lorry drivers in the UK, which has been hampering deliveries of food from warehouses to supermarkets.
Thousands of prospective drivers are waiting for their heavy goods vehicle (HGV) tests due to a backlog caused by lockdown, while many existing ones have left the UK after Brexit.
The problem has been exacerbated by COVID, with drivers having to go into self-isolation. Some 2,000 HGV drivers from the Royal Logistics Corps and other regiments are reported to be on a five-day notice to help distribute food and other essential supplies, including medicine.
Messages are being sent out to all army personnel with HGV qualifications. They are being put on a five-day standby notice for driving jobs at major distribution centers around the country. Soldiers will be put up in hotels where necessary and will be working extended hours to assist with the crisis.