article_snippet: Emergency cash could be found to avoid a chronic shortage of lorry drivers leading to crisis in food supplies.
article_snippet: Tests which have been blamed for the problems in the industry could also be accelerated to address the shortage of qualified drivers.
article_snippet: the industry warns that shortage of 45,000 drivers has been caused in part by new rules forcing hauliers to be tested on shortage of 45,000 drivers driving skills .
article_snippet: Britain needs between 45,000 and 60,000 extra lorry drivers, according to estimates.
article_snippet: There is a long-running shortage caused by drivers retiring and too few young people choosing haulage as a career.
article_snippet: As many as 20,000 drivers are thought to have quit or retired as a result.
article_snippet: New training rules mean the industry is thousands of drivers short, according to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.
article_snippet: The Road Haulage Association claims more than 20,000 drivers have quit since September.
article_snippet: Hauliers say New training rules mean there are not enough people to drive lorries across the country, raising the prospect of 'empty shelves'.
article_snippet: A Department for Transport spokesman said: 'Increasing the number of qualified lorry drivers is good for British business and good for growth.
highlights_snippet: Follows warning of a shortage of 45,000 lorry drivers hitting supply chain .