Children as young as 10 years old can get their first experience of driving a HGV with TrackDays.co.uk by getting in the cab and learning some basic driving skills.

With the Road Haulage Association (RHA) saying there is currently a shortage of 100,000 drivers in the UK, there could be plenty of vacancies to fill by those youngsters who decide it is the career for them.

Dan Jones, Operations Manager at TrackDays.co.uk, said, "The UK faces a very real problem with the current shortage of truck drivers.”

"Long-term planning offers one solution, encouraging youngsters to experience driving an HGV at a very early age so they can see if it's something that interests them is one of the potentially effective ways to help address the issue."

The company’s junior truck driving experience really puts youngsters to the test and involves taking the wheel of a 480 bhp DAF truck under the guidance of an HGV instructor. Youngsters then drive the huge vehicle around a specially designed course, using up to 16 gears and are presented with a driving experience certificate on completion.

Dan added, "Children as young as 10-years-old are getting behind the wheel of an HGV and showing the adults how it's done. As well as being great fun, a junior truck driving experience also gives youngsters a confidence boost as they discover a new skill."

The junior truck diving experience is available at a number of tracks around the UK and costs £89.

Photo: Children as young as 10 can drive an HGV.