MORE must be done to tackle key transport issues such as infrastructure improvements and driver shortages, North East Chamber of Commerce president Alan Ferguson told the Labour Party Conference yesterday.

The haulage sector is facing an uphill battle to recruit new, young talent, with the average age of drivers now 56.

"It is a time bomb," said Mr Ferguson.

"Every year, it gets worse because the youngsters are not getting in."

The industry is also facing increasing time pressures and costs as a result of gridlocked roads.

Speaking in Brighton, Mr Ferguson also urged the Government to help the industry to improve its image.

He said: "The haulage sector is essential. We carry 85 per cent of freight, so without trucks on the road, how are people going to get a loaf of bread at the supermarket or a bottle of coke in their local corner shop?"

The executive chairman of hauliers Fergusons Transport was speaking at a British Chambers of Commerce fringe event attended by David Jamieson, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport.

Mr Ferguson was pressing the case for investment in key transport projects for the region.

"We need investment in certain links, for example to improve access to Tees Port and to stop the A1 North to Scotland being perceived as a country lane," he said.