Logistics is one of the sectors moving fastest on automation, and that changes what depots need from people. Government research notes that sectors like retail and logistics were already actively integrating AI to improve customer insights and streamline functions such as inventory management and supply chains GOV.UK's AI Adoption Research. So the software side of the depot is getting smarter. The physical, judgement-heavy side is where teams still carry the load.
There's plenty of room for machines to do more of the repetitive work. The International Federation of Robotics reported that UK utilisation of industrial robots substantially lags internationally, using only 101 robots per 10,000 workers in 2020 GOV.UK's Smart Machines Strategy 2035. That gap tells us two things: automation will keep growing, and for now the human call on a busy yard is not going anywhere.
A yard move looks simple until it isn't. A shunter reading tyre spray on a wet apron, a yard marshal spotting a trailer that's parked a foot too tight, a transport planner weighing a late slot against driver hours: these are live, context-rich decisions. Automated tools can flag and suggest, but the person on site owns the outcome.
The broader picture supports keeping these roles human-led while adding AI skills around them. Government projections estimate that for the total of AI-related occupations, the net change ranges from approximately 696,000 jobs in the Automation Scenario to 1,072,000 in the Technological Opportunities Scenario, with replacement demand rising from 3,077,000 to 3,193,000 jobs across these scenarios GOV.UK's AI Skills for Life and Work projections. In plain terms: the work shifts, it doesn't disappear, and depots need people who can judge, plus people who can run the tools that help them judge.
Start with the decision, not the task. Write the role around the calls it has to make: what does good judgement look like on this yard, on a wet Tuesday, at shift change? Then hire for that.
The judgement stays with your team. The finding and shortlisting is where we can save you days. We search 15 million candidates, rank a shortlist in under 30 seconds, contact matched people in under a minute and can book an interview in under three minutes, so you spend your time on the decisions that matter.
Our recruitment agent manages recruitment end to end for 8% on a successful hire, with no monthly fee and no upfront cost, through Reed.ai. If you're hiring shunters, marshals or planners, tell us the role and we'll surface a ranked shortlist to review today.
