Do your Christmas shopping now warns warns Patrick McLoughlin New training rules for drivers have led to thousands quitting the industry Road Haulage Association there could be 'empty shelves' this Christmas Patrick McLoughlin says people should 'get their shopping done' Plea comes despite there still being six weeks to go until Christmas Day Could affect online shopping and High Street shops Shoppers have been urged to order Christmas presents early amid fears a shortage of lorry drivers will delay deliveries. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin urged people to 'get their shopping done' with six weeks until Christmas Day. There is mounting concern that a 'crisis' in the road haulage industry will mean online and in-store gift orders do not arrive in time and there could be 'empty shelves' in shops, with vegetables for Christmas dinners at risk. Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin urged people to get their Christmas shopping done to avoid problems with deliveries New training rules mean the logistics industry is 60,000 drivers short, according to the UK Commission for Employment and Skills. The Freight Transport Association claims 20,000 drivers have quit since September. I think we'll be all right. But I'd advise everybody to get their shopping done It comes after a new Driver Certificate of Professional Competence was introduced across the EU, which meant drivers had to complete an extra 35 hours training, costing some £500. Hauliers claim the rules mean there are not enough people to drive lorries across the country, raising the prospect of 'empty shelves' this Christmas. Mr McLoughlin defended the new rules, arguing that drivers need to know how to drive their lorries properly. But he urged people not to leave their shopping until the last minute, in case supply lines are affected. 'If you're driving a motor vehicle, with the investment you've got in that motor vehicle, it's no bad thing to know what you're doing,' he told the ConservativeHome website. 723 shares Asked if there were going to problems with deliveries this Christmas, he replied: 'I hope not. I hope not. But I'd advise everybody to get their shopping done.' However, Labour's shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher hit back at his comments, branding them "out of touch." He said: 'People are already facing a cost of living crisis under this Government and now they are being lectured about when to get their Christmas shopping done by out of touch ministers. 'The problem isn't people not getting on with their shopping, the problem is the Secretary of State not getting a grip of the situation.' Labour's shadow transport secretary Michael Dugher hit back at the comments, branding them "out of touch" Douglas Carswell, the UKIP MP for Clacton, also blasted the Government over the 'crisis'. He said: "When we joined the EU, did anyone imagine that it would lead to a shortage of lorry drivers? We need to leave. What this shows us is the incompetence of this administration. Patrick McLoughlin is reduced to warning people to do their Christmas shopping early. What is the point of him if he as a transport minister cannot decide what paperwork lorry drivers need? It is a pathetic end to a once great party. Earlier today, Mr McLoughlin revealed he is 'actually a bit better prepared this year than I am most years' and has already turned his attention to buy presents for his family. He added: 'My wife's very worried about it. I've told her I've sorted her present out. She can't quite believe this. She gives me a list about two weeks before of things she would like. But let's not go in to that.' Sources close to Mr McLoughlin later said the Christmas shopping warning was a "light-hearted exchange." "We don't think there's any real concern," the source said. New rules mean all lorry drivers must undergo 35 hours of training at a cost of £500, but many have left the industry altogether Britain needs between 45,000 and 60,000 extra lorry drivers, according to estimates. There is a long-running shortage caused by drivers retiring and too few young people choosing haulage as a career. And since September, all drivers must obtain the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence, completing an extra 35 hours training, costing some £500. Under the new rules, drivers who do not hold the new certificate face a fine of £1,000. As many as 20,000 drivers are thought to have quit or retired as a result. The Road Haulage Association wants Chancellor George Osborne to offer funding to train a new generation of drivers - especially women - in next month's Autumn Statement. However, the comments have shone a spotlight on a crisis in the industry, with too few people choosing a career in haulage. Young people are also deterred from a career in haulage by high insurance premiums, it is claimed. Kate Gibbs, of the Road Haulage Association, told the MailOnline: 'We always see people stocking up at Christmas as if the shops are going to be closed for two months. It is the perishable goods - the big bags of mandarin oranges, the vegetables that go with the turkey. All of the perishable goods have a rapid turnover and a short shelf life. We have got to make sure those shelves are filled. There may be shortages this Christmas. Tory MP Philip Hollobone has warned: 'The country faces a national shortage of 40,000 qualified HGV drivers, which is acting as a brake on national economic growth.' In a Commons debate last month, Conservative Neil Carmichael said: 'I want to put on the record the need for us to encourage young people to consider that career as a possibility, because if we do not deal with logistical challenges, we might find that growth does not happen as quickly as we would like, or in the way that we would like. I make a plea to anyone listening to this debate: consider encouraging young people to move into haulage. The Road Haulage Association has warned there could be empty shelves and slow supplies this Christmas Douglas McCormick, from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, has said: 'Because logistics underpins the operation of so many other businesses we often do not think about it by itself, but its overall contribution to the economy is huge. As over 60 per cent of goods in the UK are moved by road, driver shortages would cause serious knock-on effects to the rest of the economy. A spokesman for online market place eBay said deliveries were crucial to the consumer market. The spokesman said: 'Getting delivery right is absolutely important which is why more than half the items sold by businesses large and small on eBay offer free delivery and a range of fast delivery options. More and more, customers are choosing Click and Collect and on eBay there are millions of items available for convenient collection from over 650 Argos stores throughout the UK.