Driver shortage in Germany leads to losses for transport companies
The logistics industry is still reeling from the pandemic, as other trials have descended upon it. In addition to rising fuel prices and other problems, the market is experiencing a shortage of drivers. Staff shortages are causing transportation companies to have to turn down orders. A number of German carriers have even started selling their trucks because they are not employed.
According to the Road Transport Association, there is a shortage of 80,000 to 100,000 drivers in Germany. As a consequence, the fleet of logistics companies is idle, and the number of orders is reduced because there is no one to fulfill them.
It should be noted that the German transport sector suffers from a shortage of specialists more than the market of neighboring countries, such as Poland. The fact is that a small number of foreign drivers work in Germany, unlike in Poland or the Baltic states.
The shortage of drivers is influenced by a number of factors. For example, every year 30-35 thousand specialists retire in Germany, while only 15-20 thousand new driving licenses are issued. According to official statistics, more than 30% of drivers in Germany are over 55 years old. If the situation does not change for the better, more than 230,000 professionals will retire within 10 years.
In addition, the shortage of drivers has been affected by attitudes towards the profession itself. Among many people, it is considered unattractive because of insufficiently high wages and difficult working conditions. Truck drivers spend long periods of time away from their loved ones, and as a result, their personal lives suffer and their dissatisfaction with their chosen field of work grows.
The association considers revising the conditions for skilled immigration to be one solution to the problem. The organization suggests establishing agreements with other countries to hire their citizens. For this purpose, it considers Turkey, whose citizens can be trained in the necessary qualifications to work in German companies.
Some members of parliament are also in favor of such a change. They have called on the government to make a number of changes to the law that governs the qualifications of drivers. Thus, politicians want to make up for the lack of specialists in the field of logistics. First of all, they want to allow hiring drivers from countries, which are not members of the European Union, such as Montenegro, Turkey, Bosnia, and Herzegovina. An important point here is also to simplify the procedure for obtaining a German driver’s license on the basis of foreign documents. Now the process of replacement is difficult and long.
Another proposal from the deputies is to reduce the cost of training and getting a license to drive trucks. It is important to make the courses for drivers more affordable.
