A new report by the International Road Transport Union (IRU) has found the European road transport sector is facing the most acute professional driver shortage in decades.

Polling of IRU members and associated organisations in Europe from October 2018 to January 2019 revealed a visible driver shortage of 21% in the freight transport sector and 19% in the bus and coach sector. The problem is accelerating, with the shortfall predicted to reach 40% in both sectors as demand grows in 2019.

“The transport industry needs to take immediate and decisive action to tackle the driver shortage,” said IRU‘s managing director Boris Blanche. “Left unchecked, it will have serious implications for the European economy and lead to rising costs for businesses, consumers and passengers.”

Blanche said there was no shortage of opportunity in the profession.

“In fact, our research found that job satisfaction tends to be high, with only 20% of drivers surveyed expressing any dissatisfaction with their work.”

According to IRU‘s research, the following are causing the driver shortage:

• 57% of male drivers and 63% of female drivers believe the poor image of the profession is stifling recruitment.

• 79% of drivers believe the difficulty of attracting women to the profession is one of the top reasons for the driver shortage. This is underlined by data from the International Transport Forum, showing female drivers make up just 2% of European road transport drivers.  

• 70% of drivers aged 25 to 34 believe the difficulty of attracting young drivers is one of top reasons for the driver shortage.

• Amongst drivers, 76% believe that working conditions, and 77% think long periods away from home, deter many from entering the profession.

• The industry also suffers from an ageing labour force. In Europe the majority of freight transport sector companies are employing drivers with an average age of 44 years old, while in the passenger transport sector the average age is 52 years old.

To address these challenges, IRU has worked in close cooperation with its members to create an action plan of short, medium and long-term measures.

IRU has already taken steps, including the regular collection of solid company data, to find facts and monitor trends. It has launched a joint initiative with the European Shippers Council (ESC) to develop common principles aimed at improving the treatment of drivers at delivery sites. IRU has also established an expert group to address driver training legislation and its effectiveness.

IRU will set up a Women in Transport Network, aimed at increasing the number of women in the transport sector and their representation at all working levels, as well as to promote transport as an attractive field for women to work in. It will contribute to incentives such as creating awards for female drivers and best performing companies in terms of recruitment, inclusiveness and retention.

“Already the driver shortage is creating serious headaches for transport operators, impacting the people and businesses that rely on their services,” said IRU‘s general delegate Matthias Maedge. “Unfortunately, this is only set to worsen. We should not be fooled into thinking automation will solve this issue. There is still some way to go until the road transport industry sees full automation, and the partial adoption we are currently witnessing will require a sizeable workforce with an increasingly diverse skillset. This makes the need for decisive action to attract new talent all the more immediate.

“IRU has made the driver shortage one of its key priorities for 2019. We will work with public and private stakeholders such as national governments, local authorities, and social and industry partners to find solutions to address the impending crisis.”

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