How do we deal with the shortage of drivers? A new project looks to find best practices of international collaboration and support the mobility of drivers from surplus countries.
Europe is facing a severe shortage of bus, coach and truck drivers that is projected to, at the very least, double in the coming years without significant action.
Both sectors have an ageing driver population. Less than 3% of bus and coach drivers are below 25 years old, while more than 40% are over 55 years old. Similarly, less than 5% of truck drivers are below 25 and a third are over 55.
Recognising the gravity of the shortage, IRU members called on governments to focus on tailored immigration policies through the “Driver Shortage Also Needs Legal Immigration” resolution adopted last year.
IRU has now joined forces with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD) and the Migration Partnership Facility (MPF) on a new initiative called Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe (SDM4EU).
The project aims to comprehensively map the countries of origin and destination of professional drivers. It will also develop a skilled driver employment framework and support the mobility of drivers from countries with a surplus to those facing a shortage.
SDM4EU brings together a wide range of stakeholders, including transport companies, professional drivers, recruitment experts, associations, unions, authorities, training institutes, and assessment centres.
IRU Director of Certification and Standards Patrick Philipp discussed the pressing need to address the chronic shortage of drivers through global cooperation at the joint event of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the International Centre for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), titled Future-Proofing Labour Markets: The Role of Skills Mobility Partnerships, on 19 June in Paris, France.
“No single industry actor can solve driver shortages on their own. It requires collaboration among all industry stakeholders. But cooperation within just a country or region is not always enough.”
Patrick Philipp emphasised that in many developed countries with an ageing population, hiring enough local drivers is simply not feasible.
He warned that this shortage impacts far more than just commercial operations. It also jeopardises safety, the transition to collective mobility, service quality, and supply chain resilience.
At the same time, Patrick Philipp highlighted that some countries have an excess talent pool of professional drivers that could help fill gaps elsewhere through “skills mobility partnerships”.
Small and medium-sized enterprises, the backbone of the industry, particularly need support facilitating access to drivers from surplus countries through such partnerships.
The SDM4EU project aims to be a vital part of the solution to the driver shortage crisis facing the road transport industry.
This project is co-funded by the European Union, contracted by ICMPD through the Migration Partnership Facility.
