Managing safety and professionalism in times of driver shortages was high on the agenda at the third IRU RoadMasters Forum, held virtually this month. The event attracted more than 450 people from along the entire transport value chain, from shippers and logistics providers through to transport operators and international organisations.
Many leading companies speaking at the event said they are already investing heavily in the human element of transport supply chains.
“Driving as a job can feel intimidating to young people. To attract youth we need to offer training and on-the-job support to young drivers when they take up the career so that they feel confident,” said Neringa Jasiulionienė from Manvesta.
Easing the movement of drivers, including hiring them from other countries, with more harmonised standards and requirements for the job would also help the sector tremendously. “We look forward to have foreign drivers benefit from easier access to the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC) as currently it is very difficult to hire them from aboard”, said Wladimir Krieger from Hegelmann.
Panellists agreed that decent pay, drivers’ development, career prospects and purpose are all key values in attracting, growing and retaining young talent today.
According to Andrea Condotta from Gruber Logistics, social sustainability will be very important to attract new talent into the industry and allow it to thrive in the future.
