The activity of professional truck drivers is of paramount importance for the economy and the comprehensive supply of our society. Because there are fewer and fewer truck drivers in Germany and Europe, road freight transport in Germany and Europe is suffering from an increasingly acute shortage of qualified drivers. According to the Federal Motor Transport Authority, approximately one million trained truck drivers are 45 years old or older, and the average retirement age is 60 years. In Germany, about 67,000 drivers retire from the workforce each year due to age. These retiring drivers cannot currently be replaced by new personnel, leading to an annual deficit of approximately 40,000 drivers.
Given current developments, it is not unlikely that the increasing shortage of drivers could lead to a supply bottleneck or collapse. At the end of 2018, the first bottlenecks occurred, resulting in various supermarkets not having all goods in stock as usual.
The causes of the driver shortage are diverse, but the lack of societal recognition of the profession and inadequate wages are particularly challenging for many truck drivers. In addition, the lack of parking spaces, often poor hygiene conditions in sanitary facilities, increasing traffic volume, and poor organization at loading and unloading ramps with unpredictable, long waiting times contribute to the problem. Moreover, the duration and cost of training to become a professional truck driver, or to obtain the required basic qualification, often deter young people from pursuing this profession.
Working conditions for truck drivers must become more attractive again
Qualified professional truck drivers are everyday heroes for us, as they ensure that production and trade goods are delivered to customers on time and are on the road for society in all weather conditions and at all times. In order to attract more drivers in the long term, consistent investment in the profession and its image is necessary. According to a survey by the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Disposal (BGL) e.V., the following aspects need to be improved to make the profession of driver more attractive:
- More appreciation
- Better work-life balance
- More flexibility in driving and rest times
- More free and cleaner parking spaces
In order to attract more drivers in the long term, the quality of work, work-life balance, and the image of the profession must improve significantly. From a political perspective, a more flexible design of driving and rest times could make the daily work of drivers easier.
Female empowerment
Currently, only about 1.7% of professional truck drivers are female. Here too, associations, politics, and companies must take action to significantly increase the proportion of women and counteract the shortage of skilled workers. For example, the BGL and the ambassador for female truck drivers, Christina Scheib, plan to establish their own working group and special meetings for female truck drivers. In addition, the entire industry is called upon to make the profession more attractive and to implement new working time models that better reconcile family and work. This way, the concerns of female drivers in this professional environment are strengthened, and more female professional truck drivers will be recruited!
Our contribution to making everyday work more attractive
In recent years, the work processes of professional truck drivers have changed due to digitalization. The digital networking between driver, vehicle, and company headquarters simplifies and optimizes a variety of tasks. To optimize communication with fleet management and make other tasks (e.g., order processing) more efficient for truck drivers, the TEOS® app was developed. Whereas drivers and dispatchers used to exchange orders and information in many phone calls, now everything happens digitally with the TEOS® app. For example, the dispatcher can send tours, orders, or text messages to the driver's TEOS® app. The driver receives these in real-time, can start tours directly, view order information, document activities, and much more.
