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

The report is based on insight from stakeholders across the European transport industry and drawn from two surveys conducted by IRU.

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.

Boris Blanche, IRU’s Managing Director commented: “The transport industry needs to take immediate and decisive action to tackle the driver shortage. Left unchecked, it will have serious implications for the European economy and lead to rising costs for businesses, consumers and passengers.

“But there is no shortage of opportunity in this 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.”

International Road Transport UnionIRU

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