Wanted: Polish truck drivers

{"text":[[{"start":5.44,"text":"Polish truck drivers, once the mainstay of European road transport, are becoming ever harder to retain and recruit, part of a worldwide crisis that spells trouble for supply chains and economies."}],[{"start":17.26,"text":"The number of unfilled truck driver positions in the EU has more than doubled in two years to reach 502,000 in 2025, according to a survey published in late June by the International Road Transport Union (IRU)."}],[{"start":31.52,"text":"The vacancies represent about 13 per cent of the workforce required by the industry. The shortage is only expected to get worse as a generation of truckers retire, with 660,500 — one in five — expected to do so by 2030."}],[{"start":47.2,"text":"In June, Polish road freight operator Extrego raised the salaries of its 150 drivers by about 15 per cent in an effort to retain existing staff and attract new recruits."}],[{"start":58.24,"text":"Even so, the company is operating this summer with a shortage of about 20 drivers, highlighting the difficulty of recruiting workers in a country that also has one of the EU’s lowest unemployment rates."}],[{"start":69.44,"text":"“Polish drivers are getting old and the young generation is just not willing to do this job because they believe that they can find easier ways to earn money without having to spend weeks abroad on the road,” said Wojciech Brzykowski, Extrego’s chief executive."}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":83.96,"text":"The lack of drivers in Europe risks increasing freight costs and adding delivery times to European supply chains already disrupted by international trade disputes and wars."}],[{"start":94,"text":"An ageing workforce, rising roadside crime, increasing regulation and border checks all contribute to driver dissatisfaction and dwindling numbers."}],[{"start":103.08,"text":"The shortage is particularly worrying for Poland, which has built the EU’s largest truck fleet since joining the bloc in 2004, turning road freight into a cornerstone of its economy."}],[{"start":113.2,"text":"About 20 per cent of all road freight transport in the EU is carried out by Polish operators, according to the European Commission."}],[{"start":120.78,"text":"But the problem is much wider, with about two-thirds of European freight operators now identifying driver shortages as their biggest concern, while a similar proportion say they have turned down business because they cannot recruit enough staff, according to the IRU."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":135.2,"text":"The shortage is expected to worsen as a generation of drivers approaches retirement, particularly in central and eastern Europe, where freight companies mushroomed after their countries joined the EU two decades ago."}],[{"start":147,"text":"Membership in the bloc unlocked billions of euros in EU funding for new motorways, while transport operators benefited from lower operating costs than rivals in western Europe, including cheaper labour."}],[{"start":159.52,"text":"The obvious solution of recruiting more female drivers — women account for only 4 per cent of Europe’s truck drivers — turns out to be complicated because the profession, which already demands many nights on the road, appears to be becoming more dangerous."}],[{"start":173.56,"text":"Underlining the risks, 79 per cent of drivers report having faced a security threat while their vehicle was parked, according to a study last year from the European Commission, which also found that 85 per cent of transport operators experienced theft or vandalism when their vehicles were parked in unsecured areas, with the number only dropping to 41 per cent in secured locations."}],[{"start":196.28,"text":"“The rising threat of crime, such as assaults and cargo theft at parking areas,” means few women want to drive trucks, according to Maciej Wroński, president of Poland’s TLP transport association, whose members employ a combined 40,000 people. He said the profession required “significant personal sacrifices that even above-average wages cannot fully compensate”."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":219.28,"text":"Another reason employers are struggling to recruit is that many operators are small. Road haulage remains the backbone of Europe’s freight network, carrying a quarter of all goods by tonne-kilometres in 2024, according to the European Commission, but it remains highly fragmented. Companies with fewer than 10 employees account for 79 per cent of the sector, according to IRU."}],[{"start":241.08,"text":"Such smaller operators cannot afford to raise their operating costs because “transportation is a very, very low-margin industry,” said Lyall Cresswell, chief executive of freight technology platform TEG."}],[{"start":253.04,"text":"Among the more recent challenges for drivers, Brzykowski singled out tougher border controls, particularly since much of the pharmaceuticals and other high-value goods transported by Extrego’s temperature-controlled trucks are destined for the UK."}],[{"start":266.24,"text":"Britain introduced rules this year that oblige drivers to guarantee that they have inspected and secured their vehicles to prevent clandestine migrants from entering the country."}],[{"start":275.68,"text":"At the same time, Extrego is also now bracing itself for a wave of early retirements because EU rules requiring advanced tachographs enforcing mandatory driving time, breaks and rest periods were extended to lighter commercial vehicles in July."}],[{"start":289.4,"text":"That forces drivers to undergo additional training. Although the company is paying for the courses, at least 20 older drivers recently told Brzykowski that “they just can’t be bothered” to have to adapt to the new system, he said."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":302.72,"text":"Across Poland and other countries in central and eastern Europe, freight companies are increasingly seeking to recruit drivers overseas, but smaller operators often lack the administrative capacity to navigate the lengthy process of securing work permits for non-EU drivers. Governments are also tightening rules on recognising foreign driving licences as part of their clampdown on illegal migration."}],[{"start":325.28,"text":"After failing to recruit locally, Radovan Ižold, chief executive of Slovak freight company Net Trade, recently hired his first foreign driver to help operate his fleet of 40 trucks."}],[{"start":335.8,"text":"A recruitment agency found a suitable candidate in India, but completing the necessary paperwork in Slovakia took four months, which was far longer and more costly than Ižold had expected."}],[{"start":346.6,"text":"Ižold also had to cover the driver’s living expenses while he waited for clearance to drive, but he said the outcome was nevertheless worthwhile. His Indian driver earns €1,600 a month, compared with €2,200 for his Slovak drivers, and is eager to work extra hours. “Indians are clearly used to driving more than 10 hours [a day] and working for six days a week,” which is more than EU legislation allows, he added."}],[{"start":372.76,"text":"Although he could try to hire more foreign drivers, Ižold said the best solution to his sector’s recruitment problems was “praying for self-driving trucks”."}],[{"start":381.16,"text":"Yet even that seemingly helpful technological solution to driver shortages faces challenges in the heavily regulated EU, with TEG’s Cresswell saying it is “probably 10-plus years away”."}],[{"start":392.36,"text":"Data visualisation by Martin Stabe"}],[{"start":394.88,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1786006814_6388.mp3"}