IRU wants more women
To address driver shortages, the International Road Transport Union has made the matter a key priority for 2019. It will cooperate with governments, authorities and firms to tackle the problem.
Approximately 14 million trucks ply their trade on European, Turkish and Russian roads. Driverless trucks are still only in their infancy; so the reality is that heavy goods vehicles only move when they are driven by a driver.
40% shortfall looming
There are far too few drivers in Europe. For a long time it was only the big trucking countries, such as Poland and Germany, that were affected by professional driver shortages, but the problem has now spread to Europe at large.
The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has now come out with a detailed report addressing the problem, based on insights gathered from stakeholders across the European transport industry and drawn from two surveys conducted by the IRU.
One survey, conducted between October 2018 and January 2019, found that around 21% of all professional truck driver positions are vacant. With demand for drivers continuously rising and the problem accelerating, the shortfall is predicted to reach 40% in both the freight transport and bus and coach sectors as demand grows in 2019.
IRU managing director Boris Blanche has warned the industry against complacency. “The transport industry needs to take immediate and decisive action to tackle the shortage. Left unchecked, it will have serious implications for the European economy and lead to rising costs for businesses, consumers and passengers.”
The IRU conducted a survey of the reasons for the shortage. Male and female drivers were interviewed. It believes that the poor image of the profession is stifling recruitment. 79% believe the difficulty of attracting women to the profession is one of the top reasons for the shortage. Only 2% of professional truck drivers in Europe are women. Unattractive working conditions, including long periods away from home, probably deter many from entering the profession.
Women’s network; ECS initiative
The IRU has made the driver shortage one of its key priorities for 2019. To tap the untapped potential of women, the IRU launched a ‘Women in Transport’ network. It has already taken steps, including regularly collecting solid company data, to find facts and monitor trends.
The joint initiative aims to develop common principles, aimed at improving the treatment of drivers at delivery sites, amongst other things. The IRU has also established an expert group to address training legislation and its effectiveness. Furthermore, a group of experts will address the training of drivers and associated regulations.
“We’ll work with public and private stakeholders, national governments, local authorities, social and industry partners, to find solutions to address the impending crisis,” the IRU’s general delegate Matthias Maedge said.