Blog Details

Driver shortage was the subject of a Transport Committee Hearing in Germany this week, a meeting that for the most part saw unions, drivers and driver representatives at odds with industry figures on how to solve the issue. As an official Bundestag press release documents, the former group pointed towards solutions involving better salaries and conditions, while in most cases, industry chiefs stressed that more 3rd-country drivers are required.

Among those to speak at the meeting was Ronny Keller of the Verdi trade union. His words suggested that the road transport industry in Germany is at a crossroads and is facing a key decision on the driver shortage. “The industry must make a better offer, or keep looking east,” said the union representative.

Keller nonetheless made it clear that he is against the latter option. He pointed out that there are also some skill shortages in Poland, and said that the use of foreign labour is not the best means to fix the driver shortage. In his opinion, it would be better to improve working conditions in Germany – something he says employers are primarily responsible for. Christoph Peine, who runs the logistics company logistics company Peine GmbH, was in tune with Engelhardt. He told those gathered at the hearing that “immigration from the east” is needed, but is being thwarted by major bureaucratic obstacles. He then went on to explain that he had been trying to recruit Filipino drivers for 3 years, but abandoned the plan due to the bureaucracy involved. Returning to the topic of driver salaries, Frank Huster, General Manager at the Federal Association of Forwarding and Logistics, admitted that remuneration plays an important role.

However, he claimed that the current shortage has seen wages grow over the collectively agreed minimum. Huster cited the example of companies in Baden-Württemberg, who he said were already paying €4,000 gross per month. On the other hand, Huster conceded that in some regions, such as Berlin-Brandenburg, monthly pay can be around 50% lower.

In addition, Huster referred to the demands of the job, which has a high stress factor and leads to long absences from home. He also believes the profession is “not popular anymore” among young people, who would rather “become an influencer than a professional driver”. As a consequence, he thinks the industry is pinning its hopes on more skilled worker immigration.