According to estimates of the Gremi Personal Analytical Center, in the Polish logistics industry There are no from 140 to 230 thousand professional drivers. The problem is deepening because of demographic changes and decreasing interest in this profession among young people. Pressure from Germany or the Netherlands, offering better conditions and salaries is also significant.
According to the data of the Trans for Carriers report The average age of a professional driver in the EU is already 52 years old. Only six percent drivers are people under 30. Young people do not go to the profession – they are scared off by long hours, absence from home and high costs of obtaining powers. The generational gap deepens every year. If nothing changes, the European logistics system threatens to collapse.
– We have a serious shortage of qualified employees – especially drivers and dispatchers. Developing technologies, although helpful, are not able to replace experienced employees who are necessary to make key decisions and conduct logistics operations – says Damian Guzman, deputy general director of Gremi Personal.
Why nobody wants to lead?
The list of reasons discouraging people to work in transport is long. The costs of entering the profession are prohibitive.
– The problem of aging driver staff is deepened by applicable provisions regarding the acquisition of professional qualifications. For people who obtained a driving license category C or C+E after 2009, the path to obtain a professional driver certificate is much more time -consuming and expensive. This process can last from three to even six months, and its cost often reaches five thousand zlotys. This difference in requirements is an important barrier for younger candidates – explains Guzman.
In addition, this work is accompanied by huge stress and a sense of responsibility for safe transport of loads often worth hundreds of thousand. euro. Another problem is loneliness on the road-international drivers spend up to 250-300 days a year outside the home. The lack of flexibility and influence on the graphics makes planning private life almost impossible.
Employee expectations are also changing. Randstad studies show that over 65 percent He puts professionally active people today balance between work and private life in the first place when choosing an employer.
– Young people no longer want to sit beaten eight hours a day behind the wheel. There is a growing demand between professional and private life, which requires adaptation of graphic designers and working conditions – emphasizes the expert Gremi Personal.
Companies are fighting for employees
In view of the growing crisis, transport companies are reaching for more and more innovative solutions. One of the main directions of activities is, of course, raising salaries and introducing additional benefits. According to the Randstad report, “Recruitment Strategies for the Logistics Workforce”, employers who increased pay rates by 15-20 percent, recorded 35 % Increased interest of candidates.
Benefits – incl. Bonuses for accident -free, fuel vouchers or private medical care – become standard. More and more companies are also investing in training and professional development – they pay for driving licenses of the C+E category and initial qualification, introduce mentoring programs in which experienced drivers help newcomers, organize internal driver academies. Thanks to this, candidates do not have to bear the costs of entering the profession.
Working conditions are also changing. Employers offer greater flexibility in planning routes and graphic designers. More and more companies are investing in a modern fleet and social conditions to increase the attractiveness of the profession.
– What can companies do today? Invest in adaptation processes – create procedures that will help stop new employees. Implement mobile forms of teaching for young people – through applications, YouTube and chatbot courses. Systematically cooperate with companies offering comprehensive HR solutions that take over the entire process: recruitment, training, legalization, employee logistics and its implementation – advises Guzman.
The technology will not replace people on the road, but it can help
Artificial intelligence and automation are increasingly entering the world of logistics. According to the Randstad report, 62 percent Logistics companies plan to increase investments in AI solutions over the next two or three years.
Technology helps plan optimal routes, reducing travel time and fuel consumption. Predictive algorithms also allow prior detection of failures, and the automation of administrative processes reduces the bureaucratic load of drivers.
Technology also plays an important role in implementing employees from abroad. Tomasz Czyż, the main expert for technological solutions in INELO from the Eurowag group, emphasizes that drivers from countries such as Georgia, Kazakhstan or Philippines often have difficulty adapting to European transport standards and need additional support in understanding local regulations. In such cases, modern solutions such as telematics not only improve work, but also minimize the risk of expensive errors and accelerate the independence of new employees.
However, industry experts agree – the technology itself will not solve the problem. – Technology as support is very much needed, but this is not the only solution. Companies are increasingly implementing digital solutions and fleet management systems. But The technology will not completely replace staff shortages, Or rather, it is used to optimize work – emphasizes Damian Guzman with Gremi Personal.
Who will find the solution will win
The transport industry faces a choice: change or reconcile with a growing crisis that threatens the basics of business.
– The forecast for the coming years is not optimistic – employee deficiency will persist. Competition for employees will be high, which will force you to raise wages and improve working conditions. Staff deficiencies in transport and logistics are a structural problem, resulting from a deficiency of qualified employees, aging of staff and growing demand for logistics services – sums up Damian Guzman.
