From the point of view of the transport market, the pressure is getting stronger. Data from transport exchanges show that in 2025 on most key routes in Europe rates rose month after monthdriven by growing demand and shrinking availability of transport capacity. And fewer drivers mean more expensive transport.
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The situation is further complicated by the demographic structure of the profession. Drivers in Europe are aging rapidly, and younger generations are reluctant to choose a job that involves long absences from home, time pressure and difficult conditions on routes.
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This is how much a truck driver earns today
According to the portal's data salary.pl the median salary of a truck driver in Poland is currently approx. 7 thousand PLN gross per month. Drivers are the best paid with permissions C+E in international transport — analysis of current advertisements on OLX The work shows that at the turn of 2025 and 2026 the upper range reaches up to 18.5 thousand. PLN grossmainly in long trip systems and on foreign routes.
In domestic transport, the scale is clearly smaller – offers most often fall within the range 6–8 thousand PLN gross. Moreover, they still constitute a significant part of real income variable allowances – allowances, lump sums and bonusesnot a stable salary base.
As a result, even rising wages do not fully compensate for the costs and burdens associated with a driver's work: long separation from home, irregular lifestyle and high responsibility. The relatively high threshold for entering the profession is also a deterrent.
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How to become a professional driver? Entering the industry is expensive
The path to becoming a truck driver is longer and more formalized than you might think. As Piotr Czajkowski, fleet manager at DSV, explains, two conditions are key.
First, the candidate must have category C driving license (vehicles over 3.5 tons) or C+Eenabling driving sets with a semi-trailer. Secondly, it is necessary Vocational Qualification Certificateconfirmed by the entry of the so-called code 95 for driving license.
— To obtain them, it is necessary to complete a specialized course including theoretical and practical parts, ending with a state exam at WORD. In addition, there are mandatory medical and psychotechnical tests, says Czajkowski.
The next element is driver cardnecessary to operate digital tachographs. Formally, obtaining it is simple today – the application can be submitted online – but this is only a small part of the entire process.
They remain the biggest barrier costs. Depending on the region and training center, the full path to entry into the profession may cost money up to 15 thousand zloty. For many people, this is an impossible barrier, especially without a guarantee of quick employment.
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Companies are changing their approach. Work comfort becomes currency
More and more logistics operators realize that money alone is not enoughto keep drivers in the industry. Companies such as DSV, in addition to developing their contract fleet, invest in improving everyday working conditions.
Social infrastructure is being developed in transhipment terminals: showers, kitchens, sanitary facilitiesas well as more parking spaces. In parallel, companies are implementing systems notification of loading windowswhich are intended to shorten drivers' waiting time – today in some locations up to 24 hours.
This is a big change in the approach of employers – the driver is no longer a “resource on the route” and starts to be a partner in the supply chain.
Candidates expect systemic support
Although support programs appear on the market – e.g. subsidies for tachographs or training initiatives – their scale remains insufficient. Interest in them is sometimes limited, and the procedures discourage potential beneficiaries.
Meanwhile, the stakes are high. The shortage of drivers is not only a problem of the TSL industry, but… a real risk to the competitiveness of the Polish economyespecially in the context of growing exports and market diversification – including towards Scandinavia, where road transport plays a key role.
If entry into the profession remains expensive and complicated and working conditions do not improve further, the staffing gap will widen. And its effects will be paid not only by transport companies, but also by producers, exporters and – ultimately – consumers.
— To prevent the transport crisis from deepening, systemic solutions are needed supporting the acquisition of qualifications and improving the attractiveness of the professionamong others by improving comfort and working conditions. Without such actions, the problem of driver shortage will deepen, which in the long run will translate into a further increase in transport rates – summarizes Piotr Czajkowski.
