October 20, 2023 Tipping Point Is Here – Lack of Qualified Drivers

Research into driver shortage and increased demand can reveal that the EU haulage industry has reached an unsustainable ‘tipping point’.

New analysis by SNAP, the haulage industry’s digital marketplace, shows that the increased demand for online deliveries and a lack of new drivers joining the industry has created a ‘tipping point’ with not enough qualified drivers to cope with current haulage demands.

Data reveals that over a third (34%) of drivers¹ are aged 55 or above, and the European average age is 47, meaning that many truckers will be heading towards retirement in the next decade.

Additionally, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) noted a lack of 380,000 drivers last year, accounting for only 10% of the demand², and job openings in the transport and logistics sector are showing an increase of 13% month on month this year in Europe, highlighting an urgent need for more drivers.  

IRU Secretary General Umberto de Pretto says: “Europe’s driver shortage crisis is accelerating rapidly, posing a major threat to the continent if nothing is done. The growing chasm between retiring and new drivers will triple by as early as 2026, resulting in a loss of over two million drivers and impacting half of all freight movements and millions of passenger journeys.”

Myra McPartlin, Head of Commercial at SNAP, says: “There has long been the challenge of retaining HGV drivers, and when you combine this with the challenges faced by Brexit and an increase in demand of delivery services since the pandemic, the industry naturally becomes unsustainable. The number of new drivers decreasing and those leaving the industry means that we are at a tipping point.”

The increase in demand is partly due to an influx of online shopping and food deliveries, with data showing that in 2023 so far, there have been 239 million meal deliveries and 180 million grocery deliveries in Europe³.

Audience research from SNAP shows that lack of safety at truck parks is a major concern for many drivers and is another factor contributing to the shortage across Europe.

The European Parliament’s Transport Committee decided earlier this year to impose strict deadlines on the construction and opening of more safe and secure parking sites across Europe in a bid to fill the driver shortage – but SNAP is questioning whether this will be enough.

McPartlin says: “The safety of drivers is paramount and goes a long way in ensuring employee retention, but this needs to be done in addition to fair wages and better driving conditions.

SNAP Access and Security (A&S) is committed to ensuring driver safety and well-being. A&S works with our service partners to improve the safety of truck stops across Europe by providing drivers, via the Intruck app, with all the security details at each stop to allow them to make their own decisions on where to rest. This ensures they stop safely to take regular breaks and keep their concentration on the road ahead.

If the rate continues, predictions from Cedefop⁴ show that by 2035 the ‘driver and vehicle operator’ industry will see a 1.6% decrease in employment growth despite the growing demand and calls for more drivers.

For more information on the haulage industry, and to read the full report on the ‘tipping point’, please visit https://www.snapacc.com/tipping-point/.

¹ Truckmobility Info: Shortage of drivers in the EU (February 2023)

https://truckmobility-info.com/shortage-of-drivers-in-the-eu/#:~:text=Europe%20also%20has%20the%20highest,drivers%2C%20which%20is%2047%20years.&text=According%20to%20carriers%2C%20difficult%20working,by%20over%2050%25%20of%20respondents.

² Globaldata: Job Trends in the Transport and Logistics Sector report (March – June 2023)

https://www.globaldata.com/data-insights/transportation–infrastructure-and-logistics/europe-job-trends-in-the-transport-and-logistics-sector-2095547/

³ Statista: Number of users of the online food delivery market worldwide from 2017 to 2027, by segment (August 2023).

https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1297721/users-online-food-delivery-europe

⁴ Cedefop: Future employment growth by occupations in EU27 in 2022-2035

https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/skills-intelligence/future-employment-growth?country=EU27&year=2022-2035#3

About SNAP: 
SNAP is the digital marketplace – connecting fleet journeys from depot to destination across Europe through technology, security and an extensive European network. 

The service is used every 13 seconds by one of the 165,000+ truck drivers using SNAP’s payment system. Transactions occur across a network of over 470 truck service partners across Europe.

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