The long haul
A record shortage of truck drivers is now throttling the world’s trade, and this time it will not fix itself when the economy turns. Umberto de Pretto, who runs the International Road Transport Union (IRU), delivered a grim tally this year: 2.9 million lorry-driving jobs standing empty across 18 markets, 11 per cent of the […] The long haul was originally published on Emerging Europe .
The global trucking industry is grappling with a record shortage of drivers, threatening trade, according to Umberto de Pretto, president of the International Road Transport Union (IRU). This year, the union recorded 2.9 million empty lorry-driving jobs across 18 markets, a 11% workforce deficit, marking the highest level ever. Despite a cooling of freight demand, the shortage has worsened, deepening as a critical structural issue, de Pretto said, disrupting transport capacity and supply-chain reliability.
The driver shortage began around 2022-2023, when European freight volumes dropped but the lack of drivers persisted. Two-thirds of European hauliers turned down contracts due to crewing issues, with 65% citing the shortage as their top concern, four times more than any other factor. This left Europe with 502,000 empty cabs, an 13% vacancy rate, among the worst in the study.
De Pretto warned earlier about an "ever-widening chasm" between younger drivers and older ones, with around a fifth of Europe's drivers and 24% of Australia's set to retire within five years. Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Spain are most exposed to this trend. Meanwhile, the average trucker in America is 57, according to the American Trucking Associations, with a domestic shortfall of 82,000 drivers for 2026.
FreightWaves dismissed this figure as a myth, citing 35,000 trucking firms going under in 2023, pointing to a collapse of loads rather than drivers.
The IRU's numbers suggest driver salaries are not the main deterrent, running 30 to 135% above the local cost of living. MEPs recently voted to lower the minimum age for a truck license from 21 to 18, provided the driver holds a certificate of professional competence, and allow 17-year-olds to drive under supervision. However, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) restricted non-domiciled commercial licenses to holders of a narrow set of work visas, affecting around 200,000 drivers, roughly 5% of American licenses.
De Pretto emphasized the need to make driving a career people can enter, build, and remain in, rather than merely advertising. Women make up just 4% of Europe's truck drivers, with their numbers swelling only where governments and firms collaborate. With 660,000 European drivers due to retire by 2030, the upcoming license change won't see a single 18-year-old behind the wheel until member states rewrite their laws, a task they need not finish before November 2028.
Written by urgent.news from Emerging Europe's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
