Germany Lacks 120,000 Truck Drivers

(Patria) - German freight forwarders have appealed to politicians to take measures to reduce the shortage of truck drivers, according to German media.

- We currently lack more than 120,000 truck drivers, and the situation could worsen - said Dirk Engelhardt, spokesperson for the Association of German Freight Forwarders (BGL), in an interview with Reuters.

Engelhardt states that 30,000 to 35,000 drivers retire annually, while only 15,000 to 20,000 new ones enter the labor market.

- The gap between the supply and demand for drivers will only grow larger - Engelhardt says.

He also points out that many freight forwarders are forced to reject freight transport offers due to the lack of available drivers.

In Germany, 80 percent of goods are still transported by road, despite initiatives for years to shift more freight transport to railways.

On behalf of the Freight Forwarders Association, Engelhardt expressed concern in case of an expansion of Russian aggression to other European countries.

- In that case, all trucks would be forced to return to their country of origin, and already almost every second truck on German roads has foreign license plates - Engelhardt added.

He also appealed to politicians to facilitate the issuance of work visas for drivers from non-EU countries.