The International Road Transport Union or IRU, which claims to represent the entire World transport industry including truck, bus coach and taxi operations globally, has release its latest global truck driver shortage report .
It won’t surprise many to hear that while unfilled positions in 2024 were similar to 2023 due to easing transport demand, alarming figures show a widening age chasm between young and older driver employment rates. But salaries and job satisfaction remain high according to the IRU
The organisation’s 2024 global truck driver shortage report has found that 3.6 million positions remain unfilled in 36 countries studied representing 70 per cent of global GDP, which is a similar level to 2023, primarily due to easing transport demand over that period.
The report says that underlying structural demographic trends are increasingly alarming, notably a widening chasm between younger and older drivers.
It claims that young drivers under 25 make up just 6.5 per cent of the total driver workforce, while in some countries there are critically low rates, including Italy and Germany at just 2.2 per cent and 2.6 per cent respectively. with Poland and Spain not much better at just three per cent each.
The report says that unfortunately, the trend is continuing downward with the percentage of young truck drivers compared to all drivers falling by 5.8 per cent from 2023 to 2024. This was despite the reverse trend being witnessed in the overall workforces of the countries studied, with young workers up by 1.4per cent
In stark contrast, the share of truck drivers who are over 55 is at 31.6 per cent, while countries with very high percentages of older drivers include Spain at 50 per cent, Italy at 45 per cent and our own workforce here in Australia at an alarming 47 per cent.
The report reveals that the trend here is also alarming in that the average truck driver age globally has now crept up to 44.5years of age
Over the next five years, the report forecasts that 3.4 million truck drivers will retire in the countries studied, revealing that here in Australia, 21 per cent of current drivers will have retired by 2029, while in China it is at 18 per cent and in Europe at 17 per cent.
For Australia and several European countries, notably Germany, Italy, Slovakia and Spain, the widening structural gap between younger and older drivers is particularly acute.
Secretary General of the IRU, Umberto de Pretto said the truck driver shortage crisis continues to deepen with, most alarmingly, an ever-widening chasm between young and older drivers.
“Without concerted and continuing action, this demographic timebomb will explode, seriously impacting economic growth and competitiveness across the globe,” de Pretto said.
The report also revealed that salaries are often cited as a key reason for driver shortages, yet it says the data actually disproves this. It says the average truck drivers salaries are 30-135 per cent higher than the base cost of living level in all regions, citing the fact that it doesn’t believe that driver salary levels correlate directly with driver shortage levels.
The IRU said it partnered with Truckfly by Michelin to survey more than 1,100 truck drivers in seven major European markets and says that this barometer analysed satisfaction by country, age, gender, type and size of company, and route distance.
it said that 81 per cent of truck drivers said they were satisfied with their job, with 57 per cent saying they were very or extremely satisfied.
the report reveals that British, French and Italian drivers are the most satisfied, while young drivers under 25 were the age group with the highest levels of job satisfaction.
The report says that 91 per cent of respondents cited the biggest issues that drivers want fixed was access to well-equipped rest areas and treatment at delivery sites, saying that gender and age did not affect this ranking.
“There isn’t one magic bullet to solve the crisis, but this report points towards key solutions to start closing the widening age gap and treating drivers with more respect and dignity,” de Pretto added,
“Young working drivers are very satisfied: the issue is therefore not retention but improving access to the driver profession and its attractiveness, especially to young people,” he said.
“Governments therefore need to better integrate professional driver career pathways into educational systems, also removing unrealistic age thresholds for training and qualification, and to invest more in safe and well-equipped parking and rest areas.”
The 150-page report detailed breakdowns by driver age, gender, country, company size, route length and international vs domestic operations and includes sections on the economic outlook for road transport operators; detailed driver job satisfaction, accessibility and attractiveness analysis; and attraction and retention solutions for transport operators.
IRU claims it is the world road transport organisation, saying that it helps connect societies with safe, efficient and green mobility and logistics and claims it is the voice of more than 3.5 million companies operating road and multimodal transport services in all global regions
