Figures cited by the European Road Transport Institute (EITD) show that by late 2024, Europe had more than 500,000 unfilled truck driver roles. Forecasts point to as many as 650,000 vacancies — roughly 13–15 per cent of total driver demand across the EU.
The age profile of Europe’s driver workforce underlines why the problem is so hard to solve domestically. In Germany and Spain, only about 2.6–3 per cent of drivers are under 25, while around 30 per cent are over 50. BGL says Germany brings in roughly 15,000 to 20,000 new drivers each year, but 30,000 to 35,000 leave the profession for retirement — widening the gap year after year.
In other words, the industry is ageing structurally. Without a steady inflow of workers from abroad, maintaining today’s scale of European logistics becomes increasingly difficult.
Non-EU drivers: a new backbone for European logistics?
More and more hauliers are now building their operating model around international recruitment. This is no longer a one-off response to staffing gaps, but a long-term strategy.
Large transport groups are setting up dedicated recruitment structures outside the EU, working alongside traditional HR teams. One example is Girteka, which employs around 3,000 drivers from Asia and, across the wider organisation, roughly 8,000 drivers from 20 countries. Polish drivers account for only about 10 percent of its workforce.
The company is expanding its recruitment network in Central Asia and South America. Brazilian drivers go through training at Girteka Drivers Academy, where they are prepared to work under European rules — including obtaining Code 95, learning EU working-time requirements, and following operational procedures.
In practice, that means recruitment starts well before a candidate arrives in Europe. Applicants are screened, tested, and given language support first, and only then move into visa and relocation processes.
A similar approach is being used by Germany’s Emons Spedition. The company employs 375 drivers, with around one-third coming from outside Europe. Emons runs active recruitment programmes in West and Central Africa, including Burkina Faso and Côte d’Ivoire. A key element is language training before departure, so professional integration begins in the home country rather than after arrival.
Where Europe is sourcing drivers: Latin America, Asia and Africa
Latin America is becoming a more common source of drivers. Carriers such as Girteka are bringing in drivers from Brazil, who complete training on regulations and working-time rules and obtain the required Code 95 before starting work in Europe. At the same time, recruitment projects are expanding in Central Asia. Offices in Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan are being set up to prepare candidates for European transport jobs ahead of relocation.
Interest is also growing in hiring from Turkey. Under an agreement between Turkey and Spain, the Turkish public employment service is preparing a support system for more than 300,000 truck drivers who could be directed to jobs on the Iberian Peninsula. The programme covers relocation, training and subsequent employment with transport companies.
Spain’s situation is particularly tight. Road freight employs more than 390,000 professional drivers, yet around 30,000 roles remain unfilled — nearly 10 percent of the workforce. The age structure adds pressure: many drivers are between 45 and 55, which could translate into large-scale departures over the next decade and an even deeper shortage.
Spanish transport organisation Fenadismer warns the shortage is already limiting hauliers’ ability to grow and undermining operational stability across the sector. In response, an international framework has been prepared to bring Turkish drivers to Spain for training and legal employment. The package includes language learning, gaining required qualifications, residence formalities, and accommodation and meals during the preparation period.
Spain is also expanding a system for recognising foreign driving licences from 33 non-EU countries. According to EFE, in 2025 the number of exchanges of category C and D licences rose by 12 percent — from 13,903 to 15,589. The largest numbers of new drivers came from Peru (4,317), Morocco (2,248) and Colombia (1,206).
From hiring to a “pipeline”: long, multi-step recruitment chains
The industry is increasingly moving away from classic, ad-hoc hiring towards a “pipeline” model — a permanent, multi-stage system for sourcing and onboarding drivers.
Companies plan staffing needs six to twelve months ahead, then run parallel recruitment processes across multiple regions — including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Central Asia and Latin America.
Typically, the pipeline includes:
- candidate screening and experience checks,
- practical assessments,
- initial training,
- visa procedures,
- adaptation programmes after arrival in Europe.
The full cycle usually takes six to eight months. In many cases, candidates pay part of the preparation costs themselves, showing that moving into European road transport is increasingly treated as an economic investment on the worker’s side as well.
Alongside this, a market for specialised recruitment agencies is growing — firms trying to manage the entire multi-step process end to end. Their role often goes beyond finding candidates and includes training, compliance checks against European rules, and maintaining relationships after placement.
In day-to-day operations, hauliers point to a clear mismatch between what they need and what some recruitment channels deliver. Companies cite issues such as limited language skills, different work standards, or incomplete knowledge of European transport regulations — all of which can increase operating costs for carriers.
Some agencies are responding by building more comprehensive models. Novalife Global Recruiters, for example, is developing a recruitment system with multiple selection stages, including language testing and licence verification before a driver arrives in Europe. The process also includes training programmes designed to prepare candidates for European working conditions, covering both technical and organisational aspects.
From a market perspective, it also matters that some agencies say they stay in touch with both drivers and employers after employment begins, aiming to reduce churn and ease adaptation. Still, service quality varies widely across this segment, and outcomes depend heavily on the operator and the candidates’ country of origin.
Recruitment is becoming policy — not just a company tactic
It’s not only companies that are formalising entry routes for non-EU drivers. Governments are doing it too.
Spain is developing simplified procedures for recognising foreign qualifications and strengthening cooperation with countries such as Morocco, Peru and Colombia. The direction is clear: labour migration is being treated as a tool of transport policy.
Across Central and Western Europe, companies are also running highly structured programmes. Max Müller Spedition, for instance, carried out a recruitment process in China that covered the full pathway — from candidate selection, through training and obtaining EU qualifications, to integration into the company’s organisation.
EU Talent Pool: an attempt to bring order to cross-border hiring
At EU level, one proposed response is the EU Talent Pool — a platform designed to connect employers with candidates from outside the EU.
The system is intended to centralise job postings and give employers access to candidates in shortage occupations, including professional drivers and mechanics. Industry representatives — including Raluca Marian from IRU — stress that a platform alone won’t fix the issue unless qualification recognition is simplified and administrative processes are shortened.
The EU Talent Pool is expected to be fully operational by 2027, but its impact will depend on meaningful alignment across member states’ systems.
The driver labour market is going global — for good
With the shortage estimated at 400,000 to 650,000 drivers, European road transport is entering a phase of lasting globalisation in its labour market.
Hauliers are no longer competing only locally — they’re competing worldwide for the same people. Recruitment now goes far beyond filling a vacancy: it increasingly means building a multi-step system that prepares drivers to work in Europe.
As a result, truck driving is becoming one of the most internationally mobile professions, and Europe’s transport market is evolving into a complex system for managing global labour flows.
Further reading
To understand what the driver shortage means in day-to-day road freight operations, these related pieces expand on two pressure points that directly affect fleet planning and working conditions.
- No space, no rest: Europe’s truck drivers pushed into unsafe parking– Shows how lack of safe parking and rest infrastructure worsens recruitment and retention, adding another operational barrier for hauliers already short of drivers.
