Europe’s transport and logistics sector is grappling with a deep, structural staffing crisis. According to IRU data for 2025, approximately 500,000 truck driver positions across Europe remain unfilled, accounting for nearly 13 per cent of all jobs in the profession.
The demographic outlook makes the situation worse. It is estimated that by 2030, as many as 660,000 currently active drivers could retire. Against this backdrop, Poland has emerged as Europe’s primary training hub — a gateway into the transport industry for candidates from third countries. So what does the journey look like, step by step, from making the decision to sitting behind the wheel of a truck?
Why does Europe need drivers from outside the Union?
The truck driver shortage in Europe is not a temporary phenomenon — it is a structural and demographic challenge. Rising freight volumes combined with an ageing workforce mean that many carriers cannot make full use of their fleets.
To maintain supply chain continuity, transport companies from Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania, France, and Poland are increasingly recruiting workers from outside the European Union — including from Ukraine, Belarus, Moldova, and Georgia, as well as from South and Central Asian countries such as India, Nepal, and the Philippines.
Industry practice also shows growing interest among non-EU drivers themselves in working within the EU. For many of them, Poland is the place where they can obtain the qualifications and compile the documents needed to legally practise the profession of professional driver within the Community.
Poland as a European educational and documentation hub
Why has Poland specifically become the centre for qualifying and legalising the work of international drivers? Several factors are decisive.
First, price competitiveness. The total cost of obtaining a Category C+E driving licence and Code 95 in Poland averages between 1,800 and 2,500 euros. By comparison, an equivalent package of qualifications in Germany costs between 3,000 and 4,500 euro, while in France the price of such a package can reach as much as 6,000 euro.
Second, no language barrier at the outset. Polish training centres have adapted their offering to market realities — theoretical classes and teaching materials are available in multiple languages, allowing foreign nationals to get their careers in the profession off to a smooth start.
Third, mutual recognition of qualifications. Under EU legislation — including Directive 2022/2561 — a professional qualification (Code 95) obtained in one member state is fully recognised across the entire EU. A driver who completes their training in Poland can legally work in any country of the Community.
What does the training look like? Two variants of Code 95
The Code 95 entry — confirmed on a qualification card or on the driving licence — is an absolute prerequisite for carrying out commercial road transport within the EU. The duration and format of the course depend on the date on which the first Category C licence was issued:
- Initial qualification (the so-called long course) — required for drivers who obtained their Category C licence after 10 September 2009. The training lasts approximately one month (140 or 280 hours) and concludes with a state examination.
- Periodic training (the so-called short course) — intended for those who hold a Category C licence issued before 10 September 2009, or for drivers renewing their qualifications, which is required every five years. The training lasts 35 hours (approximately five days) and does not require sitting an examination.
A modern training standard
Professional driver training centres are no longer limited to lectures. A contemporary programme covers theory and e-learning — including the rules on drivers’ working hours, how to operate the latest generation of digital tachographs, cargo securing principles, and EU transport law. Candidates also take part in simulator sessions, practising responses in difficult weather conditions and simulating emergency situations.
Practical training on a manoeuvring yard and in urban traffic is equally essential: driving articulated lorries with semi-trailers that meet Euro 6 standards, precise reversing up to a loading dock, coupling and uncoupling the trailer, and manoeuvring in confined spaces.
Eco-driving is also playing an increasingly important role — the training in economical and environmentally conscious driving that, in modern heavy goods fleets, is a key performance indicator for drivers and influences bonus structures at many European transport companies.
This is precisely how things work in practice at the StarTruck school, which has been operating in the market since 2018. Drivers who already hold a Category C, C+E, or D licence come to the centre — their documents are verified at the outset and the type of Code 95 qualification required is established.
Training can be completed either online or in person in Warsaw, and the centre has its own teaching staff, lecture rooms, its own manoeuvring yard, and heavy goods vehicles for practical sessions. Classes are conducted in Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Italian, among other languages — which in practice eliminates the language barrier for candidates from all over the world. Since it was founded, StarTruck has trained more than 35,000 drivers.
What documents does a truck driver from outside the EU need?
Before a non-EU driver takes the wheel of a vehicle registered in Europe, they must compile a complete set of documents:
- Category C / C+E driving licence — the basic document confirming the ability to drive heavy goods vehicles with a semi-trailer; in many cases it requires exchanging for the Polish equivalent.
- Medical and psychological examinations — an occupational medicine certificate (Group 2) and psychometric tests checking reaction time, spatial awareness, and stress resilience.
- Code 95 — a photo ID document confirming attainment of the professional qualification. The waiting time for the plastic card to be issued after completing the training is ten working days, regardless of the type of course completed.
- Driver card for the digital tachograph — a personalised card recording activity, driving time, and rest periods, issued for five years.
- Legalisation of residence and work — a work visa or residence permit, as well as a registered declaration of entrusting employment or a work permit, and residence registration in the territory of an EU country, such as Poland.
It is a complex, multi-stage process, which is why a growing number of candidates opt for comprehensive support rather than dealing with each formality separately.
StarTruck offers exactly this kind of assistance from the very beginning. The preparation package includes:
- training to obtain Code 95,
- medical and psychological examinations, which can be carried out directly at the centre’s office in Warsaw, without the need to find separate medical facilities,
- obtaining a driver card for the tachograph,
- ADR training for the transport of dangerous goods,
- exchanging the driving licence,
- and assistance with the formalities related to legalising residency and preparing employment documents.
To date, the centre has prepared more than 100,000 documents for drivers from various countries.
How to find an employer as a truck driver in the EU
Compiling the documents and obtaining the qualifications is one thing — finding a trustworthy employer is also a significant challenge, particularly for drivers who do not yet have experience in the European market and are unfamiliar with local employment conditions.
The process by which a non-EU driver finds an employer is based on several main recruitment routes and appropriate preparation of documents confirming experience. As an experienced centre, we recommend several job-seeking routes.
Specialist recruitment agencies and training centres. This is the most common and generally the safest route for people from outside the EU. Agencies and driving schools that work with carriers help with document verification, matching drivers to employers suited to their experience, and coordinating visa procedures. Training centres also frequently help in obtaining an invitation letter for a work visa.
One example is StarTruck, which acts as a bridge between trained drivers and the job market. The centre works with a network of more than 50 vetted transport companies operating across the entire European Union, meaning that training graduates can be placed with a verified employer without having to search through job listings and check carriers’ credibility themselves.
More than 12,000 people have already benefited from this support in the employment process, and the centre currently serves more than 400 drivers per month.
Applying directly to transport companies. It is possible to apply directly through pan-European or national job portals to companies in countries with the greatest driver shortages — including Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, and the Baltic states. In this case, however, the candidate must manage the visa process and document compilation independently.
Course funding in exchange for a contract. Some large European logistics companies run their own academies and cover up to 100 per cent of training costs — for example, Category C+E and Code 95 — in exchange for a commitment to work for a set period, such as 12 or 24 months. It is worth carefully analysing the terms of such an agreement, including any provisions relating to early termination.
How to find work as a truck driver in the EU — a step-by-step summary
- Check your existing qualifications
- You must already hold a Category C, C+E, or D driving licence.
- Determining what type of Code 95 qualification is required depends on the date your first Category C licence was issued:
- Category C obtained after 10 September 2009 — initial qualification required (long course, 140 or 280 hours, ending with a state examination).
- Category C obtained before 10 September 2009, or qualification renewal every five years — periodic training (short course, 35 hours, no examination).
- Choose a training centre
- Enrol at a centre that offers Code 95 training — in Poland this is frequently available both online and in person, in multiple languages (including Polish, Russian, Ukrainian, English, and Italian).
- The centre will verify your documents and establish your individual training pathway.
- Complete the training
- Theory classes and e-learning: rules on drivers’ working hours, operating digital tachographs, cargo securing, EU transport law.
- Simulator sessions: responses in difficult conditions, emergency situations.
- Practical training on the manoeuvring yard and in urban traffic: driving an articulated combination, reversing to a loading dock, coupling and uncoupling the trailer, manoeuvring.
- Eco-driving: training in economical driving.
- Preparation for the state examination where required (for initial qualification).
- Complete medical checks and obtain additional qualifications
- Medical examinations (occupational medicine, Group 2).
- Psychological tests (reaction time, spatial awareness, stress resilience).
- Optional: ADR training (transport of dangerous goods) — this will increase your earnings and competitiveness on the job market.
- Compile your formal documents
- Category C / C+E driving licence — exchange for the local equivalent if necessary.
- Code 95, confirmed by the professional qualification certificate, commonly referred to as SK1, or entered on the driving licence.
- Medical and psychological examinations — occupational medicine certificate (Group 2) and psychometric tests.
- Driver card for the digital tachograph — valid for five years.
- Legalisation of residence and work: work visa or residence permit, declaration of entrusting employment or work permit, registered address in the country concerned.
- Find an employer
- Find a vetted carrier — this is particularly important for drivers without experience in the European market.
- Use the mediation services of a training centre (for example, StarTruck connects trained drivers with a network of more than 50 vetted transport companies operating across the entire EU), which allows you to avoid independently verifying the credibility of job offers.
