This move reflects a broader trend across Europe: carriers are increasingly looking for workforce outside the EU to address the worsening driver shortage. Europe’s logistics sector has been facing a lack of qualified drivers for several years now. The main reasons are an ageing workforce and declining interest in the profession among young drivers.
In this situation, companies are forced to look for alternatives, and South America is becoming an increasingly attractive region.
Transport companies point to several key arguments. South American drivers, especially from Brazil, stand out for their extensive experience working in challenging conditions. They are valued for their flexibility and ability to adapt, and their motivation to work in the international market is extremely high.
Vlantana’s strategic move
Based in the Klaipėda region, Vlantana Logistics is hiring 200 HGV drivers from Brazil. For selected candidates, the company offers help with accommodation, travel arrangements, and “long-term career opportunities in Europe”.
The entire recruitment process will be fully coordinated by M/BRAZIL Agency, which specialises in international recruitment in the logistics sector.
Vlantana’s decision is not an isolated case. More and more European carriers are turning to third countries—from Asia to Latin America. Recently, we wrote that Gretvėja held a candidate selection in São Paulo in order to hire around 200 Brazilian truck drivers.
According to M/BRAZIL Agency, European carriers could hire more than 2,000 drivers from Brazil this year alone. Companies in Lithuania and Poland are the most eager to recruit drivers from this region, as well as firms in Germany and Spain.
Just a temporary fix?
Experts note that this may become a long-term structural direction rather than a temporary solution, although in a broader context it raises more questions. It is estimated that Europe’s road transport sector is currently short of around 500 thousand drivers, so companies are increasingly expanding their search beyond the European Union— Brazil is now one of the new recruitment markets.
However, according to trade unions, this addresses not the causes but the consequences. In recent years, Lithuania has already tightened the hiring of workers from third countries —quotas have been introduced, oversight is being strengthened, and more attention is being paid to pay levels and working conditions.
Critics stress that the shortage of local workers is driven not only by demographics, but also by the nature of the job: long periods away, a complex pay system, and disputes over working conditions reduce the profession’s appeal. As a result, importing labour may be only a temporary fix—over time it raises questions about social dumping and the sector’s competitiveness if the underlying problems in the market itself are not addressed.
