Shops, gas stations and production companies in the Netherlands will soon be in a difficult situation. In two years the Dutch economy might slow down because of the bottlenecks in logistics – warns the local transport union.
The cause of future supply problems is the rapidly growing shortage of lorry drivers – explains the Dutch association of small and medium-sized transport companies VERN.
If we do not take immediate action, the economy will cease to function,” says Klaas de Waardt, the chairman of VERN.
At the end of last year, there is a shortage of 7 thousand professional drivers. The gap will be even greater if next year 8,800 will leave the industry – reads the VERN communication. Additionally, there is a risk that many older industry employees will give up their work in transport due to expensive training. As the organization adds, it was not necessary to take a course in order to renew the driving license. EU regulations, however, have changed this.
The organization has recently sent a letter to Dutch transport minister Cory van Nieuwenhuizen proposing a specific solution. VERN estimates that thanks to the proposed solution 11 thousand truckers may return to work in the profession. Employers want to share the costs of training with the government.
The trend has reversed
As noticed by VERN, not so long ago, there were too many drivers in the Netherlands. The reason for this surplus was the crisis in the global economy, which began in 2008. At that time, work for truckers was much less than in previous years. Therefore, many of them were forced to change their profession.
The economic situation in Europe has improved in the meantime, the e-commerce market has increased dynamically and the demand for transport services followed suit. Meanwhile, the number of drivers in the country has not increased. Hence the future problems anticipated by VERN to meet market needs. In addition, EU regulations will affect the supply problems. In two years time, the regulations on posting applicable to the transport industry may come into force, which will make some companies from Central and Eastern Europe fall out of the market due to excess bureaucracy and protectionist practices.
Photo: Trans.INFO
