Danish Transport Federation: EU needs drivers from 3rd countries
The Danish Transport Federation (DI Transport) has reacted to comments by Trine Bramsen, Denmark's Transport Minister, concerning 3rd country lorry drivers. Readers may recall that Bramsen recently said hiring many 3rd-country drivers could seriously distort competition and lead to worse working conditions. Reacting to those comments, as well as Bramsen's call for 3rd-country driver recruitment to be restricted, DI Transport has warned limiting 3rd-country drivers would have “serious consequences for the transport industry".
The Danish Transport Federation (DI Transport) has reacted to comments by Trine Bramsen, Denmark's Transport Minister, concerning 3rd country lorry drivers. Readers may recall that Bramsen recently said hiring many 3rd-country drivers could seriously distort competition and lead to worse working conditions. Reacting to those comments, as well as Bramsen's call for 3rd-country driver recruitment to be restricted, DI Transport has warned limiting 3rd-country drivers would have “serious consequences for the transport industry".
In a statement DI Transport said that the EU needs drivers from 3rd countries due to the driver shortage.
“There is already a great shortage of drivers in the EU, and we cannot do without drivers from outside. If more restrictions are introduced, trucks will have to keep quiet because there will be no drivers to drive them. This will make it both more difficult and more expensive to have goods delivered in the EU, ” said Rune Noack, head of transport policy at DI Transport.
In order to back up its claim about the driver shortage, DI Transport referred to the recent IRU/Upply/Transport Intelligence research paper, which found that 10 European nations are collectively short of 425,000 drivers.
“Danish and European companies are deeply dependent on well-functioning freight transport in the EU. The EU road package has already led to limitations in capacity, and there is a need to strengthen international transport rather than new leg spans, which in the worst case scenario could affect security of supply, ” added Noack.
Finally, DI Transport disagreed with Bramsen’s view that more 3rd-country drivers will result in poorer working conditions:
“You can not just equate social dumping with third-country drivers. For example, there are already rules that ensure drivers receive a Danish salary when they perform cabotage in Denmark. The rules on driving and rest time also apply to drivers from third countries and the EU „, concluded Noack.