Germany: transport sector worries about the growing shortage of drivers and is starting to increase wages

Recruiting drivers is becoming a major issue.  On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, Appearing in court for cheating social contributions up to €44,000, the manager of a transport firm in Bavaria fired at the magistrates of the court of Dachau in charge of studying his case.  A young 31-year-old prosecutor died on the spot.  Obviously, this tragic incident shouldn’t be unnecessarily exaggerated and cannot make people generalize.  However, it had a devastating impact in this strategic sector whose image has been negative for a while.  Indeed, it also illustrates the growing financial difficulties the sector’s employers have been having.  Together with the poor image of a difficult trade, the growing need to master costs are adding to the recruitment problems for drivers, and these issues should become a major problem in the years to come.  “It’s not like goods are stuck in warehouses because we don’t have carriers yet, but the lack of workers is starting to impact personnel management in transportation firms” explained Martin Bulheller, spokesman for the key transport employers’ organization in Germany (BGL).  According to the BGL and the Federal Cargo Agency (BAG), about 36 percent of the 786,000 drivers in the country are over 50.  However, there are only 14.5 percent of 25-35 year-olds.  “Over the next decade, activity is going to keep going up.  At the same time, 250,000 drivers should retire.  We would need about 20,000 new drivers each year to cover our needs, but we’re very far from it” Bulheller went on.