There are currently empty shelves in supermarkets in the UK. On the one hand, this is due to Brexit, and on the other hand, it is due to a lack of drivers in logistics. In Germany, too, there is currently a shortage of thousands of truck drivers, which is also noticeable in the Freieng district.
Otto Heinz, Vice President of the IHK Munich and Upper Bavaria, knows the problem. He himself is a co-owner of the Moosburg logistics company “Heinz Disposal”. This year he observed vehicles standing still – there were not enough drivers and capacities were reduced. The size or type of the company is irrelevant, Heinz emphasizes. They are all affected. If you type in “truck driver wanted” in the internet search bar, you will find hundreds of vacancies in Bavaria alone.
When the corona pandemic was still acutely rampant last year and at the beginning of 2021, when the number of non-vaccinated people was much higher than that of those vaccinated, fewer goods were transported. The haulage companies were able to meet the demand with their drivers.
Long term problem
But now the economy is picking up again and the lack of drivers is noticeable, emphasizes Heinz. The shortage of drivers is a long-term problem that will worsen without offspring. According to Heinz estimates, three quarters of the freight forwarders are particularly hard hit. A quarter could just manage the orders.
The Elfinger forwarding company in Moosburg belongs to the last group. Managing director Gerhard Elfinger says he could use one more driver too, but he has been able to keep the company running with his 14 permanent drivers so far.
Bad image
But why is the situation regarding the lack of drivers getting worse and worse? Otto Heinz and Gerhard Elfinger find two main reasons for this: On the one hand, the truck driver’s profession has a bad image. Heinz criticizes the image of the truck driver standing in a traffic jam for days, sleeping in parking lots and still being poorly paid, got stuck in people’s minds.
The occupation is underestimated by the population, although the dependency on functioning logistics is high. That would be clear from the effects of Brexit and the driver deficit in Great Britain, explains Heinz. In addition, the driver’s license for a truck costs between 7,000 and 9,000 euros. These costs have to be borne as a private person, as well as the costs for a necessary four-week professional driver training, say the IHK vice-president and the freight forwarder Elfinger. In times of compulsory military service, the costs for a truck driver’s license were borne by the Bundeswehr. “It’s different today and has a deterrent effect,” said Elfinger.
Promote employees
Kathrin Stemberger from the Employment Agency in Freising recommends employers in the freight forwarding sector to look into promoting employment. Companies have the option of promoting the training occupation of driver or partial qualification through the employment agency. “Employers have to ask themselves: Who do I have among my employees in the company that I can support?
Who is interested in the profession of driver? “Says Stemberger. The prerequisite is that the employee has a class B driver’s license and knowledge of German. The employment promotion can at least partially offset the shortage of skilled workers.
High average age
The high average age of the drivers, well over 50 at Spedition Elfinger, means that a large number of workers will retire in the coming years, but the offspring is still lacking due to the poor image and the high driving license costs. He has hardly received any applications in the past few months, says the managing director. Drivers for 7.5-ton trucks are the smaller problem. There is mainly a lack of staff for the twelve-ton trucks.
“If the trend continues like this, it can take on proportions in Germany as well as in Great Britain,” fears Otto Heinz. Gerhard Elfinger does not assume that the shelves will be empty for the time being, and he also does not see the Christmas business as endangered this year. As an employer, however, he would like the price pressure to subside, so that he can pay his staff better and the job becomes more attractive for the next generation.