BGL spokesperson warns Germany’s driver shortage will soon be as bad as England’s

BGL spokesperson warns Germany’s driver shortage will soon be as bad as England’s

trans.info — 2023-03-28

Land transportation

Dirk Engelhardt, spokesperson for the board of the Federal Association of Road Haulage, Logistics and Waste Disposal (BGL), warned of an impending supply chain collapse in Germany brought about by a HGV driver shortage.

“In a year or two we will have English conditions due to demographic change,” said Engelhardt, who also believes Germany’s driver shortage can no longer be met by just taking on drivers from Eastern Europe.

In response to the driver shortage, some hauliers and haulage associations have sought to lobby for the means to more easily recruit drivers from further afield.

However, Engelhart appears to have prioritised other methods, instead calling for decisive action to be taken against social dumping and “driver nomadism” in order to improve working conditions.

Another figure present at the meeting was Ronny Keller from the Verdi trade union. He stated his belief that the country’s driver shortage can only be eliminated through good working conditions and an attractive trucking workplace. To achieve this, he said adequate pay and working conditions mandated through collective agreements are needed.

On top of this, Keller urged the country to build better rest areas and truckstop facilities, as well as using route planning that allows drivers to spend more time with their families.

Christian Hoffmann, President of the Federal Office for Logistics and Mobility, commented on driver welfare too. He told those at the meeting that drivers are too often required to do loading and unloading activities.

Ingo Hodea from the Federal Association of Forwarding and Logistics was present at the gathering as well. He said he wants to see less truck bans limiting HGV access to urban areas in Germany.

Another issue discussed at the meeting was tougher enforcement and stiffer fines. Thomas Fiala, chief inspector of Cologne road traffic police, said there are drivers who have not been checked for ten years or more. In his opinion, the lack of extensive truck controls is resulting in distortions of competition “at the expense of German companies”.

Finally, Freight Forwarder Josef Dischner took issue with the proposed CO2 toll, stating that it will do little to cut emissions while also increasing costs significantly.


Read more at: https://trans.info/en/germanys-driver-shortage-333559