Across 18 markets, the 2025 driver shortage exceeded every previous reading and held firm even as freight demand softened. The data revealed a clear break from the economic cycle.
In Europe and Australia, an ageing workforce is retiring faster than new entrants replace it. In Uzbekistan and China, rising freight demand is outpacing transport capacity. In Mexico and Brazil, structural labour constraints persist regardless of the cycle.
What unites these markets is that the shortage is no longer resolving itself over time.
