The shortage of professional truck drivers is one of the most serious and critical challenges facing our industry and economies – and it’s getting worse.

The Upply x Ti x IRU European road freight rates index for Europe shows that the spot rates index moved further below the contract rates index in Q3 2023. The spot index fell for the fourth consecutive quarter, while the contract spot index climbed for the first time since Q4 2022.

Europe has 105,000 unfilled bus and coach driver positions – 10% of total positions, with significant variations geographically and by sector.

The Driver Shortage Report Passenger – Europe 2023 outlines the current and forecasted shortage of drivers, including a brief view on the level of access and attractiveness of the profession for women, young people and third-country drivers.

2023 Q2 rates data suggests that short-term road freight demand is down with high consumer prices and lagging wages pushing down demand for the distribution of goods throughout Europe, resulting in further falls in freight rates on the spot market.

Assess, plan and implement your decarbonisation strategy with the IRU Green Compact.

IRU and the industry were once again called upon to deliver safe, efficient and green mobility and logistics during challenging times in 2022.

The Upply x Ti x IRU European road freight rates index for Europe shows that both spot and contract rates are falling q-o-q, dropping by 7.5 and 2.8 points, respectively.

The Upply x Ti x IRU European road freight rates index for Europe shows that spot rates fell by 2.4 index points in Q4 2022 vs Q3. This represents the first fall in the spot index since Q1 2020, but spot rates still remain up 18.1 points on Q4 2021. Meanwhile, the contract rates index rose 0.4 points quarter-on-quarter in Q4 and contract rates are now up 19.0 points year-on-year.

The Ti x Upply x IRU Benchmark provides an index for the contract and spot market for the second time. Both indexes reached new all-time highs but the rate of acceleration has slowed on both.

Understanding the impact of driver shortages in the industry