A special workshop in Brussels this week dedicated to professional driver shortage identified the need for future campaigns to improve the perception of trucking to attract drivers.
IRU committed to update policy on strategies for better recruitment and retention and is establishing a road map to tackle this important issue for the sector.
Keynote speaker, MEP Peter Lundgren (EFDD, Sweden), revealed his experience of life on the road as a truck driver. He stressed that a practical approach is needed for truck drivers to ensure proper working conditions and job satisfaction. Mr. Lundgren highlighted the sense of passion, freedom, independence and satisfaction of delivering goods safely to their destination.
At the subsequent Women in Transport session, it was shown that 22% of those working in the transport industry are women, but this figure is only 14% for the road transport sector in the EU.
IRU said that it would work actively with partners and members to ensure that future initiatives encourage women into the road transport sector. It was emphasised by the panel that the industry itself needs to change and that the image of road haulage needs to be improved.
Another session, which fired enthusiastic debate, focused on Young Drivers and examined a recent study “Making the EU transport sector attractive for future generations”, by the European Commission.