A global crisis
The global shortage of professional drivers is becoming increasingly difficult to address. Recruitment challenges are deepening and changing workforce expectations are making driving less attractive to younger generations.
Despite significant industry efforts, the shortage of drivers has deepened as a critical structural issue for the road transport industry. Driver recruitment is directly affecting transport capacity, business growth and supply chain reliability.
Truck driver shortage
IRU’s 2025 driver shortage survey found that around 2.9 million truck driver positions, equivalent to 11% of the workforce, remain unfilled across 18 markets.
Europe has one of the highest shortage rates, at 13%, representing around 502,000 unfilled truck driver positions. The retirement challenge makes this increasingly urgent. In Europe, around 660,500 drivers are expected to retire by 2030.
The findings continue to show that the shortage is no longer closely linked to short-term economic cycles. Instead, ageing workforces, barriers to entry, a lack of adequate infrastructure, and changing expectations about work are becoming the dominant factors.
Bus and coach driver shortage
The bus and coach sector is also facing a shortage of drivers and has an ageing population: less than 3% of bus and coach drivers in Europe are below 25 years old, while more than 40% are over 55.
Additionally, only 16% of bus and coach drivers are women in Europe, below the averages for both the overall transport industry (22%) and the working population (46%).
The solutions
Action is needed to make the profession more accessible and more attractive.
The accessibility of the profession can be improved by:
- Lowering the cost of obtaining a driving licence and the required professional qualification
- Closing the school-to-wheel gap, as the minimum age to become a professional driver is still over 18 in many places
- Expanding training capacity and flexible training options
- Facilitating fair, well-regulated access for qualified third-country drivers
The attractiveness of the profession can be improved by:
- Building more safe, secure and equipped parking and rest areas
- Ameliorating the treatment of drivers at delivery sites and depots
- Enhancing the profession’s image and career potential
- Providing better work-life balance
- Reducing long waiting times at borders
More women
Women remain heavily underrepresented. They account for only around 4% of European truck drivers, despite evidence that they tend to enter the profession at a younger age than men.
Removing barriers to training, improving facilities and modernising the image of the profession could open access to a much wider pool of potential drivers.
IRU's Charter for Women in Road Transport advances six core principles to open the industry to more women:
1. Recruit neutrally: Use recruitment approaches with clear and specific job descriptions that attract both qualified female and male candidates
2. Empower career development: Ensure that learning opportunities are equally open to women and men
3. Align pay: Pay women and men equally based on their role, experience and skills rather than their gender
4. Work-life balance: Promote a healthy balance between work responsibilities and personal lives, including reintegration into work after maternity leave
5. Address conflicts: Develop an open, transparent process for employees to raise concerns about issues such as bullying
6. Champion safe, secure and dignified working environments: Support the need for all to invest in better parking, depots and terminal stations for professional drivers – with particular attention to the needs of women
Third-country drivers
Demand for road transport and logistics services continues to grow, while the sector’s ageing workforce in places like Europe is retiring faster than it can be replaced. Attracting more young people and women remains essential, but these measures alone will not close the gap.
Third-country recruitment can complement domestic solutions, provided it is based on clear pathways, fair conditions and common EU standards.
IRU has several projects looking to open safe legal mobility pathways for professional drivers.
STEER2EU project
The STEER2EU study, which IRU carried out for the European Commission, highlights recruitment challenges and best practices across the EU.
It investigated differences in the training and skills of third-country drivers compared to EU standards and identified best practices for integrating third-country drivers into the EU job market.
SDM4EU project
IRU, together with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Migration Partnership Facility, conducted the Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe (SDM4EU) project.
SDM4EU comprehensively mapped the countries of origin and destination of professional drivers.
It also developed a skilled driver employment framework and is supporting the mobility of drivers from countries with a surplus to those facing a shortage.
SDM4EU II project
The Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe II (SDM4EU II) project will help EU operators access qualified drivers through legal channels, while helping Egypt and Morocco build lasting training capacity and employability aligned with EU and national requirements.
This project is awarded and contracted in the framework of the Migration Partnership Facility, an EU-funded initiative implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in support of the external dimension of EU migration policy.
Driver shortage
A global crisis
The global shortage of professional drivers is becoming increasingly difficult to address. Recruitment challenges are deepening and changing workforce expectations are making driving less attractive to younger generations.
Despite significant industry efforts, the shortage of drivers has deepened as a critical structural issue for the road transport industry. Driver recruitment is directly affecting transport capacity, business growth and supply chain reliability.
Truck driver shortage
IRU’s 2025 driver shortage survey found that around 2.9 million truck driver positions, equivalent to 11% of the workforce, remain unfilled across 18 markets.
Europe has one of the highest shortage rates, at 13%, representing around 502,000 unfilled truck driver positions. The retirement challenge makes this increasingly urgent. In Europe, around 660,500 drivers are expected to retire by 2030.
The findings continue to show that the shortage is no longer closely linked to short-term economic cycles. Instead, ageing workforces, barriers to entry, a lack of adequate infrastructure, and changing expectations about work are becoming the dominant factors.
Bus and coach driver shortage
The bus and coach sector is also facing a shortage of drivers and has an ageing population: less than 3% of bus and coach drivers in Europe are below 25 years old, while more than 40% are over 55.
Additionally, only 16% of bus and coach drivers are women in Europe, below the averages for both the overall transport industry (22%) and the working population (46%).
The solutions
Action is needed to make the profession more accessible and more attractive.
The accessibility of the profession can be improved by:
The attractiveness of the profession can be improved by:
More women
Women remain heavily underrepresented. They account for only around 4% of European truck drivers, despite evidence that they tend to enter the profession at a younger age than men.
Removing barriers to training, improving facilities and modernising the image of the profession could open access to a much wider pool of potential drivers.
IRU's Charter for Women in Road Transport advances six core principles to open the industry to more women:
1. Recruit neutrally: Use recruitment approaches with clear and specific job descriptions that attract both qualified female and male candidates
2. Empower career development: Ensure that learning opportunities are equally open to women and men
3. Align pay: Pay women and men equally based on their role, experience and skills rather than their gender
4. Work-life balance: Promote a healthy balance between work responsibilities and personal lives, including reintegration into work after maternity leave
5. Address conflicts: Develop an open, transparent process for employees to raise concerns about issues such as bullying
6. Champion safe, secure and dignified working environments: Support the need for all to invest in better parking, depots and terminal stations for professional drivers – with particular attention to the needs of women
Third-country drivers
Demand for road transport and logistics services continues to grow, while the sector’s ageing workforce in places like Europe is retiring faster than it can be replaced. Attracting more young people and women remains essential, but these measures alone will not close the gap.
Third-country recruitment can complement domestic solutions, provided it is based on clear pathways, fair conditions and common EU standards.
IRU has several projects looking to open safe legal mobility pathways for professional drivers.
STEER2EU project
The STEER2EU study, which IRU carried out for the European Commission, highlights recruitment challenges and best practices across the EU.
It investigated differences in the training and skills of third-country drivers compared to EU standards and identified best practices for integrating third-country drivers into the EU job market.
SDM4EU project
IRU, together with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development and the Migration Partnership Facility, conducted the Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe (SDM4EU) project.
SDM4EU comprehensively mapped the countries of origin and destination of professional drivers.
It also developed a skilled driver employment framework and is supporting the mobility of drivers from countries with a surplus to those facing a shortage.
SDM4EU II project
The Skilled Driver Mobility for Europe II (SDM4EU II) project will help EU operators access qualified drivers through legal channels, while helping Egypt and Morocco build lasting training capacity and employability aligned with EU and national requirements.
This project is awarded and contracted in the framework of the Migration Partnership Facility, an EU-funded initiative implemented by the International Centre for Migration Policy Development in support of the external dimension of EU migration policy.
Related links
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Driver shortage reports
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