TRANSPORTATION COMPANIES ACTIVATE RED FLAG DUE TO DRIVER SHORTAGE

Thanks to a report by The International Road Transport Union (IRU), it was found that more than 3 million truck driver jobs are unfilled.

Countries fear that this figure is on the rise, and that in the future, the driver shortage will be a logistical problem that will bring trucking to a tipping point as more than 7 million truck driver jobs could be unfilled by 2028 (data provided by the IRU).

The rate of new arrivals is much lower than the rate of retirees each year, and this may be a response to the complicated requirements to apply for a vacancy and the dismal working conditions demanded by being a truck driver.

For example, in France, the average cost to obtain a C1 or C1+E license (licenses to drive vehicles with a load capacity greater than 3 tons) and a certificate of professional competence is 5.250 euros, which is equivalent to three times the monthly minimum wage.

Aging and gender imbalance are other factors that have been key in forecasting the shortages we will face in 2028 if no action is taken.

Mexico also suffers from shortages

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The transportation industry reports a shortage of more than 2.6 million operators in 19 countries. Of course, Mexico is included.

Our country is part of the global shortage of truck operators, increasing by 30% in one year representing a total of 54,000 vacancies. The lack of truck drivers has begun to affect logistics companies in Mexico, as about 10% of the total number of trucks in the country are parked for lack of skilled labor.

The salary for this profession is not very competitive in the country; during the second semester of 2023, an average monthly salary of 7,800 pesos was reported, which led carriers to apply for a second job, most of them informal.

In addition to the long distances traveled on a road alone, having a second job does not allow the workforce in this sector to rest the necessary hours, which leads to accidents on federal roads; nor does it allow them to have quality time with their family or a good lifestyle, which leads them to resign and change their profession to a better paid one that allows them to have a better lifestyle.

Actions to take

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Technological advances have begun to support the sector with Artificial Intelligence, which provides an analysis of the hours driven by the worker and the hours he/she needs to rest to continue with the same performance.

In addition, it can analyze in real time risk behaviors such as fatigue, cell phone use at the wheel and lack of seat belts, to issue alerts in the cabin and prevent accidents.

Not everything relies on the facilities provided by technology, government support is also needed to ensure funds for the increase of truck drivers' salaries, as well as greater economic accessibility in the requirements they must meet to aspire to a vacancy (such as licenses).

The issue of electric vehicles with autonomous driving has been a solution to the driver shortage in certain countries and will continue to be in the future, however, it remains a challenge for countries that do not have the necessary infrastructure to introduce electric trucks.



We are on time to solve the shortage of truck drivers, with the support of economic incentives and technology, land transportation will continue to maintain the importance it represents today for the country's economic activity.

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