This was reported by Serhiy Derkach, Deputy Minister of Communities and Territories Development of Ukraine. He noted that there are currently about 130,000 trucks on the market, but almost a third of them are not in use due to a shortage of drivers. This is a real challenge for business: contracts have already been signed, equipment has been purchased, and there is a catastrophic shortage of people who could drive it.
According to the official, this problem cannot be solved quickly, so the state is initiating several programs for training and professional development. This includes courses for women who want to become drivers, retraining for veterans, and attracting young people to the profession. This choice of categories is not accidental — they have no difficulties with reservation, which cannot be said about other population groups.
It is worth noting that companies are also trying to overcome the crisis on their own: carriers have the right to reserve half of their employees, including those who do the most important work — cargo delivery. But difficulties arise here: in many companies, a significant part of the staff is not directly involved in driving vehicles, so managers have to look for optimal solutions to retain exactly those workers who actually sit behind the wheel.
At the same time, analysts believe that such measures are not enough. The need for experienced long-haul drivers is constantly growing, and there are still few willing to master this complex and responsible specialty. If the situation cannot be changed, the country may face downtime for a large number of trucks and disruption of concluded agreements.
