What Happened This Month?

While it was stated that the deficit in the driver shortage in Germany was between 80,000 and 100.000, it was also mentioned that the transportation companies had to reject the incoming jobs, their existing vehicles were waiting in the parks and they even came to the point of selling their vehicles. While the fact that only 15-20 thousand new driver's licenses are issued each year reveals the seriousness of the situation, despite the retirement of 30-35 thousand drivers on average, it was stated that if the situation continues in this way, more than 230 thousand drivers may have withdrawn from the labor market in the next 10 years. Now, in order to get rid of the effects of the driver crisis in Germany, there is talk of providing driver employment from non-European Union countries and facilitating the conditions in this direction.

Lack of Qualified Personnel in Logistics

However, the crisis is not only caused by the lack of drivers. The German Federal Statistical Office shared the results of an updated analysis. Shared data showed that vocational training applications were stagnant and even recorded a historic decline in some states. While experts currently emphasize the importance of making the logistics industry interesting for young people, it is also stated that the lack of qualified personnel in logistics makes the situation more and more dramatic.

New Developments in Russia

Russia, on the other hand, continues to take its own measures against sanctions and embargoes. It is said in the backstage that European trucks will be banned from entering Russia from 1 October. Allegedly, the Ministries have begun to prepare lists of goods whose transportation will not be subject to restrictions. The Ministry of Transport is expected to present a draft of the relevant regulation in the near future.

While KAMAZ is the Leader of the Russian Truck Market, the Chinese Comes The Second

In the shadow of the war and its consequences, new truck sales in Russia increased in June after the decline in May. Showing an increase of 35 percent compared to May, the figures were still 39 percent lower in June 2021. More than half (53%) of total truck sales consisted of domestic brand vehicles. KAMAZ maintained its leadership in the truck market, followed by the Chinese brand Shacman (Shaanxi).

Lithuanian Transporters Face Bankruptcy

The developments have hit the Lithuanian transporters as well as the whole world. On 18 June, Lithuania announced that it no longer allows transit cargoes subject to EU sanctions from Kaliningrad to transit through its territory by road. Lithuanian Freight Carriers Association "Linava" announced that more than 200 Lithuanian transportation companies are facing bankruptcy due to losing transit to Kaliningrad. A report prepared as a result of the bans revealed that an average of five to seven percent of small and medium-sized transport companies that do not have the time and sufficient financial resources to turn to other routes may go bankrupt by the end of the year. The stated percentages mean that between 208 and 292 transport companies may cease their operations and leave the market.