The industry conference's agenda traditionally includes presentations of innovations, demonstrations of products and services and networking among professionals to share ideas and discuss trends in logistics. Unfortunately, the truck driver shortage has become an all-too-common topic for discussion. "Speaking for everyone who has been grappling with this issue in detail, I think it is safe to say that we all agree that this problem has been with us far too long, hurts our sector and ultimately hinders our business growth," Gerd Röttger explained. The widespread truck driver shortage has been making headlines since before the COVID-19 pandemic even started. It does not help that truck driving has a reputation for being a hard, poorly paid and underappreciated job. Röttger pulled no punches but took a clear stand in his guest essay. "As freight forwarders and haulage companies in the supply chain, we cannot act as if we could or should treat the shortage of skilled truckers as an unsolvable problem," the logistics expert continued. Röttger believes that there are plenty of workable solutions. "We need to improve pay, working conditions and the appreciation that truckers are shown." However, the driver shortage is a challenge that requires a concerted effort from all stakeholders in industry and society: "Employers alone cannot fix this problem. Shippers, European and national legislators and, ultimately, society have to accept that the work done behind the wheel deserves to be adequately rewarded." Campaigns such as "Die Wirtschaftsmacher", a logistics initiative that inTime is also involved in, offer one avenue for promoting logistics.
You can read Gerd Röttger's complete guest essay here.
Transport logistic, the world's largest trade fair for the logistics sector, is being held virtually this year. Its motto: "online only." It gives everyone an opportunity to quickly and easily participate in a unique combination of logistics trade fair, conference and networking opportunities. You can learn more about the event and register free of charge here.