A new warning has been issued by the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce. The road freight transport sector is at risk due to a shortage of truck drivers, which it considers "a structural problem that threatens the sector's sustainability and represents a growing risk to the entire economy and supply chain." According to the Chamber, there are already more than 30,000 unfilled vacancies in the sector in Spain, a figure that could exceed 100,000 in just a few years if decisive action is not taken. At the European level, it is projected that by 2028 there will be a shortage of approximately 745,000 professionals. Adding to this situation, the Chamber notes, is the aging workforce: more than 70% of drivers are over 50 years old, and only 3% are under 25. For this reason, the organization proposes the urgent design and implementation of a plan to attract new professionals to the sector. A plan that, according to the corporation chaired by Josep Santacreu, should be agreed upon by companies and social partners, with the aim of attracting young transport professionals. This plan should be based on three main pillars: dignifying the profession, implementing a secure truck parking plan, and promoting more accessible, integrated training adapted to the real needs of the region. In addition, the Chamber also proposes facilitating, in an orderly and guaranteed manner, the hiring of drivers from other countries to meet the sector's immediate needs, as well as promoting subsidies for fleet renewal, the decarbonization of transport, and the modernization of associated services. 5% of GDP

According to the Chamber, road freight transport is an essential pillar of the production system, handling nearly 80% of the goods moved annually in Spain. The organization highlights that the transport and logistics sector in Spain represents around 5% of GDP, and in the last decade this activity has grown by more than 40%, driven by the economic recovery, the expansion of e-commerce, and new consumption and distribution patterns. Despite the future increase in rail freight transport, the Chamber indicates that demand for trucks will continue to rise, especially for short- and medium-distance metropolitan routes.

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Neither the announcement of €500m to subsidise diesel nor the promise to provide more details this Friday after the European Council meets have helped the Spanish government subdue hauliers, who have been on indefinite strike for ten days. On the contrary, the industrial action promoted by a minority association, the Platform in Defence of Road Freight Transport, has only gain sympathizers and has caused closures or alterations to a number of companies. "There has been political inaction," Spain's main business association, CEOE, wrote in a statement yesterday.

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The companies that work with fresh food are already considering interrupting their activity due to the hauliers' strike which begins its ninth day this Tuesday. This is the case of Danone, which this morning announced that if industrial action had not ceased within 24 hours the company would be forced to interrupt production at its four dairy plants and three water bottling plants in Spain.

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