New Mobility Package Could Lead To a Shortage of Half a Million Drivers in Europe

Politicians in Brussels have created a massive new piece of paper. This time, they aim to put even higher demands on the transport sector and not least its drivers.

I agree that it’s important to clamp down on operators who break rules and cheat. But we should stop and ask ourselves whether they have gone a little too far this time, as the new mobility package will be both cumbersome and time-consuming, not least for the drivers.

There is a risk that this will push even more drivers to quit, and then it’s only a matter of time before we have a shortage of half a million drivers in Europe.

The idea behind the new mobility package is solid. EU politicians are hoping that it will lead to healthier competition, while at the same time improving conditions for drivers who have had a rough time up until now. But like I said, I am quite convinced that a large number of drivers will change professions, because it will be both cumbersome and time-consuming to carry out transport across borders and have [A1] different salaries in the countries crossed. In addition, the car has to be returned to its country of origin, which will almost certainly create a large number of unnecessary journeys with empty vehicles that are completely insane in terms of the environment.

Well, as you can imagine, there will be a lot of new things to keep track of for both drivers and companies in the transport sector. Not least for those who have to keep track of and administer all the charges.

Another big question is whether the Police and the Transport Agency (Transportstyrelsen) and their European counterparts will have the resources to enforce the new legislation.

But that's a whole other topic that we will discuss at another time.

The changes are proposed to enter into force on 2 and 21 February 2022.