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Chemical driver shortage worsens across Europe
Page 19
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The European Chemical Transport Association says chemical transport drivers are hard to find and difficult to retain. David Harris reports.
THERE IS A WORSENING shortage of chemical transport drivers all over Europe, according to the European Chemical Transport Association (ECTA).
ECTA reported last week that a survey of its members revealed that 80% of them had missed a delivery time in the last three months because no driver was available.
The association told delegates at the European Petrochemical Association conference in Berlin that drivers are hard to find, difficult to keep and increasingly subject to tighter regulations on how much they can drive. Antonio Montero, ECTA president. said: -Service levels to the chemical industry are threatened. Almost all companies indicate they had to reschedule a transport order over the last trimester due to a lack of drivers."
Although the conference was told that drivers from the new EU countries had helped for a while. Montero added: "The supply of so-called Eastern European drivers has long ceased and recruitment is taking longer than ever before."
Montero told the conference that one way to address the problem was to improve working conditions for drivers, particularly at the point of loading and unloading.
He said: "The driver is a human being and deserves to be treated like one. ECTA pushes for the safety of its drivers working at heights, the wearing of protective equipment and sound loading and unloading equipment.
He added that the association was already working on stressing the importance of reducing waiting and turnaround times at chemical plants.