The road transport sector is facing a worsening driver shortage. An estimated 500,000 unfilled positions exist in the EU alone, making transporters desperate to keep their drivers and attract new personnel. One possible solution that has come forward is… investing more in electric trucks.

Naturally, there are two sides to the driver shortage coin: are there too few candidate drivers, or are wages simply not keeping up with living expenses? An argument can be made for both, but the fact remains that not enough people are currently attracted to getting behind the wheel of a big rig to haul cargo.

Wages need to go up, but the material counts, too

Many transport companies are being forced to rely on foreign workers to replace retiring truckers. But studies from the IRU, Ricardo, the Road Haulage Association (RHA), and company reports show that there are other ways to attract drivers. While good pay and working conditions are essential, the material tools also play a part.

Talk to any truck driver, and they’ll tell you that they prefer a brand-new and fully-specced Scania over a used Iveco. But it seems younger truck drivers have another preference: they prefer driving electric trucks and will actually seek out transporters that invest in zero-emission vehicles to work for.

Young drivers prefer electric trucks

Electrek recently ran a story about Benore Logistics, a 700-truck operation that reported on younger truck drivers’ appreciation for electrified trucks and modern vehicles with more safety equipment.

But Benore is not alone. The aforementioned studies find that young drivers prefer the ease of use and quiet operation of electric trucks. They care less about the tradition of combustion engines, let alone the feel of a manual transmission, and need less mechanical knowledge for their role.

They are also more familiar with digital interfaces and touchscreen operation, which are increasingly taking over the truck cabin, just as in passenger vehicles. Plus, they are more environmentally aware and feel they can turn down a role if the pay or work-life balance does not meet their expectations.

No silver bullet

With all that said, simply buying electric trucks will not solve the driver shortage problem. And with razor-thin margins imposed on the transport industry by retailers trying to offer the lowest possible prices and “free shipping” to consumers, the wage problem will persist.

Many transport companies are looking forward to the advent of autonomous trucks to eliminate the headache of staff shortages. But in the meantime, they will need to review their business practices and what they offer their employees during the workday to win them over from other employers.