{"id":196128,"date":"2026-10-16T12:20:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T10:20:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/?p=196128"},"modified":"2026-10-16T11:41:16","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T09:41:16","slug":"limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/nl\/2026\/10\/16\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"Limburg biedt gratis vrachtwagenopleidingen aan nu er in Europa een tekort is aan 500.000 chauffeurs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nu Europa kampt met een tekort van meer dan een half miljoen vrachtwagenchauffeurs, bieden vijf transportbedrijven in de Belgische provincie Limburg jongeren een gratis opstap naar dit beroep.<\/p>\n

Het initiatief weerspiegelt de toenemende Europese inspanningen om dure toegangsbarri\u00e8res weg te nemen, nu de sector moeite heeft om met pensioen gaande chauffeurs te vervangen. Maar om een nieuwe generatie aan te trekken, is wellicht meer nodig dan alleen het betalen van hun rijbewijs.<\/p>\n

Vijf Limburg transport- en logistieke bedrijven, t<\/span>Samen met uitzendbureau 24\/7 Drive, de stad Genk, het sectorfonds Travi en Welqome bundelen zij hun krachten om het acute tekort aan vrachtwagenchauffeurs aan te pakken, en gaan zij jongeren onder de 26 jaar een volledig gesubsidieerd opleidingsprogramma aanbieden om vrachtwagenchauffeur te worden.<\/span><\/p>\n

Tijdens de kennismakingsdag, georganiseerd door de initiatiefnemers, krijgen deelnemers de kans om verschillende soorten voertuigen uit te proberen en rechtstreeks in contact te komen met regionale werkgevers, waaronder D\u2019Advies, Veolia BeLux, Hermos Transport, H.Essers Infra en BD Logistics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Limburgs concept<\/h4>\n

Er is veel belangstelling voor het Limburgse initiatief. De kandidaten die na de kennismakingsdag zijn geselecteerd, beginnen in november met hun opleiding voor een C\/CE-rijbewijs en het \u2018Code 95\u2019-certificaat. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nadat ze hun rijbewijs hebben behaald, lopen ze een paar dagen mee met een ervaren mentor-chauffeur, waarna ze direct aan de slag kunnen bij een van de deelnemende bedrijven in de regio Limburg.<\/span><\/p>\n

Andere landen en initiatieven<\/h4>\n

Belgi\u00eb heeft al maatregelen genomen om de sector te ondersteunen; zo biedt de VDAB (Vlaamse Dienst voor Arbeidsbemiddeling) bijvoorbeeld gratis, erkende opleidingen tot vrachtwagenchauffeur aan voor werkzoekenden. <\/span><\/p>\n

Nederland ondersteunt mensen die van loopbaan willen veranderen via werkgevers en sectorspecifieke financiering. Tegelijkertijd financiert de regering in Engeland nieuwkomers rechtstreeks via \u2018HGV Skills Bootcamps\u2019, waarbij gratis opleidingen van maximaal 16 weken worden aangeboden aan personen van 19 jaar en ouder.<\/span><\/p>\n

Een sector in moeilijkheden<\/h4>\n

De transportsector kampt al geruime tijd met een toenemend tekort aan chauffeurs. <\/span>Europa kampt met een tekort van 502.000 chauffeurs.\u00a0<\/span>Dit betekent dat <\/span>twee derde van de ondervraagde Europese transportbedrijven <\/span>moeten opdrachten afwijzen omdat ze niet genoeg chauffeurs kunnen vinden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Bovendien zullen 13% Europese vrachtwagenchauffeurs, zo\u2019n 660.500, tegen 2030 met pensioen gaan. W<\/span>Ook de arbeidsomstandigheden spelen een rol: een gebrek aan beveiligde parkeerplaatsen, onvoorspelbare werktijden, te weinig tijd thuis en een slechte balans tussen werk en priv\u00e9leven.<\/span><\/p>\n

Echter, Niet elke functie als chauffeur houdt internationaal langeafstandsvervoer in. Regionale distributie, afvalinzameling en andere lokale vervoersactiviteiten gaan vaak gepaard met heel andere werkpatronen.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Gedeelde verantwoordelijkheid<\/h4>\n

Het beroep heeft niet bepaald een goed imago, en de grootste hindernis zijn wellicht de kosten voor het behalen van een rijbewijs. <\/span>Daardoor dragen werkgevers, brancheorganisaties en overheidsinstanties in toenemende mate gezamenlijk de verantwoordelijkheid voor de opleiding van vrachtwagenchauffeurs.<\/span><\/p>\n

De Europese vervoerssector zal steeds vaker het initiatief moeten nemen om zijn eigen toekomstige chauffeurs aan te trekken en op te leiden, terwijl de arbeidsomstandigheden een uitdaging van minstens even grote omvang blijven.<\/span><\/p>\n

Autonome vrachtwagens<\/h4>\n

Op de lange termijn zouden autonome vrachtwagens\u00a0<\/span>een aanzienlijk deel van het tekort aan chauffeurs in Europa helpen oplossen. Die toekomst is al begonnen; in de Verenigde Staten rijden er inmiddels vrachtwagens zonder chauffeur in het commerci\u00eble verkeer. <\/span>Sinds april 2025 zet Aurora Innovation zelfrijdende vrachtwagens in op Amerikaanse snelwegen.<\/span><\/p>\n

In Europa zijn de ontwikkelingen nog niet zo ver gevorderd, maar de vooruitgang versnelt, met name op vaste snelwegtrajecten en binnen omheinde logistieke terreinen. <\/span>Autonome vrachtwagens zouden ook in Europa commercieel relevant kunnen worden.<\/span><\/p>\n

Duitsland en Nederland experimenteren met autonome elektrische vrachtwagens, en ook in Belgi\u00eb is er een concreet project in de maak. Op 16 september 2026 kondigde de Haven van Antwerpen-Brugge een commercieel proefproject aan in samenwerking met Group-GTS en het Chinese bedrijf Inceptio Technology.<\/span><\/p>\n

Vanaf dit najaar zal een zelfrijdende vrachtwagen dag en nacht containers vervoeren tussen Kallo en de terminals op de rechteroever van de haven van Antwerpen. De partners zijn van plan de activiteiten later uit te breiden en hun werkterrein te verruimen naar de Noordzeehaven en Rotterdam.<\/span><\/p>\n

Personeel<\/h4>\n

Automatisering kan op termijn wellicht de druk verlichten, maar het valt nog te bezien of deze ontwikkeling de behoefte aan vrachtwagenchauffeurs voor langeafstandsritten snel zal verminderen. <\/span>Autonome vrachtwagens zullen immers niet overal en op elk moment even gemakkelijk inzetbaar zijn.<\/span><\/p>\n

Het automatiseren van een vrachtwagen die honderden kilometers over een snelweg tussen twee logistieke knooppunten aflegt, is veel eenvoudiger dan het automatiseren van een vuilniswagen in Genk, een bestelwagen die twintig verschillende winkels bedient, of een bouwvoertuig dat moet manoeuvreren op moeilijk bereikbare bouwplaatsen.<\/span><\/p>\n

Bijgevolg zal het beroep van vrachtwagenchauffeur waarschijnlijk veranderen: langeafstandsritten zullen geleidelijk worden geautomatiseerd, terwijl voor lokale distributie, overslag, toezicht en complexe transporttaken menselijke arbeidskrachten nodig zullen blijven.<\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With Europe facing a shortage of more than half a million truck drivers, five transport companies in Belgium’s Limburg province are offering young people a free route into the profession. The initiative reflects a growing European effort to remove costly entry barriers as the industry struggles to replace retiring drivers. But attracting a new generation […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":175,"featured_media":196159,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"{title}\r\n\r\n{excerpt}\r\n\r\n{url}","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[63,77170,7,4,61],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-196128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-autonomous-driving","category-belgium","category-mobility","category-top-stories-today","category-transport"],"acf":[],"featured_image_urls_v2":{"full":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=930%2C705&ssl=1",930,705,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=300%2C227&ssl=1",300,227,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=640%2C485&ssl=1",640,485,true],"large":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=640%2C485&ssl=1",640,485,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=930%2C705&ssl=1",930,705,true],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=930%2C705&ssl=1",930,705,true],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=16%2C12&ssl=1",16,12,true],"related-thumb":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1",640,480,true],"gform-image-choice-sm":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=300%2C300&ssl=1",300,300,true],"gform-image-choice-md":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=400%2C400&ssl=1",400,400,true],"gform-image-choice-lg":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=600%2C600&ssl=1",600,600,true],"mailchimp":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=560%2C425&ssl=1",560,425,true],"unipress-phone":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=640%2C100&ssl=1",640,100,true],"unipress-tablet":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=930%2C240&ssl=1",930,240,true],"unipress-tablet-portrait":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=930%2C180&ssl=1",930,180,true],"unipress-tablet-landscape":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=930%2C180&ssl=1",930,180,true],"unipress-smartphone":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=930%2C168&ssl=1",930,168,true],"unipress-wide-screen":["https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?resize=930%2C180&ssl=1",930,180,true]},"post_excerpt_stackable_v2":"

With Europe facing a shortage of more than half a million truck drivers, five transport companies in Belgium’s Limburg province are offering young people a free route into the profession. The initiative reflects a growing European effort to remove costly entry barriers as the industry struggles to replace retiring drivers. But attracting a new generation may require more than paying for their licenses. Five Limburg transport and logistics companies, together with the employment agency 24\/7 Drive, the city of Genk, the sector fund Travi, and Welqome, are joining forces to tackle the acute shortage of truck drivers, and are set…<\/p>\n","category_list_v2":"Autonomous driving<\/a>, Belgium<\/a>, Mobility<\/a>, Top Stories Today<\/a>, Transport<\/a>","author_info_v2":{"name":"Hilde Van Raemdonck","url":"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/nl\/author\/hilde-van-raemdonck\/"},"comments_num_v2":"0 comments","yoast_head":"\nLimburg offers free truck training amid Europe's 500,000-driver shortage - newmobility.news<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/nl\/2026\/10\/16\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"nl_BE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Limburg offers free truck training amid Europe's 500,000-driver shortage - newmobility.news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With Europe facing a shortage of more than half a million truck drivers, five transport companies in Belgium’s Limburg province are offering young people a free route into the profession. The initiative reflects a growing European effort to remove costly entry barriers as the industry struggles to replace retiring drivers. But attracting a new generation […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/newmobility.news\/nl\/2026\/10\/16\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"newmobility.news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/search\/top\/?q=newmobility.news\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-16T10:20:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newmobility.news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=930%2C705&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"930\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"705\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Hilde Van Raemdonck\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@jorisvry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@jorisvry\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Geschreven door\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Hilde Van Raemdonck\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Geschatte leestijd\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Hilde Van Raemdonck\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/7540fd72a981bf6a315ba1b874c2a464\"},\"headline\":\"Limburg offers free truck training amid Europe’s 500,000-driver shortage\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-16T10:20:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":734,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/newmobility.news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/Scherm%C2%ADafbeelding-2026-10-16-om-11.23.20.png?fit=930%2C705&ssl=1\",\"articleSection\":[\"Autonomous driving\",\"Belgium\",\"Mobility\",\"Top Stories Today\",\"Transport\"],\"inLanguage\":\"nl-BE\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/newmobility.news\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/16\\\/limburg-offers-free-truck-training-amid-europes-500000-driver-shortage\\\/\",\"name\":\"Limburg offers free truck training amid Europe's 500,000-driver shortage - 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