What do professional drivers think about their profession? An examination of factors contributing to the driver shortage

A shortage of qualified and available professional drivers in the Freight, Transport, Distribution and Logistics (FTDL) sector is becoming an area of increasing concern in Ireland, and across the European mainland. This paper applies a two-stage research approach to address the issues causing the driver shortage and to analyse contributing factors. The findings reveal that remuneration and salaries are detrimental to recruitment and retention. While driver wellbeing in terms of physical and mental health is a major issue, little support is provided for training and education. There is a relationship between a driver’s age group and job satisfaction, and between the length of time working as a professional driver and job satisfaction. By uncovering the variety of factors that contribute to driver shortage, this research provides theoretical and practical knowledge in order to attract and retain a sustainable labour force of drivers required to sustain transportation services.