Logistics in Conflict with Demand

We all know that logistics has formed part of society since ancient times, as we explained in a previous article, and that technological advances have allowed us to perfect administration techniques and efficiency.

Now, however, a new challenge has presented itself. There is a shortage of HGV drivers, principally on international roads and now extending to port complexes, resulting in a failure to meet market demand. This is damaging to both present and future clients as well as the logistics companies themselves.

In fact, on 2nd September 2019 it was announced that ‘approximately 10% of transport orders cannot be covered and are postponed to the following day’. This problem has arisen in the Spanish ports of Valencia, Barcelona and Algeciras, for example.

Not having enough drivers who are responsible for transportation has meant that the shipping companies are having to take care of the matter themselves, which could damage their activities in these zones because it involves extra costs. And it is not exactly cheap.

We do know some of the causes behind this driver shortage and one of them is the cost involved in getting the C + E driver’s licence and the Certificate of Professional Aptitude (CAP), which can be as much as €1,650 and requires 35 hours of on-site training. Moreover, the carrier profession used to inspire positive comments, but now public opinion on this type of work has deteriorated considerably and it is seen as ‘just another job’.

On top of this, there are the fraudulent services arising from the so-called ‘mailbox companies’, which have their fiscal headquarters in a country with lower wages and send their drivers to Spain to work, where they take on all the offers and local workers have to match the very low prices.

In summary, action must be taken to halt this decline and to meet the very high demand that exists. Otherwise, this sector, however competitive and pioneering it has become thanks to technological advances, will be affected even more severely.