Last July, ANITA, the Italian Association of Automobile Transport Companies of Confindustria, once again warned the Government and the Italian Minister of Sustainable Mobility of the shortage of drivers, a problem that now unites all of Europe.

This situation is made all the more serious by the fact that the economic recovery that followed the serious pandemic crisis is now in danger of stalling because companies in the sector are unable to find drivers for their fleets.

“The increase in demand for transport from the manufacturing sector, the need to combine ever tighter delivery times with the priority of complying with traffic safety regulations, the inefficiencies of the distribution system with unbearable increases in waiting times for unloading, and an objectively complex infrastructure conditions, which in turn generates an increase in delivery times for goods, are creating an explosive mixture” - is the warning cry of Thomas Baumgartner, President of ANITA, the Transport and Logistics Association of Confindustria.

“In these conditions, road haulage and logistics companies risk not being able to guarantee the supply of goods, including basic necessities", continues Baumgartner, "and the time has come to tackle this emergency in a more tangible way, by strengthening active employment policies and launching an effective action to qualify people, including those who are unemployed or involved in company crises, who could be placed in the sector”.

It is also necessary to completely rethink school education in order to widen the pool of potential entrants to the professional driving trade, which is no longer what it was twenty years ago. The latest generation of vehicles requires knowledge of technologies that are more within the reach of the younger generation and guarantee greater safety and environmental sustainability. This would also overcome the issue of costs related to obtaining the Driver's Qualification Card and professional license, which are now certainly a further deterrent for young people.

In seeking concrete contributions to the solution of the problem, ANITA also asked for a dedicated quota for drivers to be included in the flows decree.