Polish road transport employers are calling on the European Union to simplify access to the labor market for professional drivers from selected non-EU countries. The Association of Employers “Transport and Logistics Poland” has appealed to the European Commission to recognize driver qualifications obtained in Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as equivalent to EU requirements.
According to TLP, the training systems in these countries are based on national rules that are comparable with European standards, including the requirements of Directive (EU) 2022/2561 on the initial qualification and periodic training of drivers. If a driver has already completed equivalent training, the association argues, forcing them to repeat similar courses after employment in the EU creates unnecessary costs and delays.
The proposal comes as European road transport continues to struggle with a structural labor shortage. Transport companies across the EU rely increasingly on non-EU drivers, but recruitment remains complicated by visa rules, residence procedures, Code 95 requirements, documentation and national interpretations of EU law.
TLP President Maciej Wroński said the EU should remove unjustified barriers to employment for specialists from third countries. In his view, if a driver has already been trained to EU-level standards, there is no practical reason to make them repeat the same preparation again.
As K2Cargo News previously reported in New Report Reveals Widespread Problems in Europe’s International Road Transport Sector, administrative pressure, labor shortages and working conditions are becoming key challenges for European road freight.
What TLP Is Proposing
TLP is not asking the EU to lower professional standards for drivers.
The association wants a formal mechanism that would allow the European Commission to assess whether training systems in certain third countries are equivalent to EU requirements. If equivalence is confirmed, drivers from those countries could have their professional preparation recognized without repeating the same course in an EU member state.
TLP has proposed several possible routes. One option is to conclude mutual recognition agreements between the EU and selected countries. Another is to use existing cooperation frameworks, such as EU-Turkey arrangements. A third option would be to amend EU law so that the European Commission could officially evaluate and recognize training equivalence in non-EU countries.
For employers, the effect would be practical. A Ukrainian, Turkish, Serbian or Bosnian driver who has already completed comparable training could be employed faster and with fewer administrative steps. For drivers, it would reduce the cost of entering the EU labor market.
Why Driver Qualification Is a Bottleneck
Professional truck driving in the EU requires more than a driving license.
Drivers need the appropriate category license, medical fitness and proof of professional competence. Directive (EU) 2022/2561 sets EU rules on initial qualification and periodic training for drivers of certain road vehicles used to transport goods or passengers. In practice, this is often linked to the Driver Certificate of Professional Competence and Code 95.
These rules are designed to improve road safety and professional standards. But when a driver from outside the EU has already completed similar training, repeating the process can become a barrier rather than a safety improvement.
This is the point TLP is making. The association argues that recognition should be based on the substance of training, not only on where it was completed. If the curriculum, exams and practical requirements are comparable, recognition could help the labor market without weakening safety.
The Driver Shortage Is Still Severe
The proposal reflects a broader labor problem.
IRU estimates that more than 3.6 million truck driver positions are unfilled globally, and the shortage is a long-term structural issue. The organization points to an aging workforce, weak recruitment of young people and low participation of women in the profession.
Europe is particularly exposed because many drivers are approaching retirement while too few young workers enter the sector. According to recent industry summaries based on IRU data, Europe faces hundreds of thousands of unfilled truck driver jobs, and the gap could widen further if recruitment does not improve.
Poland is one of the EU’s largest road freight markets, so the issue is especially important for Polish carriers. Many companies already employ drivers from Ukraine, Belarus, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the Balkans. But the administrative process remains slow and costly.
For carriers, every delayed driver means unused vehicle capacity, rejected transport orders or higher pressure on existing staff.
Standards and Labor Protection Must Stay
TLP emphasizes that easier access for foreign drivers should not mean weaker labor protection.
The association says recognition of qualifications must go together with stronger control of employers. Companies that use foreign workers to bypass labor law, reduce wages or create unfair competition should be held accountable.
This is an important point because the debate about non-EU drivers in Europe is politically sensitive. Some carriers want faster recruitment. Trade unions and regulators worry about social dumping, poor working conditions and the abuse of drivers who may depend heavily on their employer for documents and legal stay.
A recognition mechanism would therefore need safeguards. It should verify training quality, but also ensure that employment in the EU respects pay rules, posting rules, rest-time regulations and contractual obligations.
In other words, TLP’s proposal is about removing duplicate training requirements, not creating a lower-cost category of workers.
Poland Also Needs a Shortage Occupations List
The EU appeal comes alongside pressure on the Polish government.
TLP and the Association of International Road Transport Carriers in Poland, ZMPD, recently sent a joint letter to Prime Minister Donald Tusk urging the government to resume work on a regulation defining the list of shortage occupations.
The associations argue that suspending work on the document worsens the staffing crisis in transport and limits the ability to recruit drivers from outside the EU. A clear shortage occupation list could simplify employment procedures and give companies more predictability when hiring foreign workers.
This national issue is linked to the EU-level proposal. Recognition of qualifications can help, but companies also need legal pathways for workers to enter and remain in the labor market. If national procedures remain slow, EU-level recognition alone will not solve the problem.
Why Ukraine Matters
Ukraine is one of the most important labor sources for Polish transport.
Geography, language proximity, existing migration networks and long-standing employment links make Ukrainian drivers a natural part of Poland’s road freight workforce. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion, the labor situation has become more complex, but Ukrainian professionals remain important for many Polish employers.
Recognizing Ukrainian professional driver training could reduce duplication and speed up employment for drivers who already meet comparable standards. It could also help Ukrainian workers integrate into legal employment instead of facing unnecessary delays.
At the same time, the issue must be handled carefully. Ukraine needs drivers for its own economy and wartime logistics, while EU companies need staff. Any mechanism should support legal, transparent employment rather than uncontrolled labor outflow.
A Practical Tool, Not a Full Solution
Recognizing qualifications from Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina would not solve Europe’s driver shortage by itself.
The profession still faces deeper problems: long time away from home, parking shortages, safety risks, administrative pressure, low social prestige and uneven pay conditions. Without improving working conditions, the sector will continue to struggle to attract young people and retain experienced drivers.
But qualification recognition could remove one avoidable barrier. It would help carriers hire trained drivers faster, reduce duplicate training costs and create a clearer framework for non-EU professionals.
For the European Commission, the challenge is to balance flexibility with safety and labor protection. For Poland’s transport sector, the issue is urgent: without more drivers, fleet capacity will remain underused, logistics costs will rise and supply chains may face more disruptions.
TLP’s appeal shows that the industry is no longer asking only for more workers. It is asking for smarter rules — rules that recognize real skills, protect drivers and allow European road freight to keep moving.
Read also: New Report Reveals Widespread Problems in Europe’s International Road Transport Sector
