In Ukraine, the transport and logistics sector is facing a driver shortage of up to 25% of its needs due to mobilization, while in the passenger transport sector in cities, this figure can reach up to 30%, according to Deputy Minister of Community Development, Territories, and Infrastructure Serhiy Derkach.
“25% (driver shortage for trucks) is a preliminary figure gathered from carriers and logistics companies. In some companies, this number exceeds even 50% due to the mobilization issue. In numerical terms, this means around 30,000 truck drivers are needed,” said Derkach during a presentation of a pilot project aimed at training women truck drivers.
In the public passenger transport sector, he noted that there is a shortage of about 30% of drivers—approximately 6,000 out of the 14,000 specialists needed in the industry.
Derkach mentioned that companies with transport divisions are independently training women who wish to work as truck drivers. The ministry, alongside the Institutional Development Foundation with support from USAID, is also implementing a project to train women long-haul drivers. So far, 100 participants have been selected from over a thousand applicants. The project is supported by 25 large Ukrainian employers, including Ukrposhta, Nova Poshta, Metro Cash&Carry, Novus, Fozzy, and others.
“We do not aim for this project to fill all vacancies. We understand that this situation cannot be solved globally. The project aims to change the perception of women driving trucks in the eyes of employers—showing that it is possible and could be a way out of the situation. Moreover, women who previously did not consider the profession of long-haul drivers, believing it to be exclusively male, are motivated to explore it for themselves,” Derkach stated.
Additionally, registration for the pilot project to train women bus drivers, titled She Drives, has been extended, with 10 employer companies already supporting it. Women have submitted approximately 200 applications for the project.
