European logistics has a driver problem, and it is getting worse. According to IRU data, there are currently 426,000 unfilled truck driver positions across the continent – more than double the number recorded just two years ago. By 2028, that figure could exceed 745,000 if the structural issues go unaddressed. One in three European drivers is over 55, and nearly a fifth of the current workforce is expected to retire within the next few years. Drivers under 25 make up just 6.5% of the total — and in Germany and Italy, that share drops to around 2%.
The industry’s most visible response has been to raise wages. Driver salaries across the EU have been climbing by 4-5% year on year. That helps with hiring. But it does little for what happens after a driver is hired, namely, how well he or she actually performs.
The cost no one is measuring
In a market where drivers are hard to find, operational inconsistency carries a real price. One of its overlooked causes is mixed fleets. Many companies have their drivers rotate between different types of trucks, which creates inefficiencies.
“A driver who has spent months in, say, a Volvo FH, gets to know its controls, digital interface, braking feel, and lane assist behavior like the back of his hand. Put that same driver in a MAN TGX for one run and then a Mercedes-Benz Actros for the next, and driving suddenly becomes much more demanding. The risk of small errors goes up, and so does fuel consumption – after all, eco-driving techniques are vehicle-specific,” says Žilvinas Perednis, Training Activity Development Manager at Girteka Training.
Rather than only being a concern on paper, it shows up in fuel consumption differences between vehicles, as well as in minor incidents and untracked inefficiencies that build up quietly across a fleet over months and years.
“What we see from buyers is that having a uniform fleet is increasingly becoming a purchasing criterion in its own right,” Algirdas Radauskas, Lithuanian Sales Department Manager at ClassTrucks. “A few years ago, a logistics company buying 10 trucks would take whatever was available at the right price. Now, more and more of them come to us specifically because they want the same model, same year, same specifications. Basically, they don’t want to absorb the cost of retraining every time a new vehicle enters the rotation.”
Standardization – more than a question of brand image
The word “standardization” can be misleading. Buying ten trucks from the same manufacturer does not automatically produce a uniform fleet. A 2019 Volvo FH and a 2023 Volvo FH are quite different vehicles, with different software, driver assistance systems, and dashboard layouts. And a truck sourced without a clear service history, or with inconsistent maintenance records, is likely to behave unpredictably.
“Real standardization means vehicles of comparable age, similar mileage, matching specification, and verified service history. Without those factors, the operational benefits of running a single brand largely disappear – you get the appearance of a standardized fleet without actually having one,” explains Algirdas Radauskas.
This is also why buying the same model from multiple sellers tends to produce less consistent results than buying in volume from just one. In most cases, you can expect different levels of trim, wear and tear, and maintenance history – some vehicles may have no records at all.
A different way to think about procurement
In a labor market with enough drivers, fleet complexity is an inconvenience. In a market with 426,000 unfilled positions – and wages rising to compensate – it starts costing companies money in ways that are hard to see on any single invoice: higher fuel consumption, lower training returns, and avoidable driver friction.
The decision about which trucks to buy, and from whom, has always been a financial one. What has changed is that it now has direct workforce consequences as well. A consistent fleet makes it easier to onboard new drivers, easier to set and track performance benchmarks, and easier to hold on to the drivers you already have – because familiarity breeds both efficiency and, over time, job satisfaction.
None of this requires buying new trucks. Young-used vehicles in matching specifications, sourced with documented service histories, deliver the same operational consistency at a significantly lower capital cost. The point is simply that consistency itself – not just the purchase price – needs to be factored in when building or renewing a fleet.
