Translated from a LinkedIn post in Dutch.
In my previous post I wrote that labour productivity growth in logistics is lagging behind. Today, the other side of the same coin: staff shortages.
The latest Sector Monitor from STL, the Dutch transport and logistics training fund, paints a striking picture. The sector employs more people than ever, over 173,000. Yet 49% of business owners see staff shortages as a barrier to running their business.
Two roles stand out:
- Drivers. There are around 6,200 vacancies for truck drivers, more than the number of job seekers directly available. With an ageing workforce and retirements, the need for new entrants remains high. What does that look like in practice? Look at Simon Loos, one of the big names in our sector: their careers site currently lists 83 driver vacancies, alongside vacancies in planning and process support.
- Planners. Transport planners are hard to find in many regions as well. That shortage is often underestimated, while the planner decides how productively dozens of drivers and vehicles spend their day: empty kilometres, waiting times, load factor.
Too busy sawing to sharpen the saw
Staff shortages mean less time for development, and that means less productivity growth. The problem feeds itself. But if you cannot find more people, you will have to get more value from every hour worked if you want to improve productivity.
That calls for:
- smarter planning and digital tools that take work off planners' hands;
- collaboration in the chain, so that trips and loading and unloading times fit together better;
- collaboration in ecosystems with knowledge partners, so you can benefit from the latest knowledge and invest in training and craftsmanship.
But to make this happen, you need time, overview and a certain level of knowledge, in a market that changes fast.
Next week: more on the role of training and craftsmanship in logistics.
Sources: STL, Sector Monitor Transport and Logistics Q2 2026 (October 2026); werkenbijsimonloos.nl (vacancy overview, 3 October 2026). Analysis and wording with Claude AI.
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