The International Road Transport Union (IRU) has released a preview of its Global Driver Shortage Report 2025, highlighting significant challenges facing the international freight and logistics sector.
In both Uzbekistan and China, surging freight demand is now outpacing available transport capacity, placing considerable strain on supply chains and delivery timelines. This imbalance underscores the growing pressure on hauliers to meet market requirements whilst contending with a shrinking pool of qualified drivers.
Meanwhile, Mexico and Brazil continue to grapple with persistent structural labour constraints. These long-standing issues are hampering the ability of freight operators to scale their services in line with economic demand, further exacerbating regional bottlenecks.
The findings reinforce a global trend that has significant implications for international freight forwarding. As driver shortages intensify across key trading regions, businesses reliant on road haulage are likely to face increased costs, extended lead times and greater complexity in route planning.