Almost everything you consume has traveled in a truck at some point in the process. From the fruit that arrives in the supermarkets to the Amazon package that you have been waiting for all day. Road transport moves a good part of the economy in Spain and, at this moment, this gear has a serious problem: there is a lack of drivers for these trucks. Many drivers.
The situation has reached a point where Spain has been exploring for months an avenue that a few years ago was unthinkable: exchanging foreign licenses so they can drive transport vehicles on Spanish roads.
A deficit that gives no respite. According to the data provided by the Government to EFEthe road transport sector has a deficit of more than 20,000 professional drivers that must be covered urgently. However, the Spanish Confederation of Freight Transport (CETM) expand that figure up to more than 30,000 unfilled positions so as not to be in the same situation again in the medium term.
In statements to The VanguardFilippo Welter, director of the fleet solutions company Eurowag Spain, assured that “more than 50% of current drivers are over 55 years old. This means that in the coming years there will be many retirements and very few young people are entering the profession.” He sector It estimates that it will need about 24,000 new drivers per year to compensate for the rate of retirement of current staff.
The solution: validate cards. According to data from the DGT published by EFEIn 2025, 15,589 exchanges of type C (truck) and type D (bus) driving licenses were processed for foreign citizens. This represents an increase of 12% compared to the previous year, when the figure stood at 13,903 exchanged permits.
The trend does not stop growing and reflects how urgent the situation is for a sector that has been warning for years that it has no relief. In May 2025, the DGT launched a new system digital permit exchange, available to citizens of countries with which Spain has bilateral agreements of reciprocal recognition. This system was intended to speed up the validation process to attract more foreign drivers.
Peru, Morocco and Colombia, those that request the most exchanges. The three countries where the most professionals have exchanged their license in Spain are Peru, Morocco and Colombia. In 2025, Peruvian drivers were the most numerous, with 4,317 exchanges, which represents 27% of the total processed that year, compared to 3,781 in 2024.
They are followed by Moroccan drivers, with 2,248 exchanges in 2025, compared to 2,142 the previous year; and the Colombians, who went from 639 to 1,206 exchanges. To further facilitate the incorporation of Moroccan drivers, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has confirmed that it maintains a flexibility in the validation requirements for holders of Moroccan professional licenses, exempting them from taking the theoretical exam, although they do They must pass a practical test and obtain the Certificate of Professional Aptitude (CAP).
A structural problem with no quick solution. The exchange of licenses is an urgent response, but no one in the sector considers it sufficient to address the driver deficit. It is not just a problem for Spain, It is a global problem.
to try change that dynamicthe Government approved last November a Royal Decree that regulates the Reconduce Planwhich grants aid of up to 3,000 euros for obtain permits C and D. Furthermore, the executive has signed special agreements with countries like Türkiye to make it easier for Turkish drivers to work in Spain.
The problem: there is no generational change. However, beyond the agreements and facilities that the Government is applying, the underlying problem that is putting the road transport sector in check is the same one that many other sectors suffer: absence of a generational change.
According to data from the International Road Transport Organization (IRU), the average age of truck drivers in Spain is 47 years old and only 3% of professionals are under 25 years old. Even though sector salaries have been on the rise in recent years driven by staff shortages, the profession does not attract young people for reasons that go beyond salary: long hours away from home, schedules incompatible with family conciliation and a process of accessing permits that can take almost a year and cost between 3,000 and 4,000 euros.
In Xataka | Public transport has a problem: drivers are retiring and there is no one left behind the wheel
Image | Unsplash (Konstantin Kitsenuik)
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