Will Shiers’ fascinating report from the Moscow International Motor Show clearly shows that the Chinese are coming in a few years time with cheap trucks designed for Europe. The vehicles are improving rapidly.
But it could be not only the trucks from China but also drivers from China. I attended a recent conference organised by Truck Europe where several speaker forecast Chinese drivers being used in Western Europe in five years to fill the dire shortage of drivers. Operators are having to go further and further east to find people willing to do the work.
It may sound strange, particularly as our driver shortage has reduced recently. But don’t forget that one in six drivers are over 55 and there are few new people coming into the industry, according to Skills for Logistics.