Ugandan truckers gear up for European jobs amid shortage

A vocational training school in Uganda is preparing truck drivers for employment in Germany and other European countries, as Europe’s transport industry grapples with a severe labour shortage.

The German School of Truck Driving (GSTD), established in 2023 and based in Kampala, offers professional driving instruction alongside German language training. The programme is designed to align Ugandan drivers with European road safety and licensing standards.

Industry figures from the International Road Transport Union (IRU) indicate that Europe is short of hundreds of thousands of truck drivers, a crisis driven by retirements, rising freight demand, and regulatory pressures. Germany accounts for a significant share of the unfilled positions.

GSTD’s nine-month curriculum prepares trainees for CE-level licences, provides road safety instruction, and includes German language training up to B1 level. The school also guides students through licensing procedures and employment frameworks across multiple European jurisdictions.

European governments have increasingly turned to overseas recruitment to plug labour gaps, expanding visa pathways for skilled drivers. Analysts note that training initiatives abroad, such as GSTD, are becoming an integral part of workforce planning.