Italy Tackles Driver Shortage: Moroccan Truckers to Rescue European Logistics Crisis

Wave of retirements, lack of interest from young people for jobs considered demanding and not financially attractive, shortage of more than 20,000 heavy goods vehicle drivers according to figures from the Italian Confederation of Transport (Confartigianato Trasporti)... The Italian transport sector is going through a difficult period. In order to overcome these difficulties, Italy has activated a bilateral agreement with Morocco that mutually recognizes driver’s licenses, reports Le Matin. This will delight the national institutions, in particular the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), which is managing the project on a technical and logistical level.

Young Moroccans are also not hiding their happiness. "I have completed training in an approved center, but here in Morocco, the opportunities are limited. This opening to Italy, within a legal framework, finally allows me to consider a stable career, without taking risks," says Saïd M., a thirty-year-old from Casablanca, holder of a C+E license. Many young Moroccans wish to seize this opportunity. "Since the beginning of 2025, we have recorded a 40% increase in registrations. Young people are massively inquiring about working conditions in Italy and Germany," says Aziz Mouni, head of a driver training institute in Casablanca.

This agreement is part of a broader project of convergence between the training systems of Morocco and the European Union, in order to raise Moroccan skills to international standards. On the Italian side, a solution has been found to avoid a major logistical crisis by injecting new skills into a vital sector for the economy. Italy will be able to benefit from the dynamism and professionalism of Moroccan workers.