Bridge Repairs and Bomb Disposals Compound Driver Shortage in Germany's Industrial Heartland
11.06.2026 - 02:13:43 | boerse-global.de
The A40 autobahn through the Ruhr region, a vital artery carrying 80,000 to 90,000 vehicles daily, has been shut since June 9 between Mülheim-Heißen and Mülheim-Winkhausen. The closure is not for resurfacing or expansion but for a ten-day search for unexploded World War II bombs. Drivers face a 40-kilometer detour on a stretch normally covering 20 kilometers.
That disruption is just one headache for logistics firms in North Rhine-Westphalia. On the A4 near Cologne, trucks over 7.5 tonnes were banned from June 10 between Klettenberg and Eifeltor heading toward Olpe, after damage to the Eifeltor bridge was discovered in April 2025. Spediteure have criticised the short notice. Additional lane markings and a weight-control barrier system are scheduled to be installed over the summer.
Driver Shortage Defies Economic Slump
Despite the operational chaos, demand for drivers remains historically high. Online job portals listed 1,490 open truck-driver positions across North Rhine-Westphalia on June 10, and 15,552 nationwide. Companies including ALDI, METRO and XPO are all hiring in the Cologne area, offering hourly wages between €17.50 and €19.00. Long-haul drivers can earn net salaries of up to €3,200 a month.
Yet the surge in vacancies masks a deteriorating business climate. The ELVIS report for the first quarter of 2026 painted a grim picture: business expectations for April plunged 35.4 percent month on month, close to the historic low recorded during the pandemic. The main culprit is soaring diesel costs. In April, diesel prices jumped 41.3 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, driven by the conflict in Iran. Vehicle utilisation remains high, but industry analysts say that only obscures the underlying crisis.
Betting on Hydrogen and New Warehouses
Not all investment has stalled. Dachser is set to become the first company worldwide to receive three next-generation hydrogen trucks from Daimler Truck. The first unit, powered by liquid hydrogen and boasting a range exceeding 1,000 kilometres, is scheduled to enter service in Karlsruhe at the end of December 2026.
Logistics property is also expanding. In Viersen-Mackenstein, Aconlog has leased a hall spanning more than 6,800 square metres to Sunday Natural Logistics, with completion expected in the second quarter of 2026. A second unit of about 9,140 square metres remains available. The infrastructure constraints, however, continue to test the patience of an industry already stretched thin.
