Truck Driver Jobs in Europe: Foreign Driver Guide 2026

Europe's transport industry is short of truck drivers. The International Road Transport Union (IRU) found in its 2025 survey that Europe has one of the highest shortage rates, at 13%, representing around 502,000 unfilled truck driver positions. Its 2024 report had put the figure at 426,000. This shortage creates real opportunity for drivers looking to work across the continent.

But navigating the process requires understanding which countries are actually hiring, how license recognition works, what the visa landscape looks like, and what you can realistically expect to earn. This guide covers all of it.

Which Countries Are Hiring the Most?

Not every European country has the same level of demand. IRU's survey found that in almost every market it covered, the 2025 shortage rate was higher than in 2021. This guide looks at four markets: Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France. For pay in other countries, see our salary guides, for example for Poland.

Germany. Pay depends on the employer, the region and the type of route. Our Germany truck driver salary guide sets out the figures. Check truck driver jobs in Germany for current opportunities.

The Netherlands. Statistics Netherlands puts the median gross hourly wage of employees working as lorry drivers at €22.50 in 2025, a provisional figure, up from €21.30 in 2024. The country's logistics sector is centred around Rotterdam and Amsterdam. See our Netherlands truck driver salary guide, and browse truck driver jobs in the Netherlands to see what is available.

The United Kingdom. The UK remains a major market post-Brexit, though the process for non-UK drivers now involves additional paperwork. The license rules for drivers who move there are set out below. Browse truck driver jobs in the UK to see what is available.

France. France's major logistics corridors run through Lyon, Paris and Marseille. See truck driver jobs in France for listings.

CE License: Recognition and Conversion Within the EU

If you hold a valid CE driving license issued by an EU member state, the other member states generally recognise it, and if you move to another EU country you do not usually have to exchange it. A Polish CE license works in Germany. A Romanian CE license works in the Netherlands. This is one of the EU's biggest advantages for drivers. There is one exception to know about: if your EU license was issued in exchange for a non-EU license, another member state does not have to recognise it when you move your normal residence there (Directive 2006/126/EC, Article 11(6)). Check before you move.

Here is what you need to know by situation:

EU license holders

• Your CE license is generally recognised throughout the EU without conversion, except in the case above.
• To drive professionally you also need the Certificate of Professional Competence (CPC), shown as the EU code 95 on your driving license or on a driver qualification card.
• Code 95 requires 35 hours of periodic training every five years, given in periods of at least seven hours.
• If your category C1, C1E, C or CE license, or a license recognised as equivalent, was issued no later than 9 September 2009, you do not need the initial qualification, but you still need the periodic training.
• Some employers may ask for a translation of your license.

Non-EU license holders

• Whether you can exchange your license depends on the rules of the country where you will live and work.
• In most cases, you will need to exchange your license through a local driving authority.
• Germany, for example, lets holders of licenses from some non-EU countries exchange them without retaking the theory and practical tests. For lorry licenses (classes C and CE), the list in Annex 11 of the Driving License Regulation includes Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Ukraine, Switzerland and the United Kingdom, and it covers other countries too. Some entries have conditions:
  • Serbia: probationary licenses are not covered.
  • Ukraine: before the German lorry license is issued, you must prove that you are fit to drive and that your eyesight meets the requirements. Class C is only issued after class B, so if your Ukrainian C or D license was issued without class B, you take the theory and practical tests for class B.
  • Albania and Kosovo: for Albanian licenses issued before 24 January 2017 and Kosovan licenses issued before 1 March 2018, the German authorities first check with the issuing country that the license is held and valid.
  • United Kingdom: the authority can ask you to take an eye test.
  • Moldova: you take the practical test.
  Turkey is not on the list.
• If Annex 11 does not list class C or CE for your country, you may need to take the theory and practical tests. Some countries are listed only for car or motorcycle classes, for example Bosnia and Herzegovina. A Namibian license is exchanged without those tests only if it was issued at least two years before the application.

UK-specific

If you live in Great Britain and hold a lorry license from the EU or Switzerland, GOV.UK says you can drive on it until you're 45 or for 5 years after you became resident, whichever is shorter. If you're over 45 but under 65, you can drive for 5 years or until you're 66, whichever is shorter. You then exchange it for a GB license, and you do not have to retake your test. If the vehicle weighs more than 3.5 tonnes and your license is from the EU, you must register your details with the DVLA within 12 months of becoming resident.

Language Requirements: Reality vs Perception

One of the biggest misconceptions about working as a truck driver in Europe is that you need fluency in the local language. The reality is more nuanced.

What employers actually require:

• Basic communication for loading, unloading, and safety instructions
• Enough language ability to read road signs and delivery documentation
• For international routes: English is often sufficient as a working language
• For domestic routes: functional local language skills are more important

The practical truth: many employers put driving experience and reliability ahead of language fluency, and many Polish, Romanian and Bulgarian drivers work in Germany with limited German, using translation apps and basic phrases.

That said, local language skills open more doors. In Germany, for example, domestic work usually calls for German, and domestic routes often mean more home time.

Recommendation: Learn basic transport vocabulary in the language of the country where you want to work. It shows professionalism and opens more opportunities.

Visa and Work Permit Basics for Non-EU Drivers

As an EU citizen, you generally don't need a work permit to work anywhere in the EU. Under the EU-Switzerland agreement on the free movement of persons, Swiss citizens are free to live and work in the EU too.

For drivers from outside the EU, your rights depend on your nationality, or on your status as a family member of an EU citizen. If your country has no agreement with the EU, your right to work depends on the national laws of the country where you want to work. Here is how two of the main markets handle it.

Germany has a route for professional drivers in its Employment Regulation (Beschäftigungsverordnung, section 24a). A driver from outside the EU can be approved to work in Germany as a professional driver in goods transport. An employer can also hire a driver who still needs the German or EU license and qualifications, if the contract commits the driver to the training, the license and qualifications can be obtained within 15 months, the same employer has a concrete job for afterwards, and the driver holds the relevant license from their home country.

The Netherlands lets citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland work without a residence permit or a work permit. For drivers of other nationalities, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) sets out the routes. Paid employment of more than 90 days needs a single permit (GVVA), which combines the residence permit and the work permit (TWV). For work of up to 90 days, the driver may need a short stay visa, depending on nationality, and the employer usually applies to UWV for a work permit (TWV). Employers can also become a recognised sponsor (erkend referent), which gives them simplified and faster application procedures, but this status is not required for regular paid employment.

Key step: Always secure a job offer first. In Germany, the section 24a approval is for employment as a professional driver in Germany, and in the Netherlands the employer usually applies for the work permit (TWV) for work of up to 90 days.

Cross-Border Opportunities

One of the most significant opportunities for drivers in Europe is cross-border employment. International routes can offer strong earning potential, and EU freedom of movement makes the process straightforward for EU citizens: apply, get hired, start driving.

Cross-border roles typically involve international routes connecting multiple European countries, which also means more time away from home. Consider this when evaluating different positions.

What to Expect: Working Conditions and Home Time

Before committing to a truck driving job in Europe, understand what daily life looks like.

Working hours: EU rules limit driving time to 9 hours per day (extendable to 10 hours twice per week), 56 hours per week and 90 hours in any two consecutive weeks. A regular weekly rest is at least 45 hours, and a reduced weekly rest can be shortened to a minimum of 24 consecutive hours under conditions set in the rules. Your tachograph records your driving and rest. Our guide to EU driving hours and rest rules explains each rule.

Home time: This depends heavily on route type:

• Domestic routes: usually home most nights
• Regional and cross-border routes: usually home more often than on long-haul work
• International long-haul: within each period of four consecutive weeks, your employer must organise your work so that you can return to the operational centre where you are normally based and where your weekly rest begins, in the country where your employer is established, or to your home. This is so that you can take at least one regular weekly rest, or a weekly rest of more than 45 hours taken as compensation. If you have taken two reduced weekly rests in a row, your employer must let you return before the start of the compensating weekly rest of more than 45 hours.

Accommodation: Since Regulation (EU) 2020/1054 changed the rules in 2020, drivers may not take their regular weekly rest in the cab, or any weekly rest of more than 45 hours taken as compensation for earlier reduced weekly rests. It must be taken in suitable gender-friendly accommodation with adequate sleeping and sanitary facilities, and the employer covers the cost of accommodation outside the vehicle.

Equipment: Many European fleets operate modern trucks with automatic transmissions, air suspension, and in-cab amenities.

Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Started

1. Verify your CE license status. Confirm whether your license was issued by an EU member state (generally recognised in the others, with the exception above) or needs to be exchanged. Check with your national driving authority.
2. Get your CPC (code 95). Ensure your Certificate of Professional Competence is current. If it has expired, complete the 35-hour periodic training.
3. Choose your target market. Review available jobs by country on Fyndaro to find the right fit based on your location, language skills, and route preferences.
4. Prepare key documents. Gather your CE license, CPC proof (code 95), passport, medical certificate, and any prior employment references.
5. Create a driver profile. Register on Fyndaro with your qualifications, experience, preferred countries, and language skills. Fyndaro covers 25 European countries.
6. Apply or get matched. Browse listings or let Fyndaro's matching system connect you with companies that fit your profile.
7. Handle visa/permit where one is required. If you need a visa or a work permit, then once you have a job offer, work with the employer on the application.
8. Complete onboarding. Most reputable employers provide route training, vehicle familiarisation, and administrative support for foreign drivers.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Paying for a job. Legitimate employers do not charge drivers recruitment fees. If someone asks for payment, walk away.
• Ignoring CPC requirements. Under EU law, professional drivers need compulsory periodic training, and an initial qualification unless they hold a category C1, C1E, C or CE license, or a license recognised as equivalent, issued no later than 9 September 2009. Do not let your code 95 lapse.
• Not checking contract details. Verify salary, working hours, home time schedule, accommodation provisions, and notice period before signing.
• Skipping language preparation. Even basic local language skills improve your job prospects and daily experience significantly.
• Using unregistered agencies. If working through a recruitment agency, verify they are registered and regulated. In the Netherlands, check the SNA register of certified companies. In Germany, check with the Bundesagentur für Arbeit.