The Truckers Life Foundation, established in Wrocław in 2013 with the aim of improving drivers’ health and working conditions, published in recent weeks a detailed study on Polish drivers’ pay in 2025 and, more broadly, on the state of the transport sector. The report was produced in collaboration with PITD (the Polish Institute of Road Freight Transport) and has been widely covered by the country’s main specialist media.
The more than seventy pages of the survey paint a picture of the road haulage sector that is only apparently positive. While wages are rising, levels of driver satisfaction and the overall attractiveness of the sector remain very low. This paradox is explained not only by the working conditions drivers have to endure on a daily basis, but also by the growing and increasingly pressing need for a better work-life balance.
Based on responses from 777 truck drivers, the survey found that the average monthly net pay of Polish drivers has exceeded 8,800 zloty (around €2,080), with peaks of more than €2,400 net. Despite this, more than 60% of respondents said they were dissatisfied with their pay. Only 4% reported being satisfied with their remuneration, 59% said they had not received any pay rise in the past year, while 15% reported an overall reduction in income.
The highest wages are found in international transport, particularly on extra-EU routes, while domestic haulage remains at significantly lower levels. Company size is also an important factor, with average pay higher in large companies than in small or micro enterprises. The report also highlighted how basic pay often represents only part of total earnings, which are largely made up of bonuses, travel allowances and variable components that are frequently hard to interpret and lack transparency.
Around a quarter of drivers reported irregular practices such as unpaid holiday or sick leave, incorrect calculations, unjustified deductions from payslips or delays in monthly payments. Although the economic aspect is extremely varied, the study did not identify pay as the decisive factor in choosing a career as an HGV driver. The elements with the greatest impact on personal satisfaction are not only financial, but are primarily linked to relations with employers, the daily driving experience and the balance between work and private life.
Stress, checks and operational pressure, as well as fatigue and time away from family, were among the main negative aspects mentioned. Although the report does not directly address technology or GPS tracking, it shows how the overall working environment is a major source of stress for the profession. Many drivers said they feel under constant pressure from frequent inspections, tight schedules and severe penalties, particularly in international transport. Testimonies collected depict a job in which even minor mistakes, or errors beyond the driver’s control, can have serious consequences, while external factors such as traffic, inadequate infrastructure and waiting times at loading and unloading points remain outside the driver’s control, fuelling anxiety and dissatisfaction.
The difficulty of reconciling work and private life, long periods away from home and the lack of adequate infrastructure such as secure parking, sanitary facilities and rest areas continue to weigh more heavily than pay rises. Unsurprisingly, almost two thirds of respondents would not recommend the profession to young people entering the labour market. Higher wages are increasingly seen as compensation for personal and social sacrifices rather than a genuine incentive. Many drivers said they would prefer domestic transport and more stable working hours in exchange for lower pay, as work-life balance is becoming an increasingly central and non-negotiable need.
The survey also sounded an alarm over the age profile of the workforce and the absence of real generational renewal. Fewer and fewer young people are choosing to become drivers, with most current drivers aged between 41 and 50, while the share of those over 50 continues to grow. More than 40% of drivers said they had been working for their current employer for less than two years, a sign of high turnover and a lack of long-term stability.
The report’s conclusion is clear: rising pay is no longer enough to guarantee the sector’s stability. Without tangible improvements in working conditions, greater transparency in pay systems and better relations between companies and drivers, the driver shortage is set to worsen. In this context, the future of road transport will not depend solely on wage levels, but above all on the overall sustainability of work on the road. The lack of secure parking, basic hygiene conditions, difficult access to healthcare and operational pressure are the variables that need to be addressed and that will mark the line between professional burnout and a revival of the sector. Without investment in infrastructure and better working conditions, retaining staff and attracting new workers will become increasingly difficult.
“There is no single truth about pay in the transport sector: some employers pay well, others less, and that is a fact,” the study concludes. “But there is a limit the market is unwilling to cross: no company, not even the largest, will build parking facilities, toilets or rest areas along the roads. Without this infrastructure, we can raise rates indefinitely and the problem will still return. And the whole economy will pay the price. If we do not provide drivers with basic working and rest conditions, everyone will suffer the consequences: not only the transport sector, but the entire economy. This is not a problem of individual companies, but a systemic problem.”
Marco Martinelli
