There are 1.2 Million SRC Certified Truck Drivers in Turkey, Only 21 Thousand of Them are Internationally Competent
Although there are 1.2 million SRC certified truck drivers in Turkey, we have only 21 thousand internationally competent drivers!
In order for a truck carrying domestic commercial freight to cover its expenses, including the driver, and to make money, it needs to transport a minimum of over 10,000 km per month.
There are more than 930 thousand trucks of 16 tons and above on our roads. According to TUIK data, the average age of trucks is quite high: 17.8 years. Approximately 550 thousand of our trucks carry commercial freight. In stark contrast to the US and Europe, almost 85% of these trucks are directly owned by individuals. Around 470 thousand trucks belong to individuals.
In the Turkish logistics market, where nearly 8 thousand large and small logistics companies operate, the total number of trucks owned by logistics companies is below 100 thousand. Even the largest logistics companies in Turkey make 80-85% of their contracted domestic transportation with individual trucks that they procure daily from spot markets and shipping websites.
Last year, zero tow truck/truck sales amounted to around 40 thousand units, while the number of trucks that changed hands in second hand exceeded 250 thousand. More than 6 times. There is a huge volume of second-hand trucks in Turkey; nearly 20 thousand trucks are sold in the second-hand market every month. Europe’s biggest market. Because zero trucks cannot be approached, fleet ages are increasing.
According to TIRPORT Insights data, a loaded truck traveled an average of 454 km in March, with the average freight rate hovering around TRY 12,400. 1/3 of the trucks on the road have to return empty because they cannot find a suitable return load.
In Turkey, trucks receiving cargo are waiting to unload at most. The waiting time for unloading can reach 1.5 days. The most expected places are the city warehouses of chain markets, followed by shopping malls. The total waiting time for loading and unloading can exceed 2.5 days.
In 2023, the trucks that waited the longest to unload their cargo were the trucks going to the earthquake zones after the earthquake. Antakya broke a record in this sense. Some trucks waited for up to 5 days to enter the hot zone and unload their cargo, and were able to leave the zone in 2 days.
Of the 550,000 trucks engaged in commercial transportation, 65,000 are capable of international transportation. The number of international drivers authorized to drive these 65,000 trucks is only 21,000. We need nearly 50,000 internationally qualified drivers. There is a shortage of 600,000 qualified truck drivers in Europe. Although we have 1.2 million SRC-certified truck drivers, 21 thousand international drivers is a big deficit. The training of internationally competent drivers has to be treated as a state policy. There is a huge opportunity. It is a line of work where we can talk about a net monthly income of at least 1,500 dollars.