In Germany, the decision to recognize driver’s licenses from the countries in the region has been in force since August 1st, and a similar decision is expected in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). This will start a new wave of drivers leaving our country.
A new proposal
“Germany lacks about 30.000 professional drivers. A large number of drivers in Germany, reportedly up to 20.000, retired this year. The question is when will this decision be adopted and when will the few remaining drivers from BiH leave for Germany? And, unfortunately, there is very little left, because from 2019 until today, more than 6.000 professional drivers have left BiH, and more than 1.300 transport companies from BiH have registered in Slovenia, and from Slovenia onward in the European Union (EU) countries,” says Nikola Grbic, the president of the Republika Srpska (RS) association of carriers for domestic and international transport.
For some time, BiH has had a problem with the lack of professional drivers, primarily in passenger transport, so the deficit is replaced by the engagement of pensioners. Grbic points out that a large number of pensioners are behind the wheel of trucks and in the transport of goods, and that employers hire them for transport within the country.
“No one has ever contacted us to see how to improve the conditions, for these people to stay here, for us, the employers, to get the opportunity to increase their wages. Even if our driver works overtime, if he works every day from the 1st to the 31st of the month, he cannot earn more than 2.000 BAM. He will eat half of it on his trip. My driver went to the United Kingdom (UK), works 20 days, stays at home for 10 days, and earns 3.700 to 4.000 pounds,” Grbic points out.
At the same time, the Ministry of Transport and Communications of BiH complicates the whole problem with a new proposal for a price list for taking driving tests, which would increase the prices of driving tests for all categories by up to 100 percent.
The right to take the driving test
“Until now, the driving test for categories C and E cost about 6.000-7.000 BAM, and now it will cost 10,000 BAM. Only in our country have they passed a regulation that no one under the age of 21 has the right to take the driving test, while in Serbia and Croatia, it is quite normal to take the B, then C, and E categories once they are of the age of majority. Even we, the carriers, are ready to finance the staff. However, the price is going up by 40 percent, so it is not clear to me who is sitting up there and making these decisions,” Grbic emphasized.
Working conditions
That the institutions are mostly people who do not understand what kind of problem we are facing is also confirmed by the fact that, even after dozens of letters and calls, the working conditions at border crossings and customs terminals do not change. Grbic says that there is no economy that could adapt to this situation, where, in addition to all the problems, carriers have to wait for hours, and occasionally even days, to cross the border.
It is a profession that is already in short supply in BiH, so the entire economy suffers due to the lack of staff, Avaz reports.
E.Dz.
