Over the past two years, almost 4,500 third-country nationals have received a truck driving licence in Latvia. Will Latvian truck drivers be forced out of the labour market by Russians, Uzbeks and other immigrants from the Central Asian republics of the former USSR? Data for less than seven months of this year allow us to predict that this year too, more than 2,000 third-country nationals will receive a C or C1 category licence. The Road Safety Directorate (CSDD) does not indicate their nationality, writes Latvijas Avīze. In order for third-country nationals to be able to carry out local and international freight and passenger transport in Latvia and the EU, they must complete a vocational training course, after which they receive a qualification card valid for five years. Having received it, they can retain their national licence, and a C or C1 category driving licence issued in Latvia is not required. The said vocational training course lasts five days, seven hours each. The total duration is 35 hours. Driving schools teach in Latvian, Russian and English, and the cost of training varies within 70 euros, depending on the educational institution. According to Karlis Vezis, a member of the board of the Latvian Truck Drivers' Club, the organization does not feel an influx of truck drivers from third countries. "Most drivers who receive a category in Latvia do not end up staying in Latvia for permanent work. From what I have heard and talked to drivers, they strive to go to other countries. The same trend is observed in Lithuania. Many such people come and work in Poland. Therefore, I would say that local companies do not feel much interest from third-country nationals when hiring in Latvia. Of course, there are some companies that train and hire them more often, but in general, we do not feel it," says Vezis, adding that this is the decision of the newcomers themselves – they see an opportunity to study here, gain basic knowledge and initial experience, and then move on – closer to Central Europe. Vezis admits that there is a labour shortage in the industry, but third-country nationals are not filling the gap. As Delfi Business has already reported, there is also a problem with the shortage of drivers in Estonia – locals do not want to work as truck drivers, and hiring drivers from third countries is difficult due to strict rules and restrictions. "This situation has put Estonian road hauliers in a very difficult position; they cannot compete with hauliers from neighbouring countries," says Anu Viks, a representative of the Estonian Association of International Road Hauliers (ERAA). Therefore, Estonian hauliers are forced to turn to Latvian, Lithuanian and Polish labour recruitment companies and hire the same citizens of Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan who worked for them before. "Some hauliers have moved their operations to neighboring countries – Latvia, Lithuania, Poland – and are paying taxes and developing transportation activities there. In addition, hauliers have also opened their own labor rental companies in neighboring countries and are hiring the same drivers to work in their companies operating in Estonia," Viks describes the situation. Read more in the article – "Estonia does not allow Belarusians to work, but Latvia does." How Estonian hauliers are hiring workers from third countries, bypassing the bans.
