EUROPE — Girteka is expanding its European operating network by relocating some of its transport operations to Riga, Latvia and Oradea, Romania in response to the continuing shortage of professional truck drivers across Europe.
The new local entities will provide fleet registration, driver employment and transport management, allowing Girteka to adapt its operating model to changing labor availability, regulations and costs.
In Latvia, the company already has almost 100 locally registered trucks and the vehicles are now on the European roads. Preparations are under way in Romania for the arrival of the first trucks and drivers.
Capacity under pressure due to driver shortage
One of the main challenges of European road transport is the availability of professional drivers.
In 2025, the International Road Transport Union (IRU) estimates some 502,000 unfilled truck driver posts in Europe, accounting for about 13 per cent of the sector’s workforce needs.
The situation could get worse in the next few years. The IRU estimates that some 20 per cent of the current truck driver workforce in Europe could retire in the next five years, which could widen the gap between driver supply and industry demand.
For an asset-based carrier like Girteka, the availability of drivers directly impacts the amount of capacity it can sell to customers.
The company moves around 800,000 full truckloads a year for more than 5,000 customers across Europe and having access to a stable pool of professional drivers is an important part of its operations.
The company plans to increase its flexibility in recruitment while providing reliable transport capacity by spreading its fleet and workforce to more locations.
Building up a larger European network of operations
Girteka has a number of locations across Europe already. For instance, in Poland the company operates a fleet of some 3,000 trucks, supported by local recruitment and transport management teams.
The new operations in Latvia and Romania are on a similar model, allowing the company to be closer to available driver pools and offering additional bases for fleet management.
“Our priority is to be a reliable logistics partner to our customers transporting temperature-controlled and high-value cargo,” said Pavel Kveten, CEO of Girteka Logistics.
“Customers want continuous capacity, control of operations and reliable service, so driver acquisition is more important than ever.”
Local teams to support the growth
The new entities will join Girteka’s wider European network and will provide the local structure for managing fleet registration, driver employment and transport operations.
Recruitment is in progress in Riga, where Girteka is looking for experienced professionals to support transport management, establish operational processes and build local teams.
The operation will be launched and expanded in Romania concurrently with the recruitment process.
“The move is aimed at providing Girteka Transport with more flexibility to find and employ drivers, and to better organize the fleet,” says Girteka Transport CEO Mindaugas Paulauskas.
Girteka is expanding operations in both countries and will be looking at the need for extra positions and functions.
The expansion is ultimately aimed at helping to create a more flexible and sustainable operating model that can support fleet efficiency, driver availability and reliable capacity for customers across the European market.
