Spain to hire 26,000 Moroccan truck drivers

Amid a shortage of truck and bus drivers across Europe, Spain is looking to Morocco to hire 26,000 drivers who will be allowed to use their Moroccan driving permits.

The recognition of Morocco’s driving licenses was signed during Sanchez visit to Rabat last year, sparing Moroccan truck and bus drivers a test which they had been obliged to pass to drive on Spanish highways.

In addition to Morocco, Spain was also looking for drivers in Switzerland, Andorra and Monaco, Moroccan paper Al Ahdath AL Maghribia reported.

Hiring Moroccan drivers is part of the momentum in Spanish-Moroccan ties, with Spain becoming in recent years Morocco’s largest trading partner.

The shortage of truck drivers in Europe was at 9% last year, that is 300,000 unfilled jobs.

According to the World Transport Organization, the shortage could triple by 2026 if no action is taken.