Reliability, politeness and resilience make the work easier

The personal qualities of drivers have become even more relevant. A large proportion of the offers contain soft skills (82.3 %).

The ten most frequent qualities were already relevant seven years ago, but their weighting has in part shifted considerably. Dependability and reliability have been at the top since 2009. Above all, the character traits that follow recorded above-average growth. As a result, the desire for responsible drivers has moved up from eighth to second place. Many companies pay particular attention to them acting prudently and on their own responsibility. Polite interaction with colleagues or customers is also much more important than in the past. After all, the behavior of drivers not only influences the image of the company and the profession, but courteous interaction also eases the processes at the loading ramp. Ten years ago, good manners were not even among the ten most frequent soft skills.

The profession is demanding. Today, however, there are many technical aids that make the work easier. The vehicles are designed more ergonomically and the cockpit is equipped with many digital and supportive controls. Under these circumstances, employers may therefore no longer attach as much value to physical resilience as in the past. Applicants, however, should be mentally resilient and stress-resistant much more often: in one in ten offers, employers express this, whereas in 2019 it occurred only in isolated cases. The situation on the roads is likely to play a significant role in this development. Many construction sites, traffic jams and time pressure make the work in the driver’s seat more mentally demanding.