The military will summon drivers and mechanics for training. Road hauliers say: “No one is thinking about compensation for companies.”
As many as 200,000 drivers may be called up for military training in 2026. Any driver under the age of 55 who holds a category C or D driving licence may receive a call-up notice for training lasting several or even more than a dozen days.
“The announcement of training for reservists does not come as a surprise to us, but the potential scale may already become a serious problem. This is yet another issue that should be discussed between drivers’ associations and, for example, the Ministry of National Defence or the Ministry of Infrastructure. We are concerned that we will be presented with a fait accompli and yet another source of financial losses,” says Dariusz Matulewicz, President of the West Pomeranian Association of Road Hauliers.
“Drivers are very important to the military structure”
Military training for drivers is not organized in a centralized way. Representatives of the West Pomeranian Association of Road Hauliers say that drivers have not yet been receiving call-up notices, but it is likely that this could happen as early as this spring. The mobilization is expected to be record-breaking and may affect up to 200,000 drivers holding category C and D licences across Poland.
“Drivers are very important to the military structure. The armed forces need drivers, which is why we expect a large number of training call-ups and, consequently, changes in the operating structures of many companies for the duration of the training. That is what worries us. No one intends to evade this obligation. The problem, however, is often the lack of prior notice that such a situation will occur, and the lack of compensation for companies that, due to the training, will incur losses from transport services that cannot be carried out,” says Dariusz Matulewicz, President of the West Pomeranian Association of Road Hauliers.
Businesses expect greater understanding of their situation
Representatives of the West Pomeranian Association of Road Hauliers say that sudden call-ups may be difficult to manage in practice. Staff shortages are already a reality for most companies in the TSL sector.
“At present, the regulations provide for compensation of wages for an employee who is called up for military training. However, there is not a word about the fact that the consequences of such a call-up mean a change in the company’s work structure, which results in a person performing a specific role disappearing from our schedule for several or more than a dozen days. Very few transport companies have surplus drivers. And what if several drivers from one company are called up at the same time? Such a situation exposes the company to delays, financial losses, and possibly also contractual penalties if no replacement can be found for the drivers undergoing training,” admits Dariusz Matulewicz.
The military is focusing primarily on people in the passive reserve, meaning those whose military service status has been regulated, most often after military qualification.
We expect that, apart from road hauliers, those most frequently called up may also include technicians, mechanics, electrotechnicians, logisticians, and freight forwarders.
“There is nothing wrong with call-ups themselves. The problem may lie in the organization. We appeal for this to be handled in an orderly way,” says Dariusz Matulewicz.
The training may last just one day, but it can also last up to 30 days or even longer. Previous experience shows that training call-ups for passive reservists usually last about a week.
