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Shortage of qualified drivers, aging of the category, and the advancement of digital trucks pressure road freight transport, while manufacturers and training entities expand training to prepare professionals for an increasingly technological, safe, and strategic operation.
Mercedes-Benz do Brasil reinforced, on July 6, 2026, the partnership with Fabet, Fundação Adolpho Bósio de Educação no Transporte, by maintaining 15 trucks on a loan basis for practical training and specialization classes for professional drivers.
Amidst the labor shortage in road freight transport, the initiative gains weight because the lack of qualified drivers already affects transport companies, pressures logistics operations, and increases the importance of training in the country.
Data from the National Confederation of Transport shows that 65.1% of road freight transport companies report a lack of professional drivers, while the estimated driver deficit in Brazil exceeds 120,000 professionals in 2025.
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An important sector in Brazil is suffering from a labor shortage, requiring the qualification of 14 million workers by 2027, leading companies to invest R$ 5 million to train professionals and address the technical deficit.
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This scenario helps explain why training has ceased to be just an operational step and has become more strategic for manufacturers, transport companies, and entities related to sector qualification.
Driver deficit pressures freight transport
Besides the difficulty in filling vacancies, companies face a generational renewal challenge, as the average age of Brazilian truck drivers reached 45.3 years, according to the “Profile and Preferences of Truck Drivers” survey, released by CNT in 2025.
In the same survey, only 9.5% of professionals are under 30 years old, while 12.9% are over 60 years old, a picture that indicates low entry of young people into an activity increasingly dependent on technology.
With the more connected fleet, the work of the driver has evolved from traditional driving to requiring mastery of safety systems, digital resources, telemetry, automated transmissions, and operational support tools.
For fleets looking to reduce consumption, avoid stops, and increase vehicle availability, continuous training has become part of transport management, especially when driving style directly affects operational costs.
Technological trucks change professional training
According to Mercedes-Benz, qualification allows professionals to better utilize the potential of vehicles in daily operations, impacting operational efficiency, road safety, and reducing environmental impacts related to driving.
In addition to the brand’s Training Center in Atibaia (SP), the company maintains partnerships with industry entities to expand access to courses aimed at drivers, transport managers, and service providers.
“The knowledge acquired in Fabet’s training contributes to more efficient vehicle driving, with direct impacts on fuel consumption reduction, maintenance cost optimization, and increased fleet availability,” said Sandro Onofre, Senior Manager of Truck and Bus Dealer Network Development & Training at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil.
By linking training and the proper use of technologies embedded in trucks and buses, the executive highlights a topic gaining strength as fleets incorporate performance, connectivity, and safety systems.
Within transport companies, this preparation can influence productivity, maintenance, and vehicle utilization, as modern operations require drivers to understand not only the route but also the resources available in the cabin.
Fabet brings trucks to practical classes
With 30 years of operation, Fabet has its headquarters in Concórdia (SC) and a branch in Mairinque (SP), offering in-person, online, and in-company courses aimed at drivers, transport managers, and service providers.
In 2025, the foundation trained more than 22,000 students, according to data released by Mercedes-Benz, a number that reinforces the institution’s role in preparing professionals for different road transport segments.
Currently, the automaker reports being the only commercial vehicle manufacturer partnering with Fabet and provides 15 trucks for practical classes, used in initial training programs and specialization for experienced drivers.
These vehicles are used in courses for operating truck, articulated, and bi-articulated models, as well as training in safe, economical, and sustainable driving, areas that have become more relevant with the sophistication of fleets.
“By supporting Fabet’s courses, we contribute to strengthening education and road safety while promoting the qualified training of professionals for the transport sector,” said Jefferson Ferrarez, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Parts & Services Trucks at Mercedes-Benz do Brasil.
Women Gain Ground in Driver Qualification
Also linked to the partnership, the topic of inclusion appears in the Movement A Voz Delas, an initiative by Mercedes-Benz aimed at valuing the female presence in transportation and expanding opportunities in an activity historically occupied by men.
The action brings together partner companies and seeks to encourage better working conditions, greater representation, and the entry of new professionals, at a time when the sector is discussing alternatives to reduce the labor shortage.
Among the initiatives is the promotion “In the Direction of Your Dreams,” created for women who wish to change their driver’s license category and enter as truck drivers in road freight transport.
The selected participants take part for free at Fabet in the Women’s Training Course for Freight Transport, an action that connects professional qualification, female inclusion, and a practical response to the need for new drivers.
The expansion of female training emerges as one of the possible fronts to tackle the deficit, although the problem also involves attracting young people, improving working conditions, and adapting the profession to the new technological reality of trucks.
With transport companies reporting a lack of drivers, manufacturers investing in training, and increasingly digital vehicles on the roads, will the sector be able to train professionals at the pace required by Brazilian logistics?
