The problem of drivers and transporters between Morocco and Spain
The profession of driver and transporter is very important. Road transport is one of the key economic sectors in many countries, such as Morocco and Spain.
Given the importance of this area, there are problems to be resolved that affect two countries that are strategic allies, namely Morocco and Spain.
On the one hand, Spain has a shortage of drivers and road transport professionals. As a result, 84% of transport and logistics companies in Spain are unable to find qualified workers due to a lack of vocational training in this field and the brain drain that is causing a shortage of labour and skilled workers in the sector. In this regard, there is a significant gap between business needs, which are high in terms of qualified drivers and the road transport sector, and the current academic reality in terms of vocational training, as few young people are interested in this type of employment.
Spain needs 25,000 transport drivers, professionals who are essential to ensure the supply of products and the smooth running of the supply chain. This is a significant problem.
Moroccan driving licences
The problem of the shortage of drivers and transport workers in Spain could be solved by the arrival of foreign workers, as is the case in other sectors, such as construction.
However, there is another problem linked to a neighbouring country, Morocco. Moroccan citizens have significant problems getting their driving licences recognised in Spain.
Many Moroccan immigrants are protesting in Spain to request recognition of their driving licences obtained in Morocco, which would greatly increase their chances of finding work in Spain, including in the transport sector. However, they are faced with the refusal of the Directorate General of Traffic (DGT), which is trying to prevent the proliferation of false or purchased licences, for example, by people who travelled from Spain to Morocco to obtain a driving licence in an easy or even illegal way, which was previously recognised in Spain.
Today, the DGT requires drivers to have obtained their driving licence in the country where they are resident, which means that it only recognises Moroccan licences held by citizens who obtained them while they were resident in Morocco. The reverse is also true: Moroccans with Spanish nationality have to obtain their licence in Spain for it to be legal.
Faced with this situation, Moroccans who have become Spanish nationals are protesting to demand the recognition of their driving licences. Meanwhile, the DGT requires them to take theoretical and practical tests in order to obtain a Spanish driving licence, which is sometimes complicated due to language problems, for example.
Therefore, it is necessary to validate the driving licence, unless it is needed to drive for a short period of time for a holiday, as is the case with Operation Crossing the Strait.
At this point, Morocco officially asked Spain to validate Moroccan driving licences on Spanish territory in response to protests by Moroccan citizens demanding that the DGT remove the requirement to take a test in Spain to obtain a driving licence. They even asked that only a practical driving test be required, eliminating the theory test, which causes problems due to the language barrier.
Many Moroccan drivers are stopped by traffic police in Spain and asked for their documentation, which can even lead to fines of 500 euros. This causes major inconveniences.
Solving this problem would improve the situation of many Moroccan workers in Spain and, perhaps, alleviate the shortage of drivers and transporters in the Spanish transport and logistics sector.