A missing driver is not a staffing problem. It is a revenue problem.
The boss sits in the truck instead of the office. Quotes, invoices and customers are left waiting.
The others cover the route. Overtime, mistakes, and the next one resigns.
The truck is parked, but leasing, insurance and tax keep running. No revenue comes in.
If you cannot cover routes, you lose the client's trust. Sooner or later someone else drives the route.
New routes are on the table. Without drivers you turn them down.
Your path to a driver in ten steps
From order to the residence permit for your company. You decide at every stage, we do the rest. And you only pay the deposit once the visa has been issued.
Your advantages over a driver from the German market
Depending on the count, the German market is short of 70,000 to 120,000 drivers. Anyone searching there competes with every business in the area for the same people. A driver from a third country brings you things a driver from the German market cannot.
A German driver moves to the next business for €100 more a month. Your new driver's work permit is valid exclusively for your company. Poaching is practically ruled out.
Instead of running ads for months and waiting for applications, you have a driver with a fixed start date. No notice period at a previous employer, no dropping out shortly before the start.
Someone who leaves his country for a job wants to stay and move up. In our experience these drivers are more punctual, more careful and more resilient than the average on the German market, because far more depends on the job for them.
The residence permit is temporary and is only extended as long as a job exists. Many drivers want to bring their family over, which only works with a stable job. Your position is not one job among many for him, it is the basis for everything.
Recruitment agencies charge €8,000 to €15,000 per hire, social recruiting agencies a setup fee plus a monthly rate plus ad budget. With us it is €1,500 net, fixed, and the driver becomes your own employee at normal wages.
Valid C/CE licence and professional experience, verified before introduction. After entry, licence and Code 95 remain valid for six months, during which we convert them. Sometimes the permit is initially issued for a co-driver; we change that with the residence permit, more on this in our call. Most speak English and learn German quickly; onboarding goes more smoothly than many expect.
What we stand for
If the driver does not fit, for whatever reason, contact us within 90 days of the first working day and you get a new one, as per contract terms.
Search, selection and documents run at our risk. We only invoice the deposit once the visa for your company has been issued. The remaining amount is due one week after entry. We keep supporting him until the residence permit for your company has been applied for.
We work through the accelerated skilled worker immigration procedure, not the Western Balkans regulation. The process is predictable and works for drivers from all third countries.
The driver becomes your own employee, with a proper employment contract and a work permit for your company. No leasing model, no dependence on third parties.
Frequently asked questions about driver placement
The questions transport entrepreneurs ask us most often before their first order. Including the uncomfortable ones.
What does placing a driver cost?
€1,500 net per placed driver, a fixed amount, not a percentage of salary. You receive two invoices: the deposit once the visa for your company has been issued, and the remaining amount one week after entry. Until the visa has been issued you pay nothing, and one week after entry everything is paid while we still apply for the residence permit for you. You receive the split and all conditions as a one-page overview after the initial call.
What is the minimum gross salary I have to pay the driver?
That depends on your region. The Federal Employment Agency checks whether the salary matches what comparable drivers earn locally; otherwise there is no approval and no visa. In Cologne, for example, that is around €3,100 gross per month. We tell you the figure for your region in the initial call.
And the better your offer, the faster we have candidates. Drivers compare offers just as you compare candidates. Anyone paying above the minimum and offering accommodation or supplements gets the best people first.
How long does the process really take?
If the driver comes directly from Albania: about 30 days after he has submitted his documents at the German embassy, the visa is usually issued. He then enters the country and starts with you. How fast it goes overall depends on which candidates apply for your offer: a driver who already works in Germany with a residence permit does not need a new visa. Then only the work permit is transferred to your company, and he can start with you much earlier. We tell you the realistic timeline for your case as soon as the candidates are known, and we keep you informed at every step.
Can the driver start driving immediately after arrival?
Yes, if the visa is issued for a professional driver. His driving licence and his professional driver qualification (Code 95) remain valid for six months after entry. Within those six months we convert his licence into a German one, and the driver works for you as normal in the meantime. If the residence permit is initially issued for a co-driver, we convert the licence and change the activity in the residence permit. Since we apply for the residence permit anyway, we handle that in the same step.
What if the driver does not fit or leaves again?
Then you get a new one. Within 90 days of the first working day you can return the driver, for whatever reason, and we provide a replacement driver, as per contract terms. In our experience, the most important factor in a driver staying is prepared accommodation and a point of contact in the business during the first weeks. We discuss both with you before the driver arrives.
Is this temporary agency work or labour leasing?
No. The driver becomes your own employee with a proper employment contract and a work permit issued for your company. We place and coordinate, we do not lease. There are no ongoing fees to us for as long as the driver works for you.
Which countries do the drivers come from?
Our network is mainly in Albania, but the accelerated skilled worker procedure works for drivers from all third countries. We deliberately do not work through the Western Balkans regulation with its quotas, because the process there is less predictable.
Do the drivers speak German?
Most speak English on arrival and, in our experience, learn German quickly because they need it in everyday life. That is usually enough for onboarding. A German language test is not a requirement for the visa.
What do I have to do myself as the employer?
Two things: sign the employment contract and grant our lawyer power of attorney for the procedure. We do everything else: candidate search, pre-approval from the Federal Employment Agency, documents, embassy appointment, entry, licence conversion and finally the residence permit for your company. Only then is our service complete. You decide at every stage which candidate it will be.
Do you also handle payroll for the new driver?
Yes, if you wish. Our payroll for transport companies records the residence permit and work permit in the personnel master data sheet and files the immediate registration before the driver sets off for the first time.
How many drivers are you missing?
Describe your needs. You will receive the process and terms as a one-page overview.