Carriers complain that some drivers abandon trucks after crossing the border and leave for Europe

Ukrainian drivers who travel on international routes are abandoning their trucks at the border and leaving for Europe.

This issue has been highlighted by Ukrainian carriers who have started encountering such problems.

“Sometimes, vehicles are abandoned right after crossing the border with cargo still on board. They are left at parking lots, the phones are switched off, and the drivers leave. However, such cases are not too frequent because the driver is responsible for the cargo, and this entails criminal liability. More often, trucks are abandoned after unloading: they are parked, the GPS is turned off, and the drivers leave,” explains a representative of a transportation company.

According to him, men deliberately obtain licenses to drive trucks to get employed by transportation companies and thus leave the country.

“We are a small company with only 15 trucks, out of which only 7 operate internationally. Therefore, we send only those people whom we trust, who have been working with us for a long time,” the interviewee says.

After drivers fail to return to Ukraine, the company they left may face problems with sending other drivers abroad.

“If your employee does not return to Ukraine, you end up on a conditional ‘red list,’ and other drivers from your company may start facing difficulties at the border,” says the carrier.

Sometimes, spare parts are removed from abandoned trucks.

Recall that earlier, carriers complained that representatives of territorial recruitment centers remove drivers from their trucks right upon returning to Ukraine.