Representatives from various levels of the logistics and delivery industry claim that Israel has a severe shortage of truck drivers, while the Transportation and Labor Ministries claim otherwise.
The Knesset Special Committee on Foreign Workers met on Monday to discuss the allocation of foreign workers as truck drivers, amid an ongoing dispute between government ministries and economic bodies over whether Israel is facing a shortage in the sector.
Representatives of the Labor and Social Affairs Ministry, the Employment Service, the Manufacturers Association, Israel Ports, and the Truckers Council told the committee that there is a severe shortage of thousands of drivers. Representatives from the Transportation and Labor Ministries insisted that no such shortage exists.
Committee chair MK Ety Hava Atia (Likud) said that a dispute between the Health Ministry and the Transportation Ministry is preventing some 23,000 locals from obtaining heavy vehicle driver’s licenses due to prolonged waits for examinations at the Medical Institute for Road Safety, harming the economy in the process. She said new applicants have been struggling ever since the Transportation Ministry ended its contract with medical management company Femi Premium. Since then, the transfer of responsibility has been delayed due to disagreements over staffing positions and budget allocations.
Foreign workers and the Tel Aviv metro
During the committee hearing, it was also stated that the Truckers Council is seeking approval to bring in 3,000 foreign workers. Lawmakers referred to a previous discussion on the Tel Aviv metro project, where it was estimated that approximately 2,500 trucks per day would be needed to deliver supplies. Concerns were raised that it may not be possible to recruit the required number of drivers.
Yaniv Peretz of the Employment Service confirmed that demand for truck drivers stands at about 2,500 per year, while the unemployment rate is 2.9%. He suggested requiring the employment of Israelis alongside foreign workers. MK Ayman Odeh (Hadash) agreed, saying that a balance must be struck between foreign and Israeli workers.
Foreign workers from China in preparations for the upcoming Chinese New Year, in the south Tel Aviv neighborhood of Neve Sha’anan, February 14, 2026 (credit: YAEL ABAS GUISKY/FLASH90)
Meir David of the Labor Ministry warned: “The moment foreign drivers enter, Israeli drivers will leave the sector and the shortage will grow. I am not aware of a driver shortage,” adding that more than 20,000 drivers are currently available.”
Yossi Nizri, head of the Licensing Division at the Transportation Ministry, said an agreed-upon draft has been formulated with the Health Ministry and is now awaiting the signatures of the ministries’ directors-general. In the short term, he said, a Health Ministry franchisee will review applications that have not yet been examined. In the long term, health institutes will be established to certify drivers without the need for a tender. The framework, he added, will be brought to the government for approval.
Solving the health assessment issue
Lior Avinoam, adviser to the Health Ministry director-general, said: “Within a month we will finalize the agreement, and only afterward will the decision be submitted for government approval,” adding that the short-term framework remains under discussion. He rejected the option of routing truckers’ health checks through the mainstream Israeli healthcare system.
Gyl Lydjy of the Manufacturers Association said: “The [mainstream] healthcare providers would provide an efficient, professional, and quick solution. We are facing a driver shortage, and the right hand is not speaking to the left hand, and the head is not connected. Those who submitted applications have already found other jobs; they did not wait for the Medical Institute. There will be no metro because there are no concrete truck drivers. The metro idea is drifting away from us.”
Asaf Barzilai of the Accountant General’s Office said the long-term solution requires regulatory amendments and that a draft is currently under discussion with the Justice Ministry. Regarding this, MK Atia said, “I am not optimistic. You have plenty of time; the transport companies do not.”
Gabi Ben Harosh, chairman of the Truckers Council, said: “A framework that relies on the Health Ministry takes us backward. We are about to have holidays, then we will go to elections, and then it will be postponed again for years. 20% of drivers are dangerous; I would give them up. I employ them out of necessity. We are involved in 30% of the fatal accidents [in Israel]. If this continues, we will all retire before the institutes start operating [properly].”
Tzachi Kochner of the Shapir construction company said, “I have two street-sweeping vehicles; one is standing idle because I do not have a driver.” Tzachi Nahum of Israel Ports added that the shortage is causing congestion at the ports.