The reachtruck driver, a very important link in the Belgian logistic chain
This year Link2Europe celebrates it’s 15th anniversary and that calls for a look at all the different profiles we’ve had the chance to recruit during these years.
Link2Europe has been searching for professional and suitable candidates for the Belgian job market for 15 years and we don’t fancy stopping any time soon. From workers in logistics and industry to international engineers and project managers, Link2Europe has done it all! As the only Belgian company exclusively focused on international recruitment, we guarantee consistent and reliable support to job seekers all over the world.
To celebrate our anniversary, we take a look at our 15 most wanted profiles. Today we present the silhouette of a reachtruck driver in the logistic sector. Let’s go!
The logistic sector: a heavyweight in the Belgian economy
With its seaports, road and railway infrastructure, central location in Europe and the many IT possibilities, Belgium is stockpiled with logistics bases and distribution headquarters from which to conquer the European market. That is why the logistic sector plays a huge factor in the wealth of the Belgian economy.
There is a constant search for experienced employees and even more so during the peak periods, which usually lasts from April till the end of the year, with an absolute crunch moment during the holidays. Many logistic profiles have a high security level. Therefore they can’t be filled in with students and most placements have a minimum runtime of 9 months.
The sector is mostly divided in 2 groups. Freight transport, be it through rail, road, pipelines, sea and aviation. And the related logistics activities such as freight handling, warehousing, support, forwarding and postal services. And it is in this last group we situate our reachtruck driver.
Silhouette: Reachtruck driver
PC140 is the joint committee for transport and logistics and its sub committees of vehicle rental services with drivers, buses and coaches, taxis, road transport and logistics for third parties, airport groundhandling and relocation. Thus it is also the PC which regulates the wages and tasks of warehouse employees such as a reachtruck driver.
A day in the life of a reachtruck driver
You work mostly in two or three shifts a week, translating in 38-40 hours per week. Your main tasks are putting goods into stock, orderpicking by reachtruck and keeping the warehouse in order. You work independently but you are part of a team. You have a high sense of safety and you respect the safety rules so you always wear your personal protective equipment. From April to Christmas is the hottest period in logistics so you will have plenty a chance to work extra and earn bonus money for your overtime.
Being a reachtruck driver is a true speciality. There is a certain degree of passion involved when you need to steer heavy machinery through narrow corridors. Reaching up to sometimes even 12 meters high, you need to be in total controll to prevent accidents. Dropping a pallet from such a height could do a lot of damage.
Your income and the most common benefits
- Salary range on average of 13-17euro per hour
- Meal vouchers
- Holiday money
- End of year bonus
- Bonus for working in shifts
- Overtime paid at 150%
- In some positions even work on Sundays or holidays paid at 200%
You will be a successful candidate if you have:
- A valid reachtruck drivers license obtained in one of the EU coutries or in Belgium (Do you live in Belgium and don’t have one yet? Link2Europe has contacts with many different trainingcenters to help experienced and non-experienced reachtruck driver get their Belgian permit).
- Minimum 1 year of relevant experience.
- Basic communicative level of English (knowledge of Dutch or French is a plus).
- Flexibility to work in shifts.
- An eye for tidiness.
- Being a teamplayer.
- Logical thinking.
- A basic knowledge of computers.
- You are in good physical health.
Ready, set….work!
Fancy life as a reachtruck driver and to be a part of the booming logistic sector in Belgium? Link2Europe works with multiple logistic clients and over the last 15 years we hired hundreds of reachtruck drivers, thus we can proudly say that we are experts in the field. Since the need for skilled employees is widespread and ever ongoing, don’t expect daycontracts or job hopping. Many of our placements secured a permanent contract with residency in Belgium after the interim period ended!
We regurarly look for motivated warehouse employees. Check out our transport and logistics job offers and send us your CV today! Want to continue reading? Then check out the story of Lukasz, one of our reachtruck drivers.
