If you’re a professional HGV driver in Europe, a career with LKW WALTER is available on trailers, rail wagons, and ferries.
The company is one of Europe’s largest full-truck-load (FTL) transport organisers, coordinating more than 1.7 million FTLs per year.
Headquartered in Austria and founded in 1924, it runs road and intermodal (rail/short-sea) operations across Europe, North Africa, and beyond.
First Things First: Does LKW WALTER Employ Drivers?
No. LKW WALTER is a transport organiser without its own tractor units and does not employ drivers.
Instead, it contracts transport partners—carriers with their own fleets.
If you’re a driver, that means you work for a haulier that partners with LKW WALTER, or you operate through your own company as part of a partner carrier.
This point is explicit in the company’s careers and career information: LKW WALTER pays the carrier; the carrier employs and pays the driver.
How Drivers Actually Work “With” LKW WALTER
Because LKW WALTER works through carriers, the practical day-to-day for drivers depends on your employer.
That said, the company standardises a lot of the experience through partner tools, rules, and support.
Engagement models
Carriers can run classic international or national road transport or do trailer trucking (pulling LKW WALTER’s craneable trailers in combined transport).
Trailer trucking often means more regular home time because the long leg goes by rail or short sea.
Loads and planning
Partners use LOADS TODAY, LKW WALTER’s portal/app, with what the company calls Europe’s largest selection of full truck loads.
They also dispose of route preferences, digital document upload (CMR), and real-time updates. Registration is free for approved partners.
Payment flow
LKW WALTER uses a credit-note process—the carrier submits freight documents (often via LOADS TODAY).
The company issues a credit note and starts the payment term. This is a carrier-level payment; drivers are paid by their employer.
Driver support
LKW WALTER provides a Driver Handbook, runs regular driver training and information days.
It offers a TruckerPoints bonus program for drivers who complete defined tasks.
Safety sits under a SHEQ framework, with e-learning, factsheets, and periodic events.
Vehicle and Equipment Requirements You’ll See
To cooperate with LKW WALTER, your company’s equipment needs to meet baseline specs.
That typically includes a Euro 6 tractor, standard or mega trailer (minimum 13.60 m), ≥33 Euro-pallet spaces, 25 t load capacity.
Also, GPS telematics, and PPE for drivers (helmet, hi-vis, safety shoes, gloves).
Trailer trucking has similar tractor and telematics requirements because you’re coupling to LKW WALTER’s own intermodal trailers.
Combined Transport: What it Means for Drivers
More predictable cycles (particularly in trailer trucking), can improve weekends at home.
Fewer road restrictions, since the long leg runs on rail/sea, and you handle terminals and local legs.
Modern equipment (e.g., EN 12642 XL craneable trailers) and standardised processes at terminals.
Environmental gains that many shippers now demand, which help keep volumes steady.
What to Expect in a Career with LKW Walter
In trailer trucking, many drivers report steadier cycles and more weekends at home. Long-distance international road work can be less predictable.
LKW WALTER typically handles ferry bookings for relevant routes.
Dispatch communication is available in your national language, with personal contacts for regions and customers.
Expect strict adherence to load-securing rules, PPE usage, and tachograph/driving-time compliance.
Salaries: What You Can Realistically Expect
Your salary depends on your employer, country, experience, and the type of work (international long-haul vs. regional, intermodal vs. road-only).
Allowances (nights out), per diems, overtime multipliers, ADR premiums, and bonuses make a big difference.
Use the benchmarks below to calibrate a career with LKW WALTER expectations and negotiate.
- Austria. Independent compensation surveys put the average heavy-truck-driver salary around €45,700 gross per year (roughly €22/hour). Sectoral pay tables (collective agreements) for 2024 show a novice C+E hourly rate around €12.78 before overtime and supplements, with typical gross monthly pay cited near €2,325 before allowances—and higher for experienced or ADR-qualified drivers. Many Austrian roles include 13th/14th payments depending on the agreement.
- Germany. Compensation data indicate an average of €48,400 gross per year (about €23/hour). As a legal floor, the statutory minimum wage is €12.82/hour from 1 January 2025. For posted work, the minimum (or sectoral minima where applicable) generally applies to hours worked on German territory.
- Poland. Benchmarks show an average heavy-truck-driver package around PLN 93,460 gross per year, with wide variation by route type, experience, and foreign allowances for international runs.
- France (context for cabotage/posted trips). The national SMIC sets a gross minimum of €11.88/hour and €1,801.80/month at 35 h/week (as of 1 January 2025). Sector agreements in transport often set higher minima for specific driver categories. When you perform work under French jurisdiction (cabotage/posted), those floors matter.
LKW WALTER pays your carrier, not you; your earnings come from your employment contract.
In Germany and France, the legal minimums apply as floors even to posted drivers.
How to Get Started (as a carrier or owner-driver)
Register as a transport partner and complete digital onboardingvwith company and insurance documents.
Provide required licences (e.g., EU/community licence), CMR insurance, and acceptance of the Guidelines for Cooperation.
Ensure equipment meets specs (Euro 6 tractor, telematics, PPE; suitable trailer if you’re doing road transport rather than trailer trucking).
Get LOADS TODAY access; set route preferences and alerts; upload CMRs digitally after delivery to trigger the credit-note process and payment terms.
Practical Tips For Drivers
Carry complete PPE and follow site instructions; many customers have strict gate rules.
Keep load-securing gear in good condition; audits happen, and poor kit delays loading.
Use the app/portal to reduce admin, avoid missing paperwork, and speed up your employer’s invoicing.
Benchmark your pay against reputable national data and confirm posted-worker rules for cross-border trips (e.g., German Mindestlohn, French SMIC floors).
Bottom Line
A “career with LKW WALTER” for a driver means working through a partner carrier on one of Europe’s biggest FTL networks.
If you have the truck and the skills, LKW WALTER can provide consistent loads—but your employment terms and salary are set by your carrier.
Do your homework on equipment requirements, onboarding, and country-by-country pay benchmarks before you roll.
