Truck Driver CE — Katoen Natie, Ghent (Belgium) Full Time

If you hold a valid CE driving licence and you are considering truck driving work in Belgium, this Katoen Natie position in Ghent is a solid option worth looking at. It is a full-time, on-the-road role with local routes — meaning you drive across Belgium during the day and return home each evening. No long-haul nights away from family. For many international drivers, that daily-home schedule is one of the biggest selling points.

Below, you will find everything we could verify about this role directly from Katoen Natie’s official careers page, plus some honest context about what to expect when applying as a non-Belgian driver.

Quick Job Overview

About the Employer

Katoen Natie is one of Belgium’s longest-established logistics companies. Founded in 1854, it started with local port operations and warehousing in Antwerp. Over the decades, it grew into a global full-service logistics and supply chain engineering group. Today, the company employs roughly 20,000 people worldwide and reported revenues exceeding 3 billion euros in 2024.

Their operations span petrochemicals, consumer goods, commodities, port operations, and specialty chemicals — with major hubs in Antwerp, Ghent, and locations across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. For a truck driver, this scale matters: it means well-maintained equipment, structured scheduling, and the kind of institutional stability that smaller carriers often cannot match.

Katoen Natie’s Ghent site, where this role is based, handles a significant volume of container and bulk transport in and around the Port of Ghent area. Ghent is also home to other major employers — for example, Volvo Cars is hiring maintenance technicians in Ghent. The company’s own recruitment page for drivers has been consistently active, suggesting ongoing demand for CE-licensed drivers.

What This Role Involves

As a CE driver at Katoen Natie’s Ghent operation, you will be transporting goods between different company sites and client locations across Belgium. The work is local, not international — you stay within Belgian borders and typically make between three and six stops per day.

Your daily schedule is fixed, with a maximum of 15 hours per working day. The key benefit that Katoen Natie highlights is that you return home every evening. For drivers who have spent years doing overnight long-haul routes, this is a meaningful quality-of-life improvement.

You will be operating well-serviced, modern equipment. Katoen Natie specifically mentions “modern, well serviced and solid material” on their driver recruitment page, which aligns with what you would expect from a logistics company of this size.

There are two streams you can express interest in: container transport and bulk transport. The application form on their careers page lets you choose your preference.

Required Skills and Qualifications

Katoen Natie is quite specific about what they need from applicants. Here is what they list on their official job page:

Mandatory:

• A valid CE driving licence
• Code 95 certification (the EU standard for professional truck drivers)
• A valid driver card (tachograph card)
• Fluent communication in English or Dutch — this is explicitly stated as important for working with colleagues

Preferred:

• 1-2 years of truck driving experience
• A defensive driving style

If you are an international driver considering this role, the language requirement is particularly important. You need to be able to communicate effectively in English at a minimum. Dutch fluency is a plus but not required if your English is strong enough for day-to-day workplace communication.

The Code 95 and driver card requirements are standard EU professional driving qualifications. If you already hold these from another EU member state, they are generally transferable. If you are coming from outside the EU, you would need to obtain these certifications — and the process for doing so in Belgium involves both theory and practical testing through the Belgian licence system.

Salary, Benefits, and Relocation Support

Salary: Katoen Natie describes the pay as “an attractive salary + ARAB allowance” on their official page. They do not publish a specific figure. The ARAB allowance refers to the Belgian regulatory supplement for irregular working hours, which is a legally mandated addition to base pay for drivers working shifts or extended hours.

Because the employer has not stated an exact salary, we cannot quote one. If compensation is a deciding factor for you, the best approach is to contact Katoen Natie directly at the phone number or email listed on their careers page before applying.

Benefits confirmed by the employer:

• Fixed daily schedule with a 15-hour maximum
• Home every evening — no overnight stays
• Company clothing provided
• Modern, well-maintained equipment
• Possibility of a permanent contract after a positive temporary period

Relocation support: Not specified by the employer. If you are applying from outside Belgium and would need assistance with relocation, housing, or paperwork, you should raise this directly with Katoen Natie’s HR team during the application process.

Work Permit / Visa Note

Katoen Natie has not explicitly mentioned visa sponsorship or work permit support in this job listing. That does not necessarily mean they will not consider international applicants — many large Belgian employers do hire from abroad for driving roles — but it does mean you should not assume sponsorship is available without confirming it.

If you are an EU or EEA citizen, you have the right to work in Belgium without a work permit. For non-EU applicants, Belgium has a work permit system. The single permit (type B) is the most common route for non-EU workers taking up employment in Belgium, and the employer typically initiates the application. However, whether Katoen Natie is willing to do this for this particular role is something only they can answer.

We recommend contacting their HR department directly at HR.JOO@katoennatie.com or HR.KNK@katoennatie.com to ask about work permit sponsorship before going through the full application process if this is a concern for you.

Who This Role May Suit

This position is a good fit if you are an experienced CE-licensed driver who wants stable, local work in Belgium with a large, established employer. It is particularly appealing if you value being home every evening rather than spending nights on the road.

International drivers from within the EU who already hold a CE licence and Code 95 will find the application process straightforward. You might also want to check out the DHL truck driver position in Germany for comparison. Drivers from outside the EU should first clarify the work permit situation with Katoen Natie before investing time in the application.

The role may also suit Belgian-based drivers who are currently doing long-haul international routes and want to transition to something with more predictable hours and a daily-home lifestyle.

How to Apply Officially

You can apply directly through Katoen Natie’s official careers page. There is an application form at the bottom of the job listing where you can submit your details and express your preference for container or bulk transport.

Official application page: Truck Driver CE — Katoen Natie Jobs

You can also reach out by phone at +32 3 292 18 31 (for bulk transport enquiries) or by email at HR.JOO@katoennatie.com (container) or HR.KNK@katoennatie.com (bulk).

Do not apply through any third-party website or social media post. Always go through the employer’s own channels. You can browse more driving and transport jobs or explore all jobs in Belgium on JobsRivo.

Documents You May Need

While Katoen Natie does not list a specific document checklist on their job page, based on the requirements stated and standard Belgian hiring practice for driving roles, you should have the following ready:

• Valid CE driving licence
• Code 95 certificate
• Valid driver card (tachograph)
• Curriculum vitae (CV) in English or Dutch
• Proof of driving experience (1-2 years)
• Valid identification (passport or EU ID card)

If you are a non-EU applicant and the employer confirms they can sponsor a work permit, you will also need additional documents such as a valid passport, proof of qualifications, and potentially a medical certificate. The specific requirements would be communicated by Katoen Natie’s HR team.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to speak Dutch to apply?
No. Katoen Natie specifically states that fluent English or Dutch is acceptable. If your English is good enough for workplace communication with colleagues, that meets their stated requirement.

Will I be driving internationally?
No. This is a local transport role within Belgium. You will make several stops per day across different Belgian locations and return home each evening.

Is accommodation provided?
Not specified by the employer. Since this is a local role where you return home daily, accommodation is typically not part of the package. If you are relocating to Belgium for this job, you would need to arrange your own housing in or near Ghent.

What does “ARAB allowance” mean?
ARAB refers to the Belgian law on well-being at work (Algemeen Reglement voor de Arbeidsbescherming). The ARAB allowance is a mandatory supplement paid to drivers who work irregular hours or shifts. It is not discretionary — it is part of the legal pay structure for professional drivers in Belgium.

Can non-EU drivers apply?
The job listing does not exclude non-EU applicants, but it also does not confirm visa sponsorship. If you are from outside the EU, contact Katoen Natie’s HR department before applying to ask whether they can support a work permit application.

Is there a deadline to apply?
No deadline is stated by the employer. The listing appears to be an ongoing recruitment for this role, but this could change without notice. If you are interested, apply sooner rather than later.

Disclaimer

JobsRivo is an independent job listing portal and is not the employer. Applicants should apply only through the official employer website. JobsRivo does not charge fees, process visas, or guarantee job offers.