Opinion: Industry needs to focus more on driver wellbeing

By Lucy Soper, first aid trainer at Ridgeway Training

With men in the transport industry having a 25% higher suicide rate than the national average, I began teaching First Aid for Drivers Mental Health to those looking to gain hours on their Driver CPC.

My background is aviation, where mental health is supported in the workplace, we have support services which we can access 24/7 and mental health first aiders.

There is a huge misconception that men do not talk, but given the right environment men do talk, there just is not enough services in place to support men in general, never mind those men in the transport industry.

I am very privileged to teach these incredible drivers who do a tough job, I’ve learnt so much from them from stories they’ve shared.

This month I have had five men tell me they have tried to take their own life, I have men tell me they have suffered domestic abuse from women and been laughed out of the police station, they have anxiety and depression.

One of the things the drivers do say to me is ‘We are the lowest of the low’ and ‘No one cares about us’. For me to hear this in nearly every session is heartbreaking. Our country couldn’t run without drivers, and they should be more valued.

I have been delving deeper into why men feel like this in the transport, we know its an isolated job, with long hours and stereotypically poor diets, but there is more to it.

Drivers have told me that if they are involved in an accident, they are guilty until proven innocent. This is a massive weight on their shoulders, especially if they are not at fault.

I heard from one driver who said a car deliberately drove into his lorry, he was instantly breathalysed, stood down from driving and he was portrayed as the bad guy, it wasn’t till it went to court that the other driver said he was trying to take his own life.

This made a huge impact on the driver’s mental health. Surely the system should change, and the other person should also be held accountable.

We know that good quality sleep and food can improve mental health and the Government have announced funding to improve truck stops.   

But currently the truck stops are dirty, showering facilities aren’t adequate, they don’t have cameras so there is a fear of getting lorries slashed and they have to pay for this privilege.

When drivers tell me they don’t feel valued in society, I can completely understand when this is the standard of welfare our drivers are subjected to. All of this is contributing to drivers’ low self-esteem.

There is still stigma is the industry around mental health, I find older drivers often are reluctant to open up about themselves, but would always welcome conversations with their colleagues, who were struggling with their mental health.

No one in this industry ever says ‘man up’ but as an industry we need to acknowledge there is still a problem with regards to mental health and this really needs addressing.

When you look at suicide rates by occupation, construction, transport and agriculture have a five times higher suicide rate than the police, armed services, paramedics and fire service.

The industry needs to focus on driver welfare and this needs to change from the very top, but also businesses can do more.

I have taught at lots of workplaces and you can see a huge difference in attitudes, retention and mental wellbeing of drivers, when companies have mental health policies in place.

They embrace awareness days, they have the Samaritans number on the back of toilet doors, they have employee assistance programme (EAP) support services, they have mental health first aiders, they listen to their drivers needs and most importantly they value their workforce.

Almost a third (30%) of self-reported work-related illnesses in the transport and logistics industry are due to stress, depression and anxiety.

However, many more may be suffering. Due to the stigma surrounding mental health, 95% of workers call in sick due to stress but give a different reason to their manager.

Now I’m not saying for businesses to do all of this, but clearly this issue still needs addressing, so let’s do something to help improve our drivers’ mental wellbeing.