Stressed van and truck drivers being failed by employers

Two-in-five employers fail to offer adequate mental health support to their drivers, new research suggests.

The survey of 500 UK commercial vehicle drivers, commissioned by Geotab, found that half of respondents feel uncomfortable approaching their employer for support with stress and other mental health concerns.

More worryingly, 39% of those surveyed said that their employer offered a low level of support or worse for managing stress and other mental health concerns. 

Not providing the right level of support can have a major impact on the safety of their drivers and other road users as well as on the company’s bottom line.

The vast majority (90%) of van and lorry drivers said that work-related stress has a negative impact on their driving, according to the survey. Half of drivers also said that they have considered quitting their jobs because of it. 

Collision risk increasing

Almost all of the 500 UK commercial vehicle drivers surveyed (97%) reported that the risk of collisions has increased over the past five years, which is backed by real-world data. 

Geotab has found that the total distance per collision driven by lorry and van operators in the UK decreased by almost one-fifth (19.12%) in 2023, from 920,000 miles to 740,000 miles. 

For a large British company running a fleet of 1,000 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) each driving 75,000 miles per year, the 2023 data could potentially represent an additional 20 collisions annually.  

“The results of this survey are a stark reminder of the stresses of driving for a living, and we feel it’s our collective duty to raise awareness of the potential impact for drivers and other road users,” said Edward Kulperger, senior vice president at Geotab EMEA.

“Commercial vehicle drivers keep our economy moving and have come under increased pressure following the Covid-19 pandemic and massive uplift in home and business deliveries. 

“It’s concerning to see how drivers feel under-supported when it comes to managing stress and other mental health concerns.”

A special report on Running a Safe Fleet, produced by Fleet News, offers help and advice on introducing an employee assistance programme to help improve driver mental health and well-being.

Road Safety Week

Geotab has published its findings ahead of Brake’s Road Safety Week, which runs from November 17-23. This year’s theme is After the Crash – Every road victim counts. 

The road safety charity has chosen to put road victims at the heart of this year’s campaign, to raise awareness of the devastating toll of road crashes and celebrate the work of the incredible number of people who come together every day to support families after a road death or serious injury. 

More than 3,300 organisations and individuals have already signed up to take part in Road Safety Week, which is offering employers and fleets free access to resources to help them reduce their road risk.

Brake is inviting fleets to take part in a free Road Safety Week webinar, on Wednesday, November 20, at 10am.

The webinar asks, “if one of your employees was involved in a serious crash, would you know what to do?” and will explore the importance of post-crash investigation to prevent future harm, and why support for road victims is so important.

Speakers include: Ross Moorlock, CEO of Brake, Dan Campsall, chairman of Agilysis, Mark Cartwright, head of commercial vehicle incident prevention at National Highways, Lisa Malone, risk consultant at Aon, and Nicola Lester, clinical consultant at Psychological Trauma Consultancy.

Moorlock will also be joining Fleet News for a free webinar, sponsored by Athlon, on Thursday, November 21, at 2pm, to mark Road Safety Week. It will delve into how fleets can develop a comprehensive risk and compliance policy.

The session will offer best practices and actionable tips on building a safety-first culture within the organisation to engaging drivers effectively to secure buy-in for training and behaviour improvement programmes.

It will also cover the critical role of root cause analysis in identifying the underlying factors behind incidents and highlight how technology and data management can help fleet managers enhance compliance and reduce accidents.

Panellists include: Lesley Slater, chief commercial officer at Athlon; Colin Hutt, fleet and environmental manager, Clarion Housing Group; Sarah Armitage, Business support manager, Network Rail; and Daniel Fisher, fleet services manager, Lancashire County Council.

Geotab will also be hosting its own webinar during ‘Road Safety Week’ to shine a light on the pressures faced by the UK’s commercial vehicle drivers, and the type of actions employers can take to make their lives easier and reduce stress. ‘Road Ready: Mind & Body’ is takes place on Wednesday, November 20 at 1pm.  

Find out from Fleet News how to minimise costs and keep drivers safe with a robust accident management strategy.