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Bus and lorry drivers are heading for poor health

The health of Britain’s lorry and bus drivers is being damaged by poor working conditions, stress and increasingly demanding work schedules, argues a new report comissioned by the Transport and General Workers’ Union.

The report, by environmentalist John Whitelegg, says that the everyday working environment of bus and lorry drivers exposes them regularly to air pollution, traffic noise, and the constant possibility of accidents.

Over 22 per cent of transport workers take more than eight weeks sick leave per year, compared with 16 per cent in other occupations. More than half of all bus drivers retire early, often with stress-related problems or back pain.

Bill Morris, the TGWU’s general secretary, blamed ‘stress, poor diet and fatigue coupled with low pay and lack of job security’ for the poor health of drivers.

The report claims that work schedules which cause fatigue are adding to the problems, citing research showing that 28 per cent of lorry drivers admit having fallen asleep at the wheel. Of those, 44 per cent had an accident as a result.

Drivers had become second class citizens, said Jimmy Hill, chair of the unions’ road transport committee. They were required to sleep in the cab, had lost traditional roadside cafes, and has access to poor sanitary facilities.

The report calls for a wider review of transport and freight strategy, and for practical changes to cab design, scheduling and routes.