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Charlotte Haye 24th August 2016

The Daily Struggles Of The Modern Lorry Driver

For anyone who doesn’t work in the freight, logistics or transport industries, the life of an HGV driver seems like an easy one. After all, they get to sit down all day, listen to the radio and see the country, sometimes even the world go by as they drive. However, what might look like an easy and glamorous job on the outside is actually fraught with its own issues and risks, many of which the majority of people don’t have to deal with at work. These issues can lead to some serious health problems, both mentally and physically, and keeping on top of them can be hard work.

Fatigue

Have you ever gone on a really long drive, say across the country or even across two? While all you are doing is sitting down, listening to the radio and driving, you arrive at your destination feeling thoroughly exhausted – as if you’d been running a marathon. You might find your concentration started to dip towards the end, and you needed to take breaks every half an hour just to stay awake and alert enough to drive. That is the feeling HGV drivers face every day at work, but without the ability to take breaks whenever they want. If they did, their deliveries would be late and their pay docked. Add to that the long hours on the road, stress caused by the volume of traffic and delays along the way, HGV drivers often struggle with fatigue. If you have a lull in concentration at the office and maybe even nod off at your desk for a second it’s likely to go unnoticed, but if an HGV driver’s concentration slips for even a second, it could be fatal.

An Unhealthy Lifestyle

Those with itchy feet may love to roam about the roads, but the HGV drivers are doing it constantly. A life on the road is an incredibly unhealthy lifestyle in a number of ways. Sitting in a lorry for the majority of the day can be detrimental to the driver’s physical health and cause a lot of spine and neck problems. The food options on the road aren’t great, so often HGV driver’s diets are not the healthiest. On short haul journeys drivers can sometimes take their food with them and exercise in the evenings, but for long haul drivers who are sleeping in the cabs of their lorries, this is impossible. There are also mental health issues to contend with. Lorry drivers spend a long time in complete isolation and away from home. The negative effects of being away from your home and loved ones for long periods of time are well known, and dealing with that mental turmoil as well only makes the other issues more difficult to deal with.

Difficulty Manoeuvring

If you take a wrong turn and end up down a narrow side street dead end, you can just do a 3 point turn and be on your way, However, lorry drivers have to navigate their large and long vehicles around through busy traffic, down narrow streets and through towns and cities without causing chaos. Simply getting from one side of a town to the other can be a complex and exhausting task, leading to high levels of stress and anxiety, especially knowing they have to do it all again tomorrow.

Staying On Time While Staying Safe

There are regulations in place dictating how long a lorry driver can spend on the road. These address an essential safety concern for drivers and keep everyone involved safe, but it does put extra pressure on drivers to meet their tight deadlines. Reduced time on the road due to regulations, combined with confusing directions, detours and heavy traffic all play havoc with their ability to deliver goods on time, which is an essential part of their job.

A lorry drivers job demands a lot from the individual, and it’s definitely a job that isn’t for everyone. It takes a certain kind of person to become a lorry driver, and the issues they face every day at work often dwarf the concerns of the average office worker. Without these dedicated people we would have no food in the supermarkets, no furniture in our homes and no beer in the pubs. So the next time you see a lorry driver on the road, give them the space and respect they deserve.

Charlotte Haye

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