Drivers - are you looking after yours?

For the past 18 months I have undertaken an observational study of the transport sector with a special interest in drivers, as someone who has held his HGV licences since the early 90s.

So knowing that a drivers breaks are short and extremely important to them, a long winded approach was an obvious route to failure, so it became 8 questions only of which 15,734 drivers took the time to complete. (All was done completely anonymously)

These are those questions with an analysis after each one.

Question 1 - What class of driving licence do you operate under? (Tick as appropriate)?

a)?????Class 1 (C+E)?????(4,169 participants) 26.5% ???????????????????

b)?????Class 2 (C) (6,340 participants) 40.3%

c)?????Category C1 (3,461 participants) 22%

d) Transit Van only? (1,764 participants) 11.2%

Analysis - the participants were kept to those drivers who hold a valid Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) licence and classify under operations conditions as maintained by Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA)

Question 2 - Do you drive nights (11pm – 6am) or days? (Tick as appropriate)

a)?????Days (6,136 participants) 39%

b)?????Nights ? (9,598 participants) 61%? (if you ticked Nights please answer the following;)

Did you receive a health assessment before starting the nights?

a)?????Yes (374 participants) 3.9%

b)?????No (9,223 participants) 96.1%

Analysis - This is legally required and also must be documented, the health assessment is valid for 2 years and then must be undertaken again as per guidance Night working hours: Health assessments - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) For #vehicleoperators if this is not completed your #insurance for the #driver maybe #invalid this will also have repercussions if the #driver is stopped by #vosa as they have the right to request the health assessment is proved to be on file, your #operatorslicence is at risk if you are unable to produce a valid health assessment.

Question 3 - Have you undertaken any agency driving work?

?a)?????No (7,630 participants) 48.5%

b)?????Yes ????????(8,103 participants) 51.5%? (if you ticked Yes please answer the following;)

Did you receive a health assessment from the agency as your employer?

a)?????Yes (0 participants)

b)?????No (8,103 participants) 100%

Analysis - #recruitmentservices who supply #drivers should understand their liability to this failure, the #driver is your #employee

Question 4 - Do you suffer from musculoskeletal issues? (joint pains)

a)?????No (1,306 participants) 8.3%

b)?????Yes ?????(14,428 participants) 91.7%????????????????????? (if you ticked Yes please answer the following;)

Which area of the body is the pain located?

a)?????Ankles/Feet (317 participants) 2.2%

b)?????Knees (1,342 participants) 9.3%

c)??????Hips (678 participants) 4,7%

d)?????Back (2,640 participants) 18.3%

e)?????Shoulders/Arms/Neck (4,559 participants) 31.6%

f)???????Hands (4,891 participants) 33.9%

Analysis - with 9 in 10 having ongoing musculoskeletal issues is not a good sign for the #transportsector in the UK. If left unaddressed become long term problems impacting driver response times and may lead sickness/absence, career change and premature retirements.

Question 5 - If you answered “Yes” to musculoskeletal issues have you ever seen Occupational Health regarding the pain?

a)?????No (13,744 participants) 95.26%

b)?????Yes (684 participants) 4.74%

Analysis - this examines the extent to what coping mechanisms are being used (usually over the counter pain medicines) as prescribed drugs from a #gp could disqualify a driver or suspend the licence for an indefinite amount of time while under said medication. #operators risk loosing #drivers due to the lack of health care provided.

Question 6 - Have you ever received health advice from your employer?

a)?????No (14,633 participants) 93%

b)?????Yes (1,101 participants) 7%

Analysis - #operators should be issuing 2 forms of health advice under a legal "duty of care" and those are #physicalhealth and #psychologicalhealth to minimise #detriment to #health of #employees

Question 7 - Do you intend to still be driving in the next 5 years?

a)???? Yes (4,563 participants) 29%????????????????????????

b)?????No ???? (11,171 participants) 71% (if you ticked No please answer the following;)

What best describes the reason for your decision?

a)?????Health issues (6,144 participants) 55%

b)?????Age (3,016 participants) 27%

c)??????Other (private)? (2,010 participants) 18%

Analysis - the #transportsector on its present course is in for a bumpy ride with the obvious #driver #wage increases, #recruitment costs spiralling and retention issues driven by years of #healthneglect

Question 8 - Have you ever inhaled an unknown substance from the bed of the vehicle after opening the curtains whilst completing your vehicle checks for load safety?

a)?????No (5,506 participants) 35%

b)?????Yes??? (10,227 participants) 65%??????????????????????? (if you ticked Yes please answer the following;)

Did you report it?

a)?????No (10,022 participants) 98%

b)?????Yes? (205 participants) 2%

Analysis - #operators the majority of #vehicle #trailers and #loadbeds are made from #wood and when the load seeps or spills into the #wood whether it is in #liquid form or #powder form there will be residual elements left even after a clean up attempt, unless a #steam #jetwash is undertaken of which is a limited action by the very few. With multiple seeps or spills becomes a concoction of #chemical and #substances waiting for the right time to disperse which is when the #curtains are opened for a #gustofwind to do its job and entice the #particles to fly, predominantly in the #drivers direction. Do you have a #policyandprocedure for #nonhazardous multiple spills contamination of your vehicles? If not, the time is now to act.

Conclusion

At the end of 2020 there were 485,000 registered #hgv vehicles on the roads of the UK with a further 3,353,900 vans all carrying multiple loads with #drivers experiencing different levels of #health assistance.

With only 276,600 #hgvdrivers working as of December 2022 Office for National Statistics

Are you looking after your #hgvdrivers if not, someone else will.......