To mark the longest day of the year, 21 June, the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) is shining a light on a crisis that never ends: driver fatigue. On 21 June, ETF and its affiliates will organise coordinated actions across Europe to raise awareness of fatigue in road freight and passenger transport, and to call for better working conditions for all professional drivers.
For professional drivers, each day feels like the longest day of the year. Fatigue goes beyond a personal health issue. For professional drivers, it is a life risk for them and all other road users. An ETF study uncovered alarming statistics that over 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers admitted to regularly driving while fatigued. One in four bus drivers and one in three truck drivers have fallen asleep behind the wheel. In too many cases, drivers were unable to stop and rest when they needed to. The root causes of this chronic fatigue stem from poor working conditions, extended working hours, irregular schedules, and inadequate rest periods.
This has to change. ETF calls on policymakers, national governments, and employers to enforce and comply with EU rules in road transport. Road safety cannot be guaranteed when professional drivers are chronically overworked, underpaid, and denied the rest they need. A safe transport system demands fair working conditions.
Quote from Livia Spera, ETF General Secretary:
“For too many professional drivers, every day is the longest day. Fatigue is systematically built into their working conditions. This is a safety crisis created by poor enforcement, unreasonable pressure, and sick supply chains often based on long subcontracting chains. While the root causes are not fixed, fatigue is more and more offloaded on third-country national drivers. A job that is not good enough for a EU national, is not good enough for a third-country national.”
During this week, ETF affiliates is organising actions in various European countries to meet drivers directly and raise awareness of the fatigue crisis in road transport among stakeholders.
The central ETF action on 21 June will take place in the border region between Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany. Hosted by the Belgian unions ACV and BTB, together with unions from Luxembourg and Germany, the event will bring drivers, trade union representatives and enforcement authorities together for discussions on working conditions, fatigue and road safety. A joint breakfast with drivers will provide an opportunity to hear directly about the challenges they face on the road.