Interviews with professional drivers and members of their families reveal common themes that impact driver health and wellbeing, including unrealistic demands, financial pressures and lack of respect and recognition, including not being appreciated by the public or management. The Driving Health study is the first of its kind in Australia and aims to develop evidence on the physical and mental health status of Australian transport workers and factors affecting health and provide recommendations for interventions for improvement. The reports released on Thursday 28 January 2021 are the sixth and seventh in the Driving Health study run by Monash University’s Insurance Work Health Group in partnership with Linfox, the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Centre for Work Health and Safety. Truck driving is the most common male occupation in Australia, and findings from a study on the health of Australian professional drivers confirm that it’s also one of the most challenging.
