The report has outlined a set of recommendations aimed at creating a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all truck drivers at truck stops.
According to a recent industry study conducted by TMX Global, it has been discovered that female drivers operating heavy vehicles on Australian roads tend to avoid stopping at rest areas if they perceive them as unsafe.
The study’s participants reported that factors such as inadequate lighting, unenclosed shower facilities, insufficient security measures, and the potential risk of vehicle vandalism deter them from utilizing or stopping at existing rest stops.
Women make up only three per cent of heavy vehicle drivers. Survey respondents say these conditions must improve if the industry wants to employ and retain more women.
Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds (HHTS), a not-for-profit which aims to improve the wellbeing of national transport, warehousing, and logistics workers, commissioned TMX Global to evaluate heavy vehicle rest areas across Australia.
“It is critical that heavy vehicles drivers are as mentally healthy as they can be so that they can maintain concentration and deal with the stresses of the road,” a HTTS spokesperson says.
“To achieve this, it is critical that we provide the support they need while on the road: suitable rest areas are an important part of this support.”
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The study, which included surveying men and women drivers, a literature review, industry consultation, crash data analysis and route analysis, found there are not enough fit-for-purpose rest areas for heavy vehicle drivers, which is impacting driver safety and mental and physical health.
Most survey respondents say they stop at rest areas due to fatigue and to use the bathroom. Fatigue and distraction, or inattention, are the two leading causes of heavy vehicle accidents in Australia.
“How a rest area is designed influences not only whether a driver gets the rest they need, but whether they stop at all,” TMX Global associate director James Sheerin says.
“Without adequate space for turning and bitumen for parking, or well-lit, clean, and comfortable facilities, we know drivers are discouraged from using the rest stop.
“Improving this infrastructure for heavy vehicle drivers across the country will reduce the number of accidents on the road every year.”
Some of the report’s recommendations included:
- The establishment of a National Heavy Vehicle Rest Area Strategy
- Ongoing consultation of an industry ‘action group’
- Adding clean toilets and adequate parking to current minimum design standards for Heavy Vehicle rest areas
- Design and implementation of a Heavy Vehicle Rest Area pilot stop.