The undersigned organisations representing the transport and logistic industry, professional drivers, transport companies, insurance companies, shippers, managers, operators, technical & service providers, contractors, local, regional, national & European authorities, as well as supporting industries and organisations, endorse the following declaration:

We affirm that drivers are key to transport, and transport adds value to the daily life of each citizen and overall economy. Without transport, more than 742 million European citizens would miss essential items for life like medicine, food, building materials, technology, etc., and thousands of EU industries with over 201 million workers would lose the free flow of goods to their customers. Professional drivers carry indispensable items to our society, working in the bloodstream of the body of European industry. Without the transport industry, the daily lives of citizens cannot function.

We recognize that a well-rested driver is a safe driver. Fatigued drivers have slower reaction times and suffer from reduced attention, awareness, and ability to control their vehicles. Crashes involving heavy goods vehicles cause five to six times as many deaths as crashes involving smaller vehicles (EU Road Safety Report). We must enable our drivers to rest, both physically and mentally, to improve the safety on our roads.

We assert that the mental health and physical wellbeing of drivers is crucial. Chronic pain, mental health issues, anxiety, depression and overall poor health are often reported by drivers. Because of the lack of 100,000 adequate parking spaces in Europe each night, drivers stress to find places to rest, furthering the burden on their mental and physical health and potentially causing further fatigue when proper places to rest are not available. In addition, options to engage in healthy choices such as available exercise equipment or a hot, fresh, healthy meal are scarce resulting in further negative impact on driver health.

We acknowledge the benefit of caring for the whole wellbeing of a person, taking care of body, mind, and soul equally. When we take care of the whole wellbeing of our professional drivers, we take care of transport, we take care of our employees, we take care of industry, and we take care of ourselves. There are only positive outcomes when we focus on wellbeing.

We ascertain that wellbeing leads to an increase in resilience, productivity and engagement. By focusing on wellbeing, we promote healthy, satisfied employees who connect better with each other and with their surroundings. Through this satisfaction and connection, they can work better and recover faster, creating a safer, healthier workplace. In an industry where we are already missing 500,000 drivers, focusing on driver wellbeing is an opportunity to not only retain employees, but also to attract new talent.

We recognize that wellbeing is key for sustainable economic growth. With a focus on wellbeing, the GDP can increase +9.6% by 2050, ensuring €58 billion in health care savings. In addition, the increased quality of life will in turn increase the average lifespan by 6 years (The Economy of Wellbeing).

In acknowledging the above declaration, we do hereby dedicate ourselves to the wellbeing of drivers through, among other endeavors:

Spreading awareness: We have to make sure society is aware of what wellbeing isand what negatively and positively impacts wellbeing, as well as the benefits of caring about the wellbeing of individuals. Only through awareness can we identify needs and gaps and change the perception of the industry.

Educating: Everyone needs to learn more about the gaps in the industry regarding wellbeing. We want drivers to learn what is necessary to advocate and improve their own wellbeing and give them tools to do so. We want employers, operators, managers, companies, and organisations to understand the concept of wellbeing and how to implement programs for their employees.

Pursuing wellbeing as a pillar of sustainability: The UN report on sustainability already addresses wellbeing as a key factor. In our pursuit of wellbeing, we must identify the key factors that promote a more sustainable workforce and a more sustainable society. Ethical logistics are essential to transform the supply chain into a trust chain by spreading the need of including the social factor also as the new main pillar of advanced sustainability.

Advocating for wellbeing and the driver: We will push for programs, education, tools and support for drivers and their wellbeing. This included advocating for policies that support driver wellbeing. We want our drivers to know that we care.

Investing in the livelihood and wellbeing of drivers: We dedicate ourselves to investing in our drivers, as well as initiatives that can improve their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing.

Creating a healthier industry and a healthier society: By dedicating ourselves to wellbeing, we are in turn contributing to a healthier workplace, a healthier logistics industry and a healthier world.

Assessing the impact of wellbeing in our respective organisations: If we truly dedicate ourselves to the goal of wellbeing, we have to take a critical look at ourselves and gauge the areas in which we are lacking as well as the areas in which we harness the full potential of wellbeing in our own organisations. To be an effective programme and to ensure the effectiveness of Professional Driver Wellbeing interventions, key factors will be measured against a baseline to ensure the effectiveness of interventions and to identify areas for improvement.

Focusing on six key areas regarding wellbeing: environmental and physical, psychological, physiological, social, cultural and spiritual: By focusing on these six areas, we consider the totality of the wellbeing of individuals. In considering each area, we can build up our drivers to thrive and in turn, move within the operational trust and increase the attractiveness of the profession. Professional Drivers are to be recognised for high standards of road safety and efficiency, which shippers, receivers, service areas and all those in the industry should acknowledge.

By putting #WellbeingFirst #DriversFirst, we are promoting an industry and a world where we can all thrive. The wellbeing of professional drivers is the responsibility of everyone in the industry. We, the undersigned, implore everyone to #DoYourPart.