Driving Health: National Transport Industry Health and Wellbeing Study
Research Update
Stay up-to-date with the research and read all the findings: https://www.drivinghealth.net/
The Driving Health study is the largest survey of Australian truck drivers ever, conducted in partnership with Monash University, Linfox and Transport Workers Union NSW.
We surveyed nearly 1400 truck drivers and held in-depth interviews to hear the real story of our truck driving workforce and their health.
This critical information will aid in the next stage of our research to develop practical tools or interventions that will aim to improve our truck drivers health and safety, on and off the road.
Research questions
What are the factors that affect the health of Australian truck drivers and what prevention programs, policies and practices can be put in place to improve their physical and mental wellbeing?
What is this research about?
This research aims to survey the largest ever cohort of Australian truck drivers to identify work, personal, social and environmental factors that improve and impair health.
Understanding and improving their physical and mental health is important for not just the drivers, but also their families, colleagues and employers.
The project will seek evidence on the health status of drivers and the factors affecting health, as well as the flow-on impacts to work and social function.
We also seek to combine this evidence with industry knowledge to co-develop prevention programs, policies and practices that will improve health.
Our project partners include Monash University and the National Health and Medical Research Council (Research partners); as well as Linfox Logistics and the Transport Workers Union (Industry partners).
Timeline of Project
Project commenced: Mid 2019
Project completion: March 2022
What will the researchers do?
The study involves three main stages. The first stage, completed by Monash University, involved the analysis of three large insurance claims databases that provided insight into the health conditions affecting workers’ ability to work and provided new information on the burden of illness and injury in the transport sector, and helped identify populations of workers at high risk for poor health. Click here to read the reports.
The Centre has come on board for the second stage, where we will conduct detailed interviews with truck drivers, their employers and family members. These interviews will capture information on mental health, physical health, work and social function.
This stage will move beyond descriptions of health and will provide new insights into factors in the workplace, at home and the community, that affect health in positive and negative ways. These factors, where they are suited to modification, can then become the target of intervention.
Finally, we will synthesise insights from the first two stages with ‘on the ground’ knowledge from our truckies to help design interventions. Our objective is that upon completion of the study, interventions can be implemented by employers, regulators, drivers and others in the sector for the benefit of drivers’ health.
Research partners and stakeholders
The breadth of academic experience from the Centre for WHS and Monash University, as well as the strength of the project partners ties industry, academia and unions together to co-design our research.
- Monash University
- Linfox Logistics
- Transport Workers Union
- National Health and Medical Research Council
Want to know more?
To work with the Centre, or stay up to date with our research, head to our Engage with us page.
Supporting documents
Centre for Work Health and Safety Research Blueprint - Core Stream of Research