88% of HGV drivers in SHIFT research overweight or obese, Logistics UK says

Logistics UK has put its name to a fresh driver health push, and the numbers behind it explain why this is a compliance issue as much as a wellbeing one. Figures from the Structured Health Intervention for Truckers (SHIFT) study of HGV drivers, cited by the trade body, put 88% of the drivers studied in the overweight or obese category, with 67% carrying high cholesterol - a workforce risk profile that any operator relying on that same pool of drivers for years to come cannot simply file under HR.

The announcement came during Driver Health Week, which ran from 1 to 6 September and leaned on Logistics UK's own wellness hub, also called THRIVE, launched last year, offering guidance on nutrition, fitness and sleep alongside input from a Level 3 personal trainer and a physiotherapist. Logistics UK says its hub has logged over a million digital engagements since launch. Chief executive Ben Fletcher said drivers "should not be taken for granted", calling for a coordinated effort across industry and from policymakers to address variations in the facilities available to drivers.

Why this matters: health metrics like these feed straight into fitness-to-drive assessments, sickness absence and recruitment costs at a time when the driver pool is already stretched. That makes wellbeing provision likely to become a harder line item in duty-of-care audits, not just a nice-to-have.