Traffic Commissioners set out driver welfare expectations for HGV and PSV operators
HGV and PSV operators are expected to plan for lawful rest, monitor fatigue beyond hours data and support driver health. The Traffic Commissioners say how well welfare risks are managed is relevant to compliance and repute, and repeated failures linked to poor welfare controls may result in regulatory action.
The Traffic Commissioners for Great Britain have published their view on driver welfare, safety and compliance in a GOV.UK news story dated 2 November 2026. It sets out their position and expectations rather than new rules or statutory guidance. The Commissioners say driver welfare is sometimes seen as a peripheral employment issue, but from a regulatory perspective it is "closely linked to fitness to drive, compliance with the law and the management of risk".
The Commissioners say they do not regulate welfare as a standalone concept. Their responsibilities centre on operator licensing and repute, drivers' hours and working time compliance, and road safety and professional standards. Within that remit, operators are expected to take "reasonable, proactive steps to manage welfare risks". These include planning work that allows lawful rest, considering known infrastructure constraints, monitoring fatigue risk rather than just hours data, supporting driver health and wellbeing, and creating an open culture where concerns can be raised.
"Where operators can demonstrate that welfare risks are understood and managed, this is relevant when considering compliance and repute," the Commissioners say. "Conversely, repeated failures linked to poor welfare controls may result in regulatory action."
Lorry parking
On lorry parking, the Commissioners say the issue often arises in regulatory cases where drivers are found to have continued driving beyond permissible limits. They recognise the infrastructure constraints but say a lack of parking does not remove legal obligations, and operators remain responsible for planning routes and schedules that allow drivers to comply with the law.
Fatigue and health
The Commissioners say evidence shows fatigue can reduce driving performance to a level comparable with alcohol impairment, so managing it requires more than monitoring hours records. For bus operations, they say Loughborough University research for Transport for London into bus driver fatigue informed the introduction of formal Fatigue Risk Management Systems in London bus operations.
They also cite Loughborough University's SHIFT programme for HGV drivers, which they say was evaluated using robust methodology and showed improvements in physical activity, sitting time and weight among participating drivers, and was designed to work within structures including Driver CPC training. The article points operators to the Road Haulage Association's Guide to Maintaining Driver Health, including its best practice on giving drivers a safe place to raise health, medication, sleep or alcohol concerns.
Mental health
Mental health is not a regulated condition in itself, the Commissioners say, but it is relevant when assessing whether an operator has taken reasonable steps to support drivers and manage risk. They do not prescribe specific wellbeing programmes, though they expect operators to take welfare seriously as part of safe and compliant operation. In that context they welcome Logistics UK's THRIVE initiative, an online wellbeing hub giving drivers, operators and managers access to mental health and wellbeing resources, which is unrelated to this publication. For 2026 the Logistics UK initiative is supporting the charity Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM).
Sources
GOV.UKHow THRIVE sources and checks its stories · Corrections, and how to report an error
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