Transport User Voice December 2025 – Critical investment needed for driver and vehicle safety

17 December 2025

Lorry Drivers’ Facilities Survey results 

Last week, Transport Focus published the latest results from the second year of its Lorry Driver Facilities Survey.

The survey, which has gathered insights from over 13,000 HGV drivers over the past two years highlights the strong connection between drivers’ ability to rest and how safe they feel. Nine in ten drivers who rated vehicle security as good also reported being able to rest properly. By contrast, fewer than four in ten felt they could rest when they perceived security to be poor. Vehicle security satisfaction scores vary widely between sites on the network, from 25 per cent to 99 per cent.

This year’s results come at a time when the industry is aging and faces significant staffing challenges:

• An increasing number of drivers in their 30’s and 40’s are leaving the industry, with one in six HGV drivers choosing not to renew their Driver Qualification cards (DCQ)

• The Road Haulage Association (RHA) suggests that the industry will need an average of 60,000 new drivers a year for the next five years to meet demand

• 24 per cent of HGV businesses reported driver vacancies in late 2024, with many drivers leaving the industry or retiring.

NaVCIS reports that freight crime cost UK hauliers £111.5 million in 2024, with organised crime groups increasingly targeting lorries at vulnerable locations. This reinforces the urgency of improving both driver welfare and site security.

Since the release of our first set of survey results back in November 2024, the Department for Transport (DfT), United Kingdom and National Highways have begun delivering up to £69.5 million in joint government and industry funding to improve lorry parking and driver welfare facilities across England.

However, there is still a way to go, and it will take time for this investment to translate into better satisfaction.

Rachel Taylor MP, and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Freight and Logistics said:

‘20 per cent of my constituents work in freight, and these survey results from Transport Focus lay bare what they frequently tell me: that there is an urgent need to tackle crime and insecurity at rest stops. That’s why I am campaigning for a national freight crime strategy, a new dedicated crime code, and greater investment in policing, so we can ensure every freight driver is able to sleep easy during overnight stops.’

Freda Rashdi, Head of Customer Journeys at National Highways said:

“The logistics sector is vital to our economy and rely on our motorways and A roads. We are committed to making changes to improve the experience of lorry drivers and boost business. “Drivers need a safe place to stop to rest on their journeys. That’s why, along with industry, we have invested more than £25 million – creating more HGV parking spaces, boosting security, and upgrading lorry park facilities. These are improvements designed to give drivers the safe, comfortable places they need to rest and recharge.”

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