fatigued

Fatigue, tiredness and drowsiness while driving. The conclusions are as clear as they are worrying. 60% of truck drivers drive fatigued, according to a study by the European Transport Workers’ Federation (ETF) that criticizes the inaction of the European Union in the face of what it considers “a safety crisis” caused by lower wages than recommended and pressing stress. “A security crisis”. This is how Livia Spera, General Secretary of ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation), defines the situation in the sector, in words collected by Transportation Diary: “For many professional drivers, every day is the longest. Fatigue is systematically built into their working conditions. This represents a safety crisis generated by unfair wages, poor application of regulationsdisproportionate pressure and supply chains that prioritize the lowest price over a sustainable road transport industry” The words were spoken during the report presentation ceremony Driver fatigue in road transport. It highlights the problem of fatigue at the wheel and the pressing need to take action to the European Commission. The data. ETF (European Transport Workers’ Federation) It is a union organization which brings together unions and labor organizations from all over Europe since 1999 and represents five million workers through 200 organizations. What they have presented to the European Union is a report that contains the following data: 60% of truck drivers and 66% of bus and coach drivers said they drive while tired on a regular basis. 772 drivers said they almost crashed or caused a major traffic accident due to driver fatigue. Almost a third of truck drivers and a quarter of coach drivers reported having fallen asleep at the wheel while driving. 57% of bus and coach drivers and 52% of truck drivers say they would like to stop and take a break when they feel tired but cannot due to work reasons. Because? For ETF the reasons are clear: labor problems. They assure in their report that this chronic fatigue among truck and bus drivers is caused by low salaries, the impossibility of knowing the work time ahead of them, that the rest time is not real or that the facilities and spaces for resting and sleeping are not well equipped. These reasons are repeatedly pointed out by the unions that in March They already threatened to strike so that Social Security recognizes their right to early retirement, ensuring that these workers face a constant risk given the high accident rate in the sector. In 2024, in fact, road transport was the sector with the most work accidents with fatal results. were counted in Spain. That year, 138 transportation and storage employees died during their work day in our country. Drivers are missing. In Xataka We have been talking about the pressing lack of truck drivers that is putting pressure on the market and resulting in insufficient rest times and excessively long days. Last November 2025 It was already estimated that Europe is short three million truck drivers despite the fact that 85% of the goods are moved with their work. In Spain, the problem is just as serious. In fact, it is estimated that in our country 30,000 more truck drivers are needed to handle all the accumulated work. Countries like Morocco either Türkiye They have become a fishing ground for workers due to the lack of labor. and bad conditions. “My wheels were in terrible shape, completely smooth, and the ones on the back platform burst. (The truck) made me the scissors (…). I went into the ditch, against a river.” The narration is by Roberto Pérez, a truck driver interviewed by The Country who told his experience about his biggest scare behind the wheel. He reported that the wheels of his truck were finished and that they ended up bursting. This, along with fatigue and rest times, is the other great demand of the sector. In 2023, The DGT reported that a campaign lasting just one week left 72 trucks immobilized that did not comply with minimum safety conditions. And the problem has been recurring for years. In 2021a company was accused of homicide because its worker died in an accident caused by the poor condition of the tires. In addition, the truck had more than a million kilometers behind it and the MOT had expired. Two years lateranother company was investigated for forcing its driver to drive with wheels in poor condition, with the worker himself notifying the Civil Guard to immobilize the truck. Photo | Bhargav Panchal In Xataka | Four trucks and a total of zero truckers: China seeks solutions to a huge labor crisis