Delhi’s Toxic Air: How Truck Drivers Are Risking Their Lives on the Road

Delhi, in 2025, breathes through a dense and choking layer of smog. The Delhi toxic air crisis has tightened its grip and the city now moves under a permanent haze. Pollution rises and warnings follow, yet the roads stay busy. On these same roads, truck drivers continue to work. 

The winter pollution wave grows heavier every year. Stubble smoke drifts in, vehicular fumes thicken, industrial chimneys add more load and cold winds trap everything close to the ground. Together, they create the Delhi air pollution 2025 emergency. AQI levels reach numbers that instruments struggle to show. People stay indoors, but truck drivers cannot pause. Their work demands presence on the road, no matter how toxic the air becomes.

Why Truck Drivers Face Higher Exposure

A truck driver stays outside for the entire day. Many drive 10 to 14 hours, wait at borders, load material, unload goods and sleep inside the cabin. Their exposure stays constant. Pollution wraps around them when they drive, when they stop and even when they rest. Because of this long and uninterrupted contact, truck drivers remain among the worst-hit groups in this crisis.

Growing Health Problems Among Drivers

Doctors now observe clear signs of damage in the truck driver's health in Delhi. These signs appear slowly, stay hidden for long and become harmful with time.

1. Lung Damage - Fine dust enters the lungs and settles deep in them. Several symptoms of damage occur to drivers, including coughing, breathing difficulty, wheezing and extreme tiredness. As a result of damage over time and continued inhalation of fine dust, drivers may find themselves with a reduced lung capacity. Many develop asthma-like symptoms and chronic lung infections as a result of the fine dust inhalation. Drivers may have developed damage, yet they did not recognize it until it became severe.

2. Eye and Skin Damage - The first symptoms, reported by most drivers, are eye-related or skin-related symptoms, which are a result of the inhalation of polluted air. Drivers report experiencing symptoms of eye inflammation, burning sensations, red eyes and blurred vision. Additionally, drivers experience similar skin-related symptoms, including rashes and dryness. Most cannot afford to wear high-quality masks that can provide protection against pollutants and/or protect their eyes and therefore increase their exposure.

3. Stress-Related to the Heart - Polluted air is damaging to the heart of the driver. Polluted air increases blood pressure, increases heart rate and places additional stress on the cardiovascular system. Long hours of work, coupled with increased levels of stress, make drivers vulnerable to heart disease. Additionally, drivers face a greater risk of developing heart disease over a longer period. 

4. Slower Reflexes and Mental Fatigue - Less oxygen enters the body when pollution rises. Drivers feel tired, lose alertness and react slowly. Fatigue builds as they drive through dense smog. Slower reflexes increase the chances of road accidents.

Why Drivers Carry a Heavier Burden

Drivers breathe polluted air everywhere on highways, at tolls, in loading yards, at borders and inside parking zones. Even when they rest, pollution enters the cabin through tiny gaps in the vehicle. For many, this exposure continues day after day without any break. These conditions intensify the Delhi smog health risk they face.

Pollution may rise, but their income does not. If drivers stop, they lose wages. If deliveries get delayed, penalties follow. Families depend on each trip and transport companies expect timely movement. As a result, drivers continue to work through smog, even when the AQI reaches dangerous levels. Their survival depends on movement, not rest.

Reducing the Air Pollution Impact on Drivers

Several improvements can reduce health risks:

• Provide N95/N99 masks to all drivers.
• Install cabin air purifiers in trucks that operate in high-pollution zones.
• Promote use of AC recirculation mode and closed windows during heavy smog.
• Create clean-air rest zones near major transport hubs.
• Offer routine health checks focused on lungs and heart.
• Move toward cleaner freight solutions in the long term.

Small steps, when combined, can protect thousands of drivers who carry essential supplies into the capital.

Conclusion

Delhi’s toxic air affects everyone, but it harms truck drivers the most. They stay exposed for long hours, breathe unsafe air daily and carry health risks that grow silently. They keep the city alive by moving goods through dangerous pollution, yet they receive the least protection. As Delhi moves deeper into its air-quality crisis, safeguarding drivers must become a priority. Their health, their safety and their lives deserve urgent action not delayed concern.

For more articles and news, stay updated with 91trucks. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn for the latest videos and updates from the automotive world!

Also Read:

Aurora’s Self-Driving Trucks Complete 1,200 Miles on Texas Highways

How Vinod Turned His Tata Ace into a ₹1 Lakh/Month Food Truck: A Business Guide for Truckers