Truck Driver Health and Wellness: Addressing the Hidden Crisis on Indian Roads

India's highways carry the backbone of its logistics industry—commercial trucks. But behind the steering of these vehicles, a silent health crisis is expanding quietly. India's commercial truck drivers work long hours, with restricted access to medical facilities, and with negligible resources for their mental or physical health. As the nation streamlines its supply chain, the health and wellness of India's commercial truck drivers have to become a national priority.

Long Working Hours, Poor Health

Most truck drivers in India drive for 12 to 16 hours a day. Longer driving hours, with irregular schedules, often result in missing meals or grabbing food from unhygenic roadside eateries. Such food habits, combined with no physical work, lead to an increasing number of lifestyle diseases—hypertension, diabetes, backaches, and gastrointestinal problems among them. The sedentary act of driving only aggravates these ailments.

Neglected Mental Health

Truck drivers are away from home for days—sometimes weeks. The solitude results in emotional distress, particularly when added to financial worries and time constraints for delivery. Anxiety, chronic fatigue, and depression affect many. In some instances, drivers turn to alcohol or drug use to manage stress. Since mental health is still stigmatised in India, few drivers access any help, and most endure in silence.

Lack of Medical Access

Healthcare access is still restricted for drivers, particularly on national highways crossing rural areas. During emergencies, drivers can end up being miles away from a clinic or hospital. Commercial drivers in cities too are usually not covered under employer-provided health insurance or periodic check-ups. Minor ailments get worse because there is no preventive treatment, lowering the total lifespan of drivers and compromising road safety.

Irregular Sleep, Unsafe Roads

Fatigue is among the top reasons for road accidents with heavy commercial trucks. There are numerous drivers who sleep within their trucks, usually in noisy and unsafe places that make it impossible to rest. Irregular resting may not only lower the immune system but also decrease reaction time and hinder decision-making. Upon returning to the road without sufficient rest, the risk reaches other road users as well.

No Wellness Culture

Although they play a vital part in the economy, fleet owners and logistics companies give the majority of truck drivers no formal wellness support. Few attempts are made to teach them about exercise, nutrition, and preventive medicine. Drivers have no medical checkups or health insurance and instead self-medicate and use quick fixes. The fact that there are no wellness programs suggests there is a systematic breakdown of worker welfare in the industry.

The Way Forward

Enhancing truck driver health and wellbeing in India calls for collective action. Government departments, transport unions, fleets operators, and NGOs need to collaborate in developing sustainable, long-term solutions. Some suggested measures are:

• Strict implementation of restrictions on daily driving time to prevent driver fatigue.
• The deployment of mobile medical centres at busy checkpoints.
• Setting up mental health helplines specifically for transport personnel.
• Granting concessional health insurance and retirement schemes.
• Organising routine health camps and driver orientation workshops.

Conclusion

Truck drivers are the backbone of India's logistics economy, but their well-being remains overlooked. Lacking policy muscle, expanded access to care, and a change in how well-being is managed in the logistics industry, this quiet crisis will only accelerate. Simply acknowledging their value is not sufficient—India needs to take actionable steps to safeguard and empower its drivers, both on and off highways.

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