Survey reveals main reason lorry drivers love their job…

It might rarely feel like it these days, but freedom of the open road was the reason many lorry drivers have given for liking their job the most, according to the results of a survey.

Nearly half (43%) of respondents provided that response, with 22% saying it was the pride they felt in delivering a vital service.

Bringing things back down to earth with a bump, a third of drivers said their least favourite aspect of their job was the lack of decent roadside facilities.

A lack of respect came second on the list of dislikes.

Driver Hire, which conducted the survey of more than 330 truck drivers, also asked what they had wanted to do when they left school – and found over a fifth (22%) were doing their dream job, although one respondent said he had wanted to be a pirate and another “a coffin lid polisher”.

Chris Chidley, Driver Hire CE said he thought the survey yielded positive results: “If we are to attract new blood into the industry, clearly there’s work to be done to improve facilities for drivers and in raising the industry’s profile as an essential service,” he added.

“A lot of drivers who responded clearly take a real pride in what they do – 41% saying they’d be interested in being an ambassador for Driver Hire and the road transport industry, educating potential new recruits on the career possibilities it offers.”