A RECENT study has found that as many as 80% of Britons wrongly think that a truck driver’s only task is to drive, two thirds believe they sleep in the driver’s seat and over half assume it to be an incredibly lonely profession. What’s more, 40% believe lorry drivers can only be male.
One in nine Britons know someone who drives a lorry and believe they love their job, being able to travel and meeting different people, yet up to 80% of Britons consider it to be a laborious, uncomfortable and lonely job.
The team behind WMB Logistics who conducted the research as part of an ongoing study into Britons perceptions of lorry drivers, questioned 2,367 Britons aged 18 and over, all of whom stated that they hold a full UK driver’s licence.
Asked who they believed loaded and unloaded the lorry, 91% of respondents believe that there were people whose job was dedicated to this. Furthermore, asked why they thought that lorry drivers sleep in their seat, respondents reckoned this was because ‘cabs are small and there’s no space for a bed’ (42%) and ‘the company can’t afford to put all lorry drivers in hotels’ (30%).
What’s more, 19% of respondents didn’t realise that lorry cabs had gadgets in them, including fridges, kettles and more. Asked how they thought lorry drivers ate and drank throughout the day without these, respondents thought they ‘took a lunchbox’ (38%) and ‘had to stop to make a purchase when they were hungry/thirsty’ (35%).
A spokesperson for www.wmblogistics.co.uk later commented to the respondents: ‘Believe it or not, being a lorry driver isn’t just driving up and down the motorway, it’s much more; they help to load and unload the lorries, they get to meet all sorts of interesting people from all walks of life, and they are provided with a cab that is incredibly high-tech. Lorry drivers are offered a variety of home comforts and they treat their cab with the highest level of respect. They’re such a proud bunch of people who do a fantastic job.’
