This isn’t only an American problem. Reports across Europe and drivers’ first-hand accounts suggest that conditions at many loading and unloading sites have been unacceptable for a long time. Poor sanitation, too few places to rest, and a “you’re just the driver” attitude are increasingly feeding staff turnover in road transport.
A “dignity package” for drivers
The “Build America 250” bill submitted to Congress includes an investment package worth 500 billion dollars. One of its provisions would require facilities to give drivers access to a toilet while they are loading or unloading.
The authors have dubbed this set of measures “Trucker Dignity.” The fact that toilet access may need to be guaranteed by federal law says a lot about how widespread the problem has become in US freight.
The proposal responds to situations where drivers are barred from entering warehouse buildings and end up stuck for hours in their cabs or waiting outside, without access to even the most basic welfare facilities. The rules are also intended to cover short-haul operations, including container moves and port-related work.
US trade media note that Congress is, for the first time, speaking so directly about treating drivers with respect. Crucially, toilet access is framed as a basic worker right—not a courtesy that depends on a warehouse, shipper, or customer being in a good mood.
Free public parking and a clampdown on abusive practices
The bill also puts a spotlight on truck parking. It proposes allocating 150 million dollars annually through 2031 to expand parking capacity for heavy vehicles.
It also states that drivers should not be charged to use parking areas built with public funds. This builds on “Jason’s Law,” in force since 2012, named after a driver who was murdered at an abandoned fuel station after he had been unable to find a safe place to stop.
Another element of the proposal is tighter oversight of “rent-to-own” schemes, where carriers pass truck usage costs on to drivers. In practice, these arrangements can leave truckers financially tied to the company.
Even so, the draft law doesn’t address everything. Many US drivers are still paid by the mile, while time spent waiting for a dock or taking mandatory breaks often goes unpaid.
Europe has the same headache: frustration and a lack of respect
While the US examples may sound extreme, European drivers have been warning about similar realities for years. A Truckers Life Foundation report shows that 67.3 percent of drivers complain about sanitation standards at loading and unloading sites, and more than 55 percent point to long waiting times as one of the toughest parts of the job.
The figures on leaving the sector are even more telling. 44.5 percent of respondents say poor welfare conditions directly make them consider quitting. More than half also say they want to change professions because of how they are treated by other players in the supply chain.
Parking is another pressure point. 79.2 percent of truckers believe Europe lacks enough truck parking spaces, and more than 61 percent rate parking in Western Europe as unsafe or very unsafe.
Filip Ziętkowski of FAZ Drivers argues that infrastructure in many parts of Europe remains in a dire state, while some rules and restrictions don’t match the realities of a driver’s working day.
Agata Bogurski of XXLKW Secure Parking Elbebrücke GmbH adds that many Western European truck parks were built decades ago and now need costly upgrades—upgrades that are not keeping pace with growing truck traffic.
Locked in like an animal in a cage
Sometimes the stories are hard to believe. In 2021, the industry reacted with outrage after a driver in Spain posted a video showing what happened to him during a loading operation: he was shut for nearly four hours inside a fenced-off area of around two square meters.
The Regional Federation of Transport Organisations in Murcia compared the treatment of the trucker to the treatment of “animals or slaves.” The group stressed that drivers should, at minimum, have access to a toilet and a place to rest during loading and unloading.
The case also made waves because the driver lost his job after publishing the recording.
The industry is starting to pay the price for years of neglect
Not long ago, the debate around drivers’ problems focused mainly on pay. Today it’s increasingly clear that whether people stay in the profession also depends on what happens outside the cab—especially at warehouses, terminals, and docks.
Truckers Life Foundation data suggests that when transport companies actively push to improve how drivers are treated at loading and unloading points, job satisfaction rises noticeably. Among drivers whose employers intervene at logistics sites, as many as 76 percent say they are satisfied with their work.
“Loading and unloading sites remain the most critical point on the transport map—places where drivers routinely experience humiliation and are denied basic hygiene. Our research shows that as many as 41 percent of these locations do not provide drivers with access to toilets. Refusing sanitation facilities while keeping people waiting for hours at the dock strips them of basic dignity and violates fundamental human rights. The US proposals show it’s time for systemic change. Respect and empathy in logistics cannot be a luxury—they are the foundation, and European warehouses are dramatically lacking it,” says Agnieszka Pilniak, a working-conditions expert in transport, analyst, and Project Manager at the Truckers Life Foundation.
In the US, politicians are trying to regulate things that many drivers consider the bare minimum. Europe has been having a similar conversation for years—but on too many parking areas, loading bays, and warehouse yards, a trucker’s daily reality still looks exactly the same.
