Lymm Truckwash event highlights driver mental health
Lymm Truckwash has announced it will be hosting a special event in April in support of a range of mental health charities, including YoungMinds, The Calm Zone, Andy’s Man Club and Heads Together, to raise awareness of HGV drivers’ wellbeing.
On Thursday 29 April, Lymm Truckwash managing director Laura Cardwell will host a Driver Day for drivers visiting the site for a vehicle wash. The event will include competitions, freebie goodie bags and industry advice to shine a light on support for HGV drivers who spend much of their week alone and have continued to work tirelessly throughout the pandemic.
Lymm Truckwash cites a study by mental health charity Mind, which found that 30 per cent of self-reported work-related illness in the transport and logistics industry is due to stress, depression and anxiety.
The company also pointed to research suggesting that many do not disclose the real reason for absence from work; for instance, 95 per cent of workers absent because of stress give managers a different reason. Meanwhile, 22 per cent of workers have been diagnosed with mental ill health, but under half of these have disclosed the fact to managers.
Lymm Truckwash emphasises the potential isolation involved in truck driving, with a standard working day often including long hours of intense concentration, strict time constraints, demanding delivery targets and heavy traffic conditions, combined with long periods of time away from family.
It is also documented that three times as many men as women die by suicide and men aged 40-49 have the highest suicide rates in the UK. Statistics also show that men are less likely to talk about their mental health than women, adds the company, which can be particularly problematic in male-dominated industries such as logistics and transport.
“The pandemic has made lots of people talk more openly about mental health but there is still a long way to go for the logistics industry,” said Laura Cardwell.
“Throughout the year we have continued to support drivers with a friendly, welcoming smile and free refreshments. We have also kept our prices the same as 2020 to support our customers. They support us, so it is the least we can do for them.
“We have been overwhelmed by the support from HGV drivers and those in the logistics industry throughout the pandemic and wanted to host this Driver Day to show our thanks and celebrate the start of easing of lockdown restrictions, but also raise awareness of driver wellbeing and mental health.”
The event will be supported by a range of companies including Highways England, D4 Drivers, Radcat, Maple Fleet, WashTec and more.
Alfie from Alfie’s Trucking Photos will also be on site taking photos of all trucks in attendance. Alfie is nine years old and uploads truck photos to his dedicated Facebook page. Any money he raises goes straight to YoungMinds, a mental health charity for children. So far, he has raised over £3,000 and any photos he takes on the day will be available to drivers after the event.
The Driver Day event will be held outside, with social distancing measures in place, in keeping with restrictions. The day is open to transport managers, company owners and those who work in the industry or associated companies, but due to Covid, those planning to attend are asked to RSVP by emailing Laura Cardwell at: ljc@lymmtruckwash.co.uk
Lymm Truckwash is open Monday to Friday 7am to 5pm, Saturday 7am to 11.30am. Further information on the facility is available on the website; and customers can also follow the company on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
