Forced labour and human trafficking can often originate in recruitment, particularly for migrant drivers. Many are illegally charged fees to secure employment – in direct violation of the ILO's General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment. These pay-to-work models, hidden deep within multi-tier subcontracting chains, place drivers in debt bondage before they start work. As these fees often equate to several months' salary, drivers are effectively prevented from leaving exploitative conditions until the debt is paid. Migrant and non-national drivers are misled about their terms and conditions or confronted with unexpected payments on arrival in their country of work. Recruitment is therefore a critical blind spot in audits.
Once employed, drivers face systemic coercion through the withholding of wages and confiscation of identity documents. Operators retain passports or residence permits under the guise of safekeeping, restricting drivers' freedom of movement and preventing them from seeking help from local authorities. This physical and legal isolation is compounded by threats of deportation or blacklisting – the illegal practice of using lists to prevent workers gaining future employment – if the driver complains about excessive hours or unsafe work. Consequently, many drivers are forced to live in their truck cabins for extended periods, receiving only small allowances instead of their full legal wages.
These practices are what subcontractors turn to when the rate does not cover legal operation. Complex corporate structures designed to bypass national labour laws raise the risk of human trafficking further as drivers find themselves trapped in bogus ‘self-employment' or vehicle-leasing schemes, where fuel, insurance and maintenance are deducted from their pay, leading to negative wages.
For more on forced labour and human trafficking, including the full set of risk indicators for transport supply chains, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.