Extreme weather events and rising temperatures driven by climate change are a growing human rights risk affecting drivers' rights, safety and dignity. Severe physical exhaustion, dehydration and cognitive impairment resulting from extreme heat can significantly increase the risk of road accidents and supply chain disruption. When cabin or outdoor temperatures soar, drivers face severe heat stress that induces drowsiness, irritability and dangerously delayed reflexes.
These risks can be exacerbated by systemic failures: subcontracted drivers routinely live in cabins that lack basic climate control or air conditioning, that put drivers’ safety at health at risk in heatwaves during mandates rest periods. Piece- or load-rate pay systems coupled with unsustainable margins also coerce drivers economically into driving through dangerous conditions, such as floods or wildfires, to avoid income loss. Furthermore, drivers often perform manual cargo loading or unloading under direct sunlight during peak temperatures. This combination of economic coercion and severe heat exposure may directly trigger preventable risks to drivers' health.
For more on climate-related risks, see the Risks Across Transport guidance.