In road transport, including long-distance freight and passenger transport, risks arise from extended periods away from home, dependence on a single employer or platform, debt tied to licences or equipment. Debt bondage and non-payment of wages can leave drivers without the financial means to leave employment or repatriate themselves. Beyond this, threats and intimidation from employers and intermediaries linked to immigration or employment status can also prevent drivers from refusing unsafe work, reporting abuses or leaving employment.LUKE - Added from general risks need to integrate
Forced labour and human trafficking can originate from the way in which drivers are recruited, in particular migrant and third-country workers. In direct violation of the ILO's General Principles and Operational Guidelines for Fair Recruitment, which stipulate that workers should not be required to pay any recruitment fees or related costs, many drivers are illegally charged fees to secure employment. These 'pay-to-work' models, hidden deep within multi-tier subcontracting chains, place drivers in a state of debt bondage before they even start work. As these fees often equate to several months' salary, drivers are effectively prevented from leaving exploitative conditions, as they must remain to pay off their debt. Furthermore, migrant or third country drivers can be misled about their terms and conditions or confronted with unexpected payments upon arrival in their country of work. This makes recruitment a critical blind spot in traditional supply chain audits.
Once employed, drivers may face systemic coercion through the withholding of wages and confiscation of identity documents. Operators may retain passports, or residence permits under the guise of 'safekeeping', thereby restricting drivers' freedom of movement and preventing them from seeking help from local authorities. This physical and legal isolation can be compounded by threats of deportation or 'blacklisting' if the driver complains about excessive hours or unsafe vehicles. Consequently, many drivers are forced to live in their truck cabins for extended periods, receiving only small "allowances" instead of their full legal wages.
The use of complex corporate structures designed to bypass national labour laws further exacerbates the risk of human trafficking. Drivers may find themselves trapped in 'bogus self-employment' or vehicle-leasing schemes, where costs such as fuel, insurance and maintenance are deducted from their pay. This can lead to 'negative wages'. Such arrangements can result from top-down economic pressure: when transport rates may not cover the true cost of safe and legal operations, subcontractors use debt-based employment to remain solvent.