Roadside service stations are failing to meet demand from lorry drivers for healthy foods, according to research by the RAC.
Finding a healthy snack while out on the UK’s road network every day is seen as one of the biggest frustrations facing commercial drivers, with 41% of firms saying lorry drivers in particular have reported this.
The research among 500 UK businesses, asking what drivers list as their top roadside gripes, suggests lorry drivers are more health conscious than company car drivers. One in five (21%) company car drivers list a lack of healthy food alternatives at service stations amongst their biggest bugbears, in stark contrast to lorry drivers at 41%.
For lorry drivers this came above other issues on the road, including using mobile phones (40%), poor standard of overnight facilities (39%) and middle lane ‘hoggers’ (34%). The findings also suggest the end of the traditional image of the trucker chomping into a certain chocolate bar as they go.
RAC Truck Rescue spokesman Matt Dallaway said this was a positive sign for the HGV community as research by supermarket Morrison’s in recent years found that nearly one in three (28%) truckers were obese or morbidly obese against a national average of a fifth (22%).
Dallaway said: “Of course we recognise that service station facilities are always improving and more and more food outlets are opening up for drivers, but there is clearly still more that can be done.
“The haulage sector industry has struggled with concerns over the health of its workforce, so it’s really encouraging to see this shift in attitude, but the facilities need to be there to cater for those looking for a healthy option.”
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