Long hours, compliance pressure and mental health strain are pushing fleet professionals out. Here's what HR can do to keep them
Almost half of Australia's senior transport and logistics professionals are considering leaving the industry within five years, according to research that links the sector's worsening workforce shortage to long hours, compliance pressure and deteriorating mental health.
The Australian Fleet Safety & Compliance Benchmark 2026 by Microlise, surveyed 200 senior transport and logistics managers at Australian organisations with at least 100 employees. It found 44 per cent are weighing an exit, though 53 per cent said they love the job, and 42 per cent say working in the sector has affected their mental health.
For HR leaders, the findings land on an already fragile talent pipeline. The Australian Logistics Council (ALC), puts the current driver shortage at about 28,000, with 60 per cent of drivers over 50 and 15 per cent over 65.
"The logistics industry has reached a turning point," said Shaun Gray, head of operations – APAC at Microlise and a mental health first aider in the sector. "Professionals are questioning their future in the sector, faced with relentless pressure from skyrocketing costs, evolving compliance regulations and ongoing labour shortages."
Why transport workers are heading for the exit
Long working hours were the most common reason respondents gave for considering leaving (29 per cent). Difficulty keeping on top of compliance came next (25 per cent), followed by boredom or the desire for a new challenge (23 per cent). Some 22 per cent pointed to too much reliance on manual processes such as paperwork.
Speaking to HRD, Gray, who has worked in the industry for 25 years, said the pressure on drivers often starts before they turn the key. Drivers routinely arrive before their paid shift begins and then face a queue of non-driving duties.
"He then performs tasks that aren't even delivery tasks, like vehicle checks, you know, things that are compliance for a company," he said.
Warehouse delays and after-hours promises made by customer service teams push drivers into peak traffic, and the problems compound through the day. "He can't talk about it while he's on the road because he's focused on his driving. And so then it just becomes this compounding thing," Gray said.
Drivers also lack the protections office-based staff take for granted. Call centres warn callers that abuse will not be tolerated, but Gray said drivers meet frustrated customers face to face at the delivery point, sometimes across 25 or 30 drops a day. "A lot of the time, these protection measures that businesses have, drivers don't have," he said.
The report found 68 per cent of respondents believe their drivers feel undervalued by the public. Another 74 per cent agree that long periods alone on the road are the main cause of driver mental health problems.
What happens if the driver shortage goes unaddressed?
Gray warned the industry is losing ground to less demanding work. Rideshare driving needs no extra qualifications and lets people choose their hours. Heavy vehicle work, by contrast, can offer ongoing work, "but it's going to be 4 a.m. until 6 p.m., 5 or 6 days a week".
"It used to be, you know, quite a respected sort of role, but now people are just finding easier jobs to do," he said.
The shortage also creates a retention trap. Gray said operators are reluctant to promote experienced drivers into logistics roles because they cannot replace them. Meanwhile, less experienced recruits are brought in and expected to get up to speed quickly. Skilled drivers who see no path forward become more likely to leave.
The stakes extend beyond individual employers. The Microlise report states the logistics sector accounts for roughly 8.6 per cent of Australia's gross domestic product. Under the Heavy Vehicle National Law (HVNL), Chain of Responsibility (CoR) obligations extend safety duties to employers, schedulers and others in the supply chain.
That means workload and scheduling decisions made off the road carry legal weight, adding to the legal fault lines every HR leader must watch.
What HR can do to retain transport workers
Psychosocial hazard rules now require employers to identify and control risks such as excessive job demands and workplace aggression. That duty extends to Victoria's psychological health regulations for employers, now in effect. It is a burden already familiar to HR teams shouldering Australia's new psychosocial safety rules.
Gray said the best operators are designing jobs around driver feedback rather than commercial targets. "We're seeing really good operators now that are actually taking the time to sit down with their drivers and say, you tell us what the reality is, what the truth is out there," he said.
The result, he said, is fewer loads and more realistic delivery windows. It also means operators pushing back on customers who want deliveries in high-traffic periods.
Training is another gap. "Think about it for a driver. He does his licence. That's it," Gray said. "There's no defensive driving courses like what we offer our own staff."
Some operators in Australia and New Zealand now fund professional development well beyond the cab. "They're offering any professional courses. So they're asking drivers, do they want to become accountants? Do they want to become lawyers?" Gray said.
Technology is the final lever. Respondents ranked "better technology to support the role" as the top factor that could improve mental health (16 per cent). Yet more than a third still manage driver licence checks manually. Gray's rule of thumb is to automate anything that takes a driver's attention off driving.
"Let's leave the driver's hands on the wheel and how can we automate everything around him to simplify his task. Because he's already got enough," he said.
