Hygiene & Dignity for Drivers

You've loaded, you've  driven, you've delivered, you've parked up at the end of a long day of work and feel desperate to freshen up.  Which facility do you deserve?

Driver bathroom with sinks, urinals, and stalls. White and blue colour scheme.

New bathroom facilities at Goole, M62. Repeating mistakes of the past.

New bathroom facilities at Welcome Break, Juntion 33, M1. Giving drivers the privacy & space they deserve.

The knock on effects of familiarity bias makes it difficult to retain and recruit drivers

Lorry drivers should not need to explain why they deserve self-contained washrooms containing a shower, toilet and basin. 


Many existing lorry drivers tolerate communal showers, however individuals that the sector wants to attract, will not. In general, drivers who did not get their licence in the army, did not grow up in back-to-backs, are unfamiliar with communal showers.


Employment research suggests that young men and women in their 20s are unlikely to communicate their concerns about their job, they just leave. Or don’t join in the first place.


When I speak to members of the public and people outside of the sector, and explain I am campaigning for HGV drivers' showers to contain toilets, the reaction I get, is one of surprise that the toilets are not already within the showers. 


Designers involved in the installation of new shower facilities often suffer from “Familiarity Bias”.  They have a preconceived perception of what a HGV driver shower looks like.  And build accordingly, meaning that the showers, basins and toilets are in separate locations. This is fuelling a waste of government money in recruiting drivers who either do not stay in the industry, or who stay, but will not “Night out”. 

Orange text lists shower facility requirements: toilet, seat, bag space, hooks, mirror, basin, shower.
A small purple gym bag with clothing in the corner of a bathroom with a white sink.
A dirty white shower stall with dark mould around the edges; a blue
Bathroom with sink, mirror, hand dryer, and clothes. Green-lit mirror and granite counter.
Gray fire exit door with panic bar, open in a hallway.

The above images are a sample from Harling's personal experience, that are typical of the existing facilities NEW and old.


Poor design means no where to put bags, not enough hooks, and shaving in public areas, with other men, fathers and children of both sexes.


Then there is also the issue of cleanliness and the lack of it.


The government have given £52.5 million of tax payers money to profitable motorway services areas and truck stops, which has been spent replicating the mistakes of the past.