Labour ministry opens a campaign on professional drivers’ hours

The Department of Labour Relations launched a campaign on Friday on driving and rest-time rules for professional drivers. It runs until 22 November and is aimed at drivers, business managers and the public, through radio and social media. Fatigue raises the risk of traffic accidents and affects working conditions, the department said.

Between 2023 and 2025 the department carried out more than 1,300 inspections of professional drivers and found breaches of driving hours, rest periods and breaks. It issued information and compliance recommendations and sent criminal cases to the police.

It cited the European study Driver Fatigue in European Road Transport. In that survey, 31 per cent of bus and coach drivers and 26 per cent of lorry drivers said they had nearly been in an accident because of fatigue in the previous 12 months. Five per cent of bus and coach drivers and 3 per cent of lorry drivers said they had been in at least one fatigue-related accident over the same period.

The department said it had drawn up measures with the police, the Road Transport Department and the Electromechanical Services Department. The campaign is part of the labour ministry’s effort to see that professional drivers work under proper conditions and that the roads are safer for everyone. Videos are already on the department’s social media pages.