Responsible Trucking Partners Release Truck Transport Social Guidelines

The group of 11 leading Transport Buyers and Transport Suppliers engaged in Responsible Trucking - BMW Group, H&M Group, IKEA Supply AG, A. P. Moller - Maersk, PostNord, Raben Group, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Cars, Volvo Group, and XPO Logistics - has released the Truck Transport Social Guidelines. This is the first step of a collaborative effort to improve the social conditions of truck drivers in the road transport and logistics sector across Europe.

The Social Guidelines identify common standards that partners agreed to respect in their operations and the common expectations towards suppliers and sub-contractors. The document reflects a joint commitment regarding truck drivers’ working conditions in terms of forced labour, child labour, harassment, working and resting times, remuneration, benefits, non-discrimination, freedom of association and collective bargaining, health and safety, disciplinary practices, access to facilities, rest and recreation, and facilities’ requirements.

The Social Guidelines have been drafted after a root cause analysis of the main social issues faced by truck drivers in Europe, and an extensive consultative process together with truck drivers, EU institutions’ representatives, and key stakeholders in the sector. As a result, the Guidelines are aligned with the requirements set in the Mobility Package – going beyond its legal requirement in some respects – as well as with the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, and the International Labour Organisation Tripartite Declaration of Principles concerning Multinational Enterprises and Social Policy (MNE Declaration).

Partners of the collaborative platform Responsible Trucking – an initiative facilitated by CSR Europe – would like to encourage other companies to support the Social Guidelines and join forces to lead the transformation towards a fairer and more sustainable transportation and logistics industry.

NEXT STEPS

To move from the guidelines to their practical implementation, Responsible Trucking has an integrated approach and a 1,5-year plan focused on:

Developing an industry-wide spot-check tool to hear the voice of drivers. The tool will contribute to improve transport buyers’ and suppliers’ due diligence practices and take proactive, collective action to improve the working conditions for drivers. The spot-check tool will be developed by 2022, followed by the pilot, with the first results expected by the end of next year.
Organizing capacity-building activities aimed at supporting transport buyers and suppliers to understand the Social Guidelines and empower drivers. Under this umbrella, different activities are taking place already - or are planned - such as internal sharing and learning sessions, cross-sectorial workshops, and national awareness-raising events.
Engaging with key stakeholders to follow, understand, and contribute to the policy development and to capture general stakeholders’ expectations.

ABOUT RESPONSIBLE TRUCKING

The purpose of the Responsible Trucking initiative is to move the industry towards the implementation of higher social standards that will be translated into better working conditions for truck drivers.

Responsible Trucking Partners have agreed to implement a common strategy to lead, together with their suppliers and sub-contractors, the transformation towards a more sustainable and fairer transportation and logistics sector.