Driving the future of work

October 17, 2025

Dr Natalie Skeepers, a safety engineer at Global Safety Resources, dives into psychological safety and the road ahead for South African logistics.

South Africa’s logistics and transport sector carries the weight of the economy, but it also faces unique challenges: long-haul routes, tight schedules, fatigue, rising crime, and cross-border pressures. For too long, safety has been defined only in physical terms – vehicle checks, roadworthiness, and hours of service.

Today, international standards such as ISO 45003 remind us that psychological health and safety (H&S) is equally vital. In South Africa, the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) is the national standards body and an International Organization for Standardization (ISO) member-body authority for ISO standards.

What ISO 45003 means for drivers

ISO 45003 provides practical guidance for managing psychosocial risks in the workplace. For drivers, key risk factors include:

High job demands: long hours, unpredictable schedules, and time pressure
Limited control over routes, rosters, or rest periods
Social isolation on long routes with minimal contact
Organisational cultures lacking trust or featuring punitive monitoring
Security threats: hijackings, theft, and cross-border uncertainties

When unmanaged, these risks lead to stress, burnout, disengagement, and unsafe driving behaviours.

Gaps in SA’s driver safety landscape

Most fleet safety programmes still treat psychosocial risks as “soft issues”, despite existing legal frameworks. In South Africa, workplace H&S is governed by the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, administered by the Department of Employment and Labour (DEL). The Department of Transport (DoT) also has relevant regulations in place.

Additionally, driver medicals often focus solely on physical health, while telematics and fatigue systems are used for discipline rather than support. Here, ISO 45003 can help with the following seven strategies:

Integrating psychosocial risk into fleet risk assessments: Just as we check brakes and tyres, companies should assess psychosocial risks. Include questions about fatigue, stress, job demands, and security fears in driver risk assessments. Use surveys, toolbox talks, and incident investigations to uncover hidden issues.
Empathetic leadership on the road: Train fleet managers in psychological safety principles. Listen without judgement, avoid purely punitive approaches, and acknowledge driver pressures. This builds trust and increases honest reporting of fatigue, mechanical issues, or near misses.
Improving job design and control: Where possible, give drivers a greater say in route planning, rest stops, and rosters. Even small elements of control can reduce stress and improve compliance.
Enhancing communication and feedback loops: Brief drivers clearly on operational changes and create feedback channels through apps or hotlines. Act on insights, as drivers are the ones closest to the risks.
Supportive use of technology: Telematics, fatigue detection cameras, and tracking systems must be used as coaching tools, not solely as disciplinary sticks. Share data with drivers, provide constructive feedback, and link monitoring to wellness support.
Building a culture of psychological safety: Drivers must be able to admit fatigue, stress, or errors without immediate sanction. Instead, address root causes, adjust schedules, and provide wellness support.
Access to resources and support: Safety professionals are not therapists, but they can connect drivers with help through employee assistance programmes (EAPs), partnerships with health providers, and peer support groups.

Current gaps and blind spots

Regulatory gaps: There are no binding requirements for ISO 45003-style psychosocial risk assessments for drivers.
Ad hoc fatigue management: Hours-of-service logs don’t equal comprehensive fatigue risk management programmes (FRMPs) and don’t have integrated standards as seen in aviation or rail.
Inadequate rest infrastructure: There aren’t any national standards for safe rest stops, while crime risks are treated as a policing, rather than occupational safety, issue.
Fragmented oversight: The DEL, DoT, Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Cross-Border Road Transport Agency (CBRTA), South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL), and South African Police Service (SAPS) operate in silos, without unified incident learning systems.
Limited mental injury recognition: There are also gaps in guidance for compensability, rehabilitation, and return-to-work processes for trauma-exposed drivers.
Unclear technology governance: Undefined boundaries for driver-facing artificial intelligence (AI) and camera systems. These technologies risk punitive use that undermines psychological safety.
Insufficient training standards: There are no mandated competency requirements for supervisors and dispatchers in psychosocial risk management and empathetic leadership.

There are various steps, policy, and regulatory options that could drive psychological safety into the future.

Make psychosocial risk management explicit: The DEL should issue a Code of Practice or regulation for psychosocial risk management in road freight and passenger transport, aligned to ISO 45003. This should include mandatory psychosocial risk assessments for driver roles; controls for fatigue, isolation, trauma exposure, and job design; annual reporting requirements to boards; and audit and risk committees.

Mandate FRMPs: Under the oversight of the DEL, DoT, and RTMC, authorities should require comprehensive FRMPs similar to those used in both the aviation and rail sectors. These risk management programmes should cover scheduling science, daily risks, night work protocols, and validated fatigue technology used for coaching rather than punishment.

National standard for secure rest: A joint DoT and DEL standard should be established for safe rest stops, including requirements for adequate lighting, CCTV coverage, ablution facilities, and medical or trauma access. This should be integrated with SANRAL’s corridor planning and supported by public-private co-funding mechanisms. Toll concessions and freight permits could be linked to the availability and use of compliant rest infrastructure.

Recognise mental injury: The Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Diseases Act (COIDA) guidance should be clarified regarding PTSD and acute stress injuries linked to hijackings and serious crashes. This should include fast-track access to EAPs and trauma counselling, with appropriate employer cost-recovery mechanisms.

Data, privacy, and trust: Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) guidance should be issued for in-cab cameras and biometric systems, covering purpose limitation, data minimisation, driver consent and notice requirements, retention limits, and preventing “discipline-first” defaults in data usage.

Enforcement through procurement: Road Transport Management System/ISO 45003-aligned psychosocial risk systems should become requirements in public freight tenders and major state-owned enterprise contracts covering the port, rail, and energy sectors. Rebates, levy reductions, or rating incentives should be offered for certified fleets.

One incident, one learning system: A unified reporting and learning hub for serious driver incidents should be created involving the participation of the DEL, RTMC, CBRTA, and SAPS. Incidents falling under the ambit of this centralised system should include fatigue-related events, hijackings, and major collisions. The system should additionally provide anonymised trend analysis and quarterly sector alerts.

Competency frameworks: National unit standards should be established for fleet supervisors and dispatchers. These standards should cover empathetic leadership, psychosocial risk management, fatigue science, and crisis response protocols.

Practical recommendations for companies

Adopt ISO 45003 internally: Add psychosocial hazards to your risk register and integrate it into induction processes, toolbox talks, and incident investigations.
Set up an FRMP: Use science-based rosters, night-work controls, validated fatigue technology, and non-punitive reporting systems.
Redesign the job: Make the roster more predictable, incorporate micro-rest opportunities, give drivers a say in routes and stops, and establish hotlines for real-time support.
Secure rest as a control: Map corridors, pre-approve safe stops, and fund private secure rest facilities where public options are inadequate.
Trauma protocols: Provide immediate counselling after a hijacking or serious crash, and provide line-manager scripts.
Technology with trust: Publish a driver data charter that explains what data is collected, why it’s needed, who has access, and how long it’s retained. Again, use telematics for coaching and recognition, not only discipline.
Measure what matters: Track fatigue declarations, near-misses, EAP uptake, turnover, sick leave, and links to crash rates and insurance costs.
Use buying power: Favour fuel/stop partners that meet secure-rest criteria, and include psychosocial risk clauses in subcontractor service level agreements.

The road to safer, healthier drivers

The future of work in South Africa’s logistics industry requires a shift in mindset. Physical safety will always matter, but the industry cannot ignore the mental and emotional toll of life on the road. By embedding ISO 45003 principles into driver safety programmes, companies can reduce crashes, retain skilled drivers, and build a resilient workforce.

The message is simple: when drivers feel safe – both physically and psychologically – our roads, our fleets, and our economy are safer too.