Source: Ia Ara Aotearoa Transporting New Zealand
Polling shows strong positive public sentiment towards truck drivers, with more than seven times as many people surveyed having a positive perception of road freight drivers compared to those taking a negative view (52 per cent to 7 per cent).
The survey respondents noted truck drivers’ professionalism and skill, essential service and economic contribution, and hard work and long hours, as the leading three reasons for the results.
Public polling done by independent survey firm Research New Zealand, for road freight association Transporting New Zealand, surveyed 1005 New Zealanders across a representative population sample.
52 per cent of respondents had a positive perception of truck drivers, 35 per cent were neutral, and 7 percent held a negative perception, just below the 5 per cent who did not give a response. [The full data set is provided below at Table 1]
Support for truck drivers was consistent regardless of what form of private transport the survey respondents used (car, public transport, walking, bike or motorcycle, or other).
Transporting New Zealand Policy and Advocacy Lead Billy Clemens says the results are a great recognition of the incredible work New Zealand’s 33,000 professional truck drivers do, moving nearly 93 per cent of the country’s freight task.
“Seeing that the public recognise the professionalism and skill of drivers, the economic contribution they make (over $8.6 billion per year), and the hard work road freight operators put in is a real endorsement of our driver workforce.
“Transporting New Zealand has consistently said our people are the industry’s most valuable asset, and that’s reinforced by these results.
“Over the past few years, the road freight industry has dealt with COVID disruption, supply chain issues, natural disasters and an increasingly pot-holed roading network. Throughout all these challenges, truck drivers have kept shelves stocked, businesses supplied and infrastructure projects moving. I think that’s reflected in the positive perception that the public has.
Clemens says that while the results are positive, the survey results also show a minority of respondents had concerns about truck drivers, mainly based around road safety and driving behaviour.
“All road freight businesses need to be setting clear expectations for their drivers around compliance and defensive driving, to help keep everyone feeling safe on the road.
“Transporting New Zealand will also keep advocating for investment in overtaking lanes, road widening and corner easing, freight bypasses, and other infrastructure that improves safety and productivity outcomes for all road users.”
Transporting New Zealand is also encouraging all road freight industry participants to complete the ten-minute long 2025 Road Freight Industry Survey, that will provide valuable insights on industry priorities and challenges and complement the public polling ( https://survey.researchnz.com/S2/1/RoadFreight/), the results of which will be shared publicly.
Survey completed by Research New Zealand for Transporting New Zealand.
