Australian logistics workers eye exit amid labour strain

Microlise has published research showing that 44% of Australian transport and logistics professionals are considering leaving the industry within the next five years. The findings are based on a survey of 200 senior transport and logistics professionals in Australia.

The results point to mounting pressure on a sector already grappling with labour shortages and an ageing workforce. Long working hours were the main reason respondents were considering leaving, cited by 29%, while 25% pointed to the difficulty of keeping up with compliance requirements.

A further 42% said working in the sector had affected their mental health, while 68% believed their drivers felt undervalued by the public.

The findings come against a wider driver shortage in Australia. According to Australian Logistics Council figures cited in the research, the country faces a shortfall of 28,000 drivers, while 60% of drivers are aged over 50.

Workforce strain

The survey suggests the pressure is not limited to recruitment. Retention is also becoming a growing concern as operators deal with higher costs, staffing gaps and more demanding regulatory obligations.

Alongside long hours and compliance pressure, 22% of respondents said an overreliance on paperwork and other manual processes was the main reason they were considering leaving the industry. This points to strain not only on drivers, but also on managers responsible for fleet safety, licensing, maintenance records and other administrative tasks.

Shaun Gray, head of operations APAC at Microlise, linked those issues to a broader shift in sentiment across the sector.

"The logistics industry has reached a turning point. Professionals are questioning their future in the sector, faced with relentless pressure from skyrocketing costs, evolving compliance regulations and ongoing labour shortages. While businesses can't take these pressures away, they can alleviate them with technology solutions. Our research shows technology adoption can also improve mental health outcomes for logistics workers. As a mental health first aider and strong advocate for better wellbeing policies across the industry, I see every day how better access to technology is directly reducing pressure on logistics professionals," Gray said.

Compliance gap

The research also identified a gap between confidence in compliance management and the continued use of manual processes. While 89% of respondents said it was fairly easy or very easy to manage compliance, more than a third still relied on manual methods for tasks such as licence and qualification checks and vehicle maintenance records.

It also found that 68% no longer worried about compliance complexity because technology had removed the burden. Even so, the continued use of manual systems suggests some operators still face administrative risk, particularly as heavy vehicle and chain of responsibility rules evolve.

Cyber security emerged as another area of concern. Nearly half of respondents, 49%, said they were worried about a cyber attack on their organisation, but only 41% said they were fully prepared to deal with one.

Gray said the burden of keeping up with changing rules was pushing some professionals towards the exit.

"Maintaining regulatory compliance is an increasingly difficult balancing act. As rules continuously shift and requirements become more rigid, the pressure on fleet operators is intensifying, causing some professionals to consider leaving the industry altogether. Businesses that digitise and automate manual compliance processes using technology will drive greater efficiencies and reduce the pressure on their fleet managers, who form the backbone of their operations," Gray said.

Safety technology

The findings also show strong support among operators for in-vehicle and monitoring systems aimed at improving road safety. Four in five respondents, or 81%, said technology was essential to keeping drivers safe, while 83% said advances in technology had made drivers feel safer than they did five years ago.

Respondents identified a mix of tools as having the greatest effect on safety, including advanced driver assistance and active vehicle systems, multi-camera systems, daily vehicle defect checks, and telematics and driver behaviour monitoring.

Camera systems were especially prominent in the survey results. All respondents said they used cameras in some form, with an average of two to three devices per vehicle. Almost all, 99%, said in-cab cameras had improved driver performance, and 85% said AI distraction cameras had prevented a serious road traffic accident.

The survey placed that focus on safety in the context of a hazardous operating environment. Truck drivers in Australia are far more likely than the average worker to suffer a fatal workplace incident, making the adoption of safety systems a significant operational issue for fleet operators.

Gray said the industry now viewed technology as central to its response to both workforce and safety pressures.

"The future of Australia's logistics sector is clearly tech-driven, and for many businesses this is a now-or-never moment. Adopting this technology early is crucial to attract and retain the best talent amid worsening labour shortages. Businesses that invest in the right technology today will be better placed to succeed in the challenging logistics environment of tomorrow," Gray said.