Year 2 of the Wellbeing Campaign, Park Safe, built bridges between hauliers, parking operators, a European authority, security analysts and road and digital services in La Crèche, France.
LA CRÈCHE (Deux-Sèvres), France, 28 October 2026 – On 28 October 2026, Securit Park welcomed the Wellbeing Days of the European Wellbeing Initiative (EWellIn), powered by ESPORG, together with host Trucks’nB / Securit Park. Wellbeing Check-Ups for drivers ran on 27 and 28 October. Under the banner “Park Safe”, the event brought different actors of the supply chain to the same table and gave them one common point to work from: drivers’ wellbeing.
“Every Wellbeing Campaign event has one main objective: to build bridges,” the organisers explained. In La Crèche, that meant a communication platform where parking operators, hauliers, a European authority, security analysts and road and digital services listened to each other, and to the drivers themselves.
A campaign that follows the driver’s journey
The Wellbeing Days are part of the Wellbeing Campaign “Drive Safe, Park Safe, Work Safe, Live Well”, a four-year journey launched in March 2025 at the ESPORG Annual Conference with the support of the European Commission. Each year takes one more step along the driver’s journey:
- Year 1, Drive Safe: road safety, dedicated to drivers and their families.
- Year 2, Park Safe: rest areas as a Home Away From Home, dedicated to drivers at rest.
- Year 3, Work Safe: workplaces, dedicated to female truck drivers.
- Year 4, Live Well: self-care, dedicated to new generations.
Year 2 looks at how rest areas can support drivers’ wellbeing. The need is clear: according to the ESPORG Study 2025, only 9% of drivers feel safe or very safe at European parking areas.
A morning of presentations and a roundtable
The programme opened with a welcome from Virginie Stien, Managing Director of Trucks’nB & Securit Park, followed by presentations from Dirk Penasse, General Manager of ESPORG, and Druselia Betea, Head of EWellIn. Joining online from Bratislava, Ivan Mekinda, Seconded National Expert at the European Labour Authority (ELA), explained how ELA helps drivers and transport operators understand the EU rules that apply to them, including driving and rest times and the changes brought by Mobility Package I, through its #Road2FairTransport campaign.
The heart of the morning was the roundtable “Safe Roads, Safe Stops, Well Drivers”, moderated by Druselia Betea. Each panellist looked at the driver’s day from a different part of the chain:
- Caroline Braun-Metzger, Regional Delegate, FNTR Poitou-Charentes: the haulier who plans the route.
- Dirk Penasse, General Manager, ESPORG: the parking community that sets the standards.
- Anaïs Bulot, Sales & Operations Manager, Trucks’nB: the operator that welcomes the driver at night.
- Georgios Kostoudis, LandRisk Junior Analyst, Risk Intelligence: the analyst who maps risk.
- Daniel Damien, CEO & Co-founder, Seebee: the app that keeps drivers connected.
- Sylvain Giraud, Head of Tolling Products, Axxès: the road services that make the journey simpler.
The conversation covered the driver shortage, the lack of safe and secure parking spaces and the EU rules that address it, security while parked, and the time and stress of finding a place to rest. Examples of incidents such as cargo theft and attacks on drivers showed what lies behind the numbers.
The figures behind the day
- 78% of drivers have faced safety concerns or dangerous situations while their vehicle is parked, and 55% feel unsafe or very unsafe at parking areas (ESPORG Study 2025, 966 drivers).
- 52% rate sanitary facilities at parking areas as unclean; only 2% rate them clean (ESPORG Study 2025).
- A driver takes on average 2 hours to find a parking space, and 90% of drivers suffer from stress (ESPORG Study 2025).
- Close to 70% of female drivers have faced danger or threats while parked, and only 10% feel safe or very safe at parking areas in Europe (European Commission study, April 2025).
- 426,000 truck driver positions are unfilled in Europe, and the shortage is expected to nearly double by 2028. 30% of drivers are over 55, only 5% are under 25 and only 4% are women (IRU, 2024).
Securit Park becomes a Wellbeing Ambassador
Every host of Wellbeing Days becomes a Wellbeing Ambassador. In La Crèche, Securit Park received its Wellbeing Ambassador certificate, and partners then signed the Wellbeing Pledge, a free and voluntary shared commitment to put driver wellbeing first through awareness, education and investment (wellbeingpledge.eu).
Drivers at the centre
Drivers stopping at Securit Park were invited into the room to hear the speeches and the roundtable and to share their own view. Because not every driver feels comfortable walking into a room full of guests, the EWellIn team also went out to the parking areas to meet drivers in their cabs, at their own pace. They talked about a healthy lifestyle on the road (physical activity, nutrition, sleep, hydration and stress relief) and, above all, listened to drivers’ concerns.
The conversations continued at the Drivers’ Wellbeing Corner, run with the EWellIn Wellbeing Volunteers Druselia Betea, Joric Bossu, Mirjam Frakulla and Marc Van Grootel:
- Wellbeing Check-Ups with a psychologist and health coach: a voluntary and confidential moment of awareness and prevention of about 20 to 35 minutes, looking at weight, height and BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure and oxygen saturation, together with daily habits such as nutrition, hydration, sleep, activity and stress. Data is only used in aggregate.
- Wellbeing surveys, where drivers shared what helps them feel well during a stop.
- Gentle sports sessions (seated cardio, low-impact cardio, and back and mobility) led by an adapted physical activity teacher.
- Hot drinks and goodies offered by Securit Park, which provides free hot drinks and soup all year.
From listening to action
What drivers shared in La Crèche now flows into the Wellbeing Working Groups, where industry leaders turn evidence into action. Securit Park, now a Wellbeing Ambassador, and the partners who signed the Wellbeing Pledge carry this spirit forward on the road towards Year 3, Work Safe.
None of the actors in La Crèche can create wellbeing alone. Together, they can build a wellbeing ecosystem around the driver: a human-centred wellbeing culture and environment, for people and places.
The official inauguration of the Securit Park secure truck parking, held during the Wellbeing Days, is the subject of a separate press release.
About the European Wellbeing Initiative (EWellIn)
EWellIn, the European Wellbeing Initiative, powered by ESPORG, works towards a human-centred wellbeing culture and environment in road transport, through inclusion. Free, voluntary and open to all, it brings the whole supply chain together around the professional driver: authorities and the European Commission, road transport associations, drivers’ families, haulage companies, parking operators and rest areas, shippers, industry stakeholders and partners. Its work rests on six pillars: research and studies, the Wellbeing Pledge, Wellbeing Working Groups, the Wellbeing Campaign, Wellbeing Trainings and Recognition.
About ESPORG
ESPORG, the European Safe and Secure Parking Organisation, was founded in 2010 and brings together more than 120 safe and secure parking areas across Europe. It develops standards, supports certification, promotes good practice and contributes to EU policy through research, so that truck parkings protect vehicles and cargo and care for the people who drive them.
Contact
Druselia Betea, Head of EWellIn, European Wellbeing Initiative, powered by ESPORG d.betea@esporg.eu
#TakeCareOfYourHealthOnTheRoad #StayActiveOnTheRoad #WellbeingCampaign #ParkSafe
