Modern Slavery and Working Conditions in the European Trucking Industry: A Growing Threat to Supply Chain Resilience

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to uncover grey areas of modern slavery and to highlight the key challenges and opportunities of modern slavery and working conditions in European road transport. Under the increasing pressure on modern slavery in supply chains, supply chain managers and researchers have mainly focused on the focal firm and/or a buying firm without considering outsourced suppliers’ activities such as transportation and logistics. To close this gap in the existing literature, the paper presents insights from the transportation and logistics field in the European Union based on an explorative online survey. The results clearly indicate the existence of modern slavery in sub-tier supplier activities in European road transportation: Short-visa holding truck drivers from non-EU Eastern Europe countries are placed in vulnerable positions where they are exploited. To manage supplier risks relating to modern slavery and working conditions, focal firms and/or buying firms need to identify and remove modern slavery risks from supply chains. Opportunities exist for supply chain risk management and investment in modern slavery reduction. More empirical evidence and theory-driven research in supply chain management are needed to facilitate the understanding and managing modern slavery risks and to contribute to supply chain resilience.