Martin Kjær Jensen started working as a driver and lost 20kg

The driver Martin does not recognise the image of a driver as being unhealthy and his work is certainly not sedentary.

- I don’t sit a lot, since I pick up and deliver goods at our customers several times a day. I typically walk between 20,000 and 30,000 steps during a day. In my previous job as a bus driver, I rarely made it to 1,000 steps, so my everyday life has changed radically. I have lost 20kg just by changing jobs and becoming a lorry driver, Martin says.

During the covid-19 pandemic, Martin unfortunately lost his job as a bus driver, so when he was offered the opportunity to retrain and become a lorry driver, Martin said yes. However, he was a bit worried about the working hours, since his wife works as a kindergarten teacher with varying working hours.

- I was worried that the job as a lorry driver wouldn’t be compatible with my family life. My wife works as a kindergarten teacher and I therefore sometimes have to take my children to daycare or pick them up again. Luckily, my employer Ø.S.G., part of Danske Fragtmænd, is flexible and so far it works out fine with a little help from the grandparents.

The poor image of the transport industry means that only few young people choose to work within the industry, which Martin finds a shame.

- Working for Ø.S.G. and within the transport industry is just great. I have nice and fun colleagues and I get to talk to a lot of friendly people during my working day. And I even have my own office, where only one guy is in charge. I highly recommend the job as lorry driver. It has changed my life, and especially my health has improved. I no longer carry around those extra 20kg.

Martin’s employer, Henrik Herum, would as co-owner of Ø.S.G. wish for more young people to see the possibilities offered by the transport industry. For some, a driver's license to drive a big lorry would probably be better than a small high school certificate.

- Not everyone is suitable for sitting in front of a computer all day long. Some people thrive better in a physical and outgoing job with customer contact - and that’s just what the job as driver offers. We therefore spend a great deal of time visiting local educational fairs to attract young people before they make their educational choice. However, we also welcome adult trainees. In fact, we just employed five of them, says Henrik Herum.

The transport industry is currently in need of drivers and the future does not look very bright in this respect. The area therefore requires focus in order for transport companies to get the necessary manpower required for future demands.

- We do currently not need employees, but a lot of our drivers are older. If we don’t start educating new drivers, there will be no one to take over once they retire, Henrik concludes.

ØSG has a total of ten trainees and the company expects to employ more within the next few years.