It's 5am at the depot. You're loading your van and you notice a fellow driver who seems off. Slurred speech, unsteady on their feet, smell of alcohol, bloodshot eyes, or just behaving in a way that's clearly not right. Maybe they were out last night and they're still affected. Maybe it's something else. Either way, this person is about to get behind the wheel of a 3.5-tonne van and drive through suburban streets where kids walk to school. This is not a situation you can ignore.
Why You Have to Act
This isn't about being a snitch or getting someone in trouble. An impaired driver is a genuine danger — to themselves, to other road users, to pedestrians, and to your company. According to Safe Work Australia drugs and alcohol in the workplace, employers and workers both have obligations around drugs and alcohol in the workplace. A worker who is impaired by drugs or alcohol is not fit for work, and allowing them to drive is a breach of workplace health and safety law.
If that driver causes an accident and it later comes out that you knew they were impaired and said nothing, you could face questions about why you didn't act. It's not your job to police your coworkers — but it is everyone's responsibility to prevent foreseeable harm.
Think about it this way: if that person kills a pedestrian on their run today, and you knew they were drunk when they left the depot, how do you live with that? The discomfort of speaking up is nothing compared to that outcome.
What to Do
Don't confront them directly. An impaired person may be aggressive, defensive, or unpredictable. Confronting them in front of other people can escalate the situation. Your job isn't to diagnose them or accuse them — it's to report what you've observed.
Tell your supervisor immediately. Pull your supervisor aside and describe what you've seen factually: "I've noticed [name] seems unsteady, their speech is slurred, and I can smell alcohol." Let the supervisor handle it from there. They're trained for this and it's their responsibility to act.
If no supervisor is available: Call the depot manager or the company's safety hotline. Most courier companies have a process for exactly this situation. If you genuinely believe someone is about to drive impaired and nobody in management is available, you can call the police non-emergency line. They take drink-driving reports seriously.
Document what you saw. Write down the time, what you observed, and who you reported it to. If the situation is ever investigated, your written record protects you and confirms you did the right thing.
Don't discuss it with other drivers. Gossip doesn't help the situation and could expose you to accusations of defamation. Report it to management and let them handle the process. You've done your part by speaking up.