Designing for Everyday Hygiene in Long-Haul Truck Cabins: Exploring Integrated in-Cabin Hygiene Solutions

Abstract

Long-haul truck drivers spend extended periods of time inside the truck cabin, which functions not only as a workplace but also as a temporary living environment. Despite the importance of everyday hygiene for health, comfort, and wellbeing, current truck cabins provide limited support for basic hygiene activities such as hand washing, face washing, and tooth brushing. Drivers therefore often rely on external facilities or improvised solutions, which may be inconvenient, unreliable, or perceived as unsafe. This thesis investigates how heavy-duty long-haul truck cabins can better support everyday hygiene routines through the integration of in-cabin hygiene solutions. A user-centred design approach was applied, combining literature studies, interviews, online ethnography, benchmarking, co-creation activities, prototyping, and user evaluations. The research explored drivers’ hygiene practices, challenges, and spatial constraints within the truck environment and translated these insights into design requirements and concept proposals. The findings indicate a clear need for accessible, reliable, and space-e!cient hygiene solutions within the cabin. Drivers frequently adapt their routines due to limited access to suitable facilities, while concerns related to cleanliness, convenience, privacy, and personal safety further increase the value of in-cabin alternatives. Three concept directions were developed and evaluated, highlighting di”erent approaches to balancing accessibility, ergonomics, spatial integration, and implementation feasibility. The evaluations showed that solutions requiring minimal setup and providing convenient access were generally preferred by participants. The project demonstrates that integrated hygiene solutions have the potential to reduce dependence on external facilities while improving comfort, convenience, and perceived safety for long-haul truck drivers. Furthermore, the results highlight hygiene as an under explored opportunity within truck cabin design and contribute knowledge regarding how future cabin environments can better support everyday life on the road.