Bob Perry, an advocate for truck drivers, recounted his father’s 45-year career as a professional truck driver, sharing that upon retirement, he acquired what Perry humorously labels the “professional truck driver health care package”: a combination of high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and diabetes. Each year, the trucking industry witnesses the departure of over 300,000 drivers due to health issues, ranging from the extreme scenario of fatalities to the more prevalent situation of losing their health credentials after failing a DOT physical.
“It does take a toll on you,” said Perry, president of Health in Transportation.
Health is a prominent concern for drivers, per Commercial Carrier Journal’s (CCJ) in-depth report. Health secured the second position in their worries. Surveying over 800 leased owner-operators and company drivers, CCJ found that 22% considered health their foremost concern, 17% ranked it as their second-biggest concern, and 11% placed it in the third spot. Interestingly, company drivers exhibited a higher level of concern, with 25% ranking it as their top concern, compared to 17% of owner-operators.
When drivers were asked about the least favorable aspect of their job, 6% highlighted the adverse impact on their health, with this percentage increasing in correlation with the driver’s age.
“The CDC says it pretty clearly is a very unhealthy population and mainly because of the regulation of the job, all the time living on the road, no access to good food, no form of exercise,” etc. Perry said.
Many drivers commented on the regulatory aspect of truck driving, emphasizing its effects on health. One driver mentioned that regulations disrupt circadian rhythms, suggesting that drive time should be tailored to individual health and capabilities. Another driver criticized the 14-hour rule, asserting that it leads to driving in a fatigued or drowsy state.
“ELD particularly forces one to push harder to maintain productivity; the proposed speed limiter reg will increase pressure to wring every possible mile out of every possible minute,” another driver commented. “Hardly a recipe for a relaxed, patient approach to maintaining public safety and getting from point A to point B.”
Regulated long driving hours not only impact a driver’s physical health, manifesting in a lack of movement, limited physical activity, and restricted access to healthy food options but also affect their mental well-being. The stress of meeting productivity goals while ensuring safety isolates drivers from social interaction.
These negative health effects have a cascading impact on a company’s financials, influencing health insurance premiums, elevating accident risks, and amplifying the costs associated with driver turnover and recruitment, but an increasing number of trucking companies are recognizing the critical importance of driver health in light of these challenges.
“Carriers are caring more about this than they ever have before,” said Andy Vanzant, COO at Gulf Relay in Mississippi.
Source: Commercial Carrier Journal
