Truck Driver Health Concerns Lead to a Job Change for 1 in 5, Study Shows

New transportation industry study points to an increase in the driver shortage, including 21% who leave over truck driver health concerns.

Trucking Health and Wellness Resources Address Truck Driver Health Concerns

Based on a benchmark transportation report from employment screening company HireRight, 21% of drivers leaving for other jobs are doing so because of truck driver health concerns, on both a voluntary and involuntary basis.

While truck driver health concerns are a major contributor to drivers leaving for other jobs (and so exacerbate the on-going driver shortage), the study found that there is room for carriers and other companies that employ commercial truck drivers to provide additional health and wellness resources.

When study participants were asked what kind of health and wellness programs they offered truck drivers, they said:

• 45% had no programs at all
• 35% have safety and accident prevention programs
• 21% offer flu and immunization shots
• 18% provide wellness e-newsletters
• 18% offer smoking cessation programs
• 17% offer preventative health screenings
• 14% offer biometric screenings and risk assessments
• 13% provide wellness education and workshops
• 12% offer free access to nurse or health counselors
• 12% hold weight loss contests or programs
• 6% provide healthcare memberships with unlimited clinic visits

All interstate commercial truckers and bus drivers are required to pass a USDOT (United States Department of Transportation) medical exam every two years in order to obtain a valid medical certificate, maintain the CDL and legally operate a commercial motor vehicle. DOT medical examiners are specially certified, trained, and charged with the responsibility of ensuring “that a commercial driver does not have any medical condition which could impact that driver’s ability to meet all the physical and mental demands of the job, now or for the period for which the medical card will be issued.”

A 2014 NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) study found that 7 out of ten of the more than 1,600 drivers included in the study were obese and more than 50% were smokers. Among study participants, 88% were found to have at least on health risk factor for chronic disease (hypertension, smoking or obesity) compared to just 54% who have at least one risk factor for chronic disease among the working U.S. adult population as a whole.

Carriers and other truck driver employers can take advantage of these trucking industry health and wellness resources to raise awareness and develop programs to help keep more drivers behind the wheel.

10 Health and Wellness Resources for Truck Drivers, Carriers and Employers

Truck Driver Health and Wellness Internet Resources

1. Information that can help truck drivers prepare for a DOT physical can be found on OOIDA.com (Owner Operator Independent Driver Association).
2. http://www.drivinghealthy.org/ is a site filled with excellent resources owner operators and carriers can access in order to educate themselves, their drivers or develop their own in-house program. Fans can also stay in the know about new resources by following them on Twitter.
3. Carriers can reference the advice offered in 7 Tips for a Driver Wellness Program that Works on TruckingInfo.com to develop their own in-house program.
4. HNI Risk Services, a non-traditional insurance and business advisory agency has several truck driver health and wellness articles on its blog including this one: 5 Driver Wellness Program Ideas that Actually Work.

Truck Driver Health and Wellness Blogs

5. www.thehealthytrucker.net is a blog filled with articles on truck driver health and wellness topics, including food ideas, truck driver exercises, money saving tips and relationship advice.
6. You’ll have to dig a little to find the articles, but there are many truck driver health and wellness tips to be found on the blog at smart-trucking.com.

Truck Driver Health and Wellness Events

7. The Landstar Health and Wellness Pavilion will offer free screenings along with cooking, fitness and education demonstrations at The Great American Trucking Show in Dallas TX.

Truck Driver Health and Wellness Employer Programs

8. http://truckdrivershealth.org/ offers programs for carriers and manufacturers that specializes in helping employers develop health and wellness programs.
9. You can find driver-designed health and wellness programs at http://rollingstrong.com/tca-wellness/. Rolling Strong is a program offered by the Truckload Carriers Association (TCA) to members and carriers committed to driver welfare with expertise and resources that can be leveraged to design comprehensive in-house driver health and wellness programs.
10. Learn by example! Melton Truck Lines of Tulsa, OK has a comprehensive health and wellness program for its drivers, including a 77,000 square foot health and fitness area with equipment, lockers, exercise classes, walking and jogging trail and workout stations. The facility also houses a restaurant called Fuel Café that provides healthy meal options and an on-site medical clinic.

You might also like: 8 Reasons Why Truck Drivers are Leaving the Industry

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