OTA Dispatch Issue 4, 2021

36 Oregon Trucking Associations, Inc. Oregon Truck Dispatch Driver Wellness Not Just a COVID Concern By AdamWilliamson, OTA’s Director of Training & Development THE LAST TWO years have seen an unprecedented level of attention given to the subject of health and wellness across all industries. The main driver of this focus has undoubtedly been the COVID-19 pandemic which has been a game changer for all things business related. The likely result of this chaotic period is that the way employers approach protecting the health of their employees has changed permanently. With respect to trucking and drivers specifically, this increased attention on health and wellness is arguably overdue. A 2014 National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety study of long-haul truck drivers identified 69% of participating drivers as obese (more than 50% higher than the average rates observed in other industries). In the same study, over 80% of drivers were found to have at least one high risk factor for chronic disease (also nearly 30% above rates seen in other industries). These factors are commonly associated with heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and sleep apnea. Depending on which study you look at, the average life expectancy of truck drivers is 10 to 15 years less than the general population. These are staggering numbers that simply cannot be ignored. When considering the largely sedentary nature of driving coupled with limited food options and increased stress levels associated with over-the-road trucking, these numbers are really not that surprising. The question is, what can be done to improve the situation? Historically, there have been efforts to curb this problematic trend. The long-standing medical certification requirements have served to disqualify drivers with more extreme or advanced medical conditions that present safety concerns (offering significant incentive for drivers to at least monitor their health in an ongoing way if they want to keep their CDLs). The current Entry Level Driver Training rule—which has been in effect for several years now— requires drivers with less than one year of experience to undergo training on four essential topics including driver wellness. The obvious intention with this mandatory education is that incoming drivers will be given an opportunity to make better decisions early on that can lead to an improved quality of life. While these measures are a start, there is much work left to be done. Reversing these trends will take a higher level of commitment from both carriers and the drivers themselves. We will have to move beyond the compliance level and look to best practices. If there is anything good that has come out of this recent pandemic, it would have to be that it has made all of us more aware of health concerns in general. The importance of a generally healthy lifestyle contributes greatly to an individual’s ability to withstand a COVID infection (severe cases of the disease are overwhelmingly associated with secondary health conditions like obesity, diabetes, etc.). Good health also provides reasonable levels of immunity to rising insurance premiums and claims. Perhaps for the first time in recent memory, the trucking industry is primed to take a fresh approach to health and wellness that can change the historical trend that has dominated for years. If your organization needs more resources to support drivers interested in living a healthy lifestyle, feel free to reach out to OTA for more information. SAFETY