I’m not a health nut. But I am a pretty fit guy and do some form of exercise 3-5 days a week. However, I love to eat awesome food and the most awesome foods I’ve ever come across usually aren’t the most nutritious for you.
But I know that to enjoy some meals like that every now and then and stay healthy for my family, I have to exercise and stay away from too many bad habits. As a result, I feel energized on a daily basis and am able to deal with the stresses of life we all face.
Transport Topics reported this past January on the CDC release of a survey that found 70% of longhaul truck drivers obese, 50% smoke and 14% have diabetes. The obesity and smoking alone was more than twice the rate of the general population. The study also found that 15% of the drivers surveyed showed some signs of sleep apnea, while 59% had some respiratory disturbance. And 34% of drivers admitted to nodding off or falling asleep while driving and 7% admitting to being drowsy every day.
Some within trucking industry advocate groups question whether driver health and fitness is really a safety issue that FMCSA should be concerning itself with. Rob Abbott with ATA stated “this very question played out in the hours-of-service rulemaking when the agency used presumed driver health benefits, not substantial safety benefits, to justify the rule change.”
Personally, I completely disagree. AND LET ME BE CLEAR…I do not agree that the HOS reg needed to be changed to begin with and think the FMCSA based the change on unreliable science. In my humble opinion, driver fatigue is not an hours-worked problem or even a problem of whether drivers are getting enough sleep. I believe that the majority of fatigue is resulting from overall driver health. Sure adequate sleep is important to not falling asleep at the wheel. But that is a drop in the bucket to the overall fatigue problem that is going on if you ask me.
I always love when someone I haven’t seen in a while tells me “you look good” because I get to respond with the wisecrack of “well I feel good!” But frankly it’s true. When you take care of yourself, even with minimal exercise and nominally healthy eating, you will feel better.
Many companies are fighting the driver health problem too. This year, Celadon, Con-way and Prime Inc. were recognized for their efforts in improving the health of their drivers by offering health and diet counseling and exercise facilities to their drivers. The companies have realized that keeping drivers healthy makes the drivers safer operators. And while not recognized, Melton Truck Lines is right there with them in fighting this fight. While these companies have no reason to know this, I have been following and keeping up with what they are doing for their drivers. I believe in being healthy and keeping your body a well-oiled machine. And I admire what these companies are striving for.
My Thoughts:
Typically, sleep apnea, or even just poor sleep generally, is a result of poor health and obesity. Not always, but for the most part it is the root cause. And when you’re unhealthy and suffer from sleep disturbance, well, you don’t sleep well and aren’t rested.
FMCSA has stated that a rulemaking effort on obstructive sleep apnea may be in the cards for 2014 or 2015. I don’t know what will happen or even what should happen. I admit this is a hairy issue and I am not a fan of increased regulation. But I am a fan of safety and defending safe companies and drivers.
With recent changes to med certification, companies taking steps to improve driver health, and accidents involving driver fatigue, it seems to me that we may have a perfect storm in the making to see some sort of extensive driver health regulations in the near future.
What do you think?
This blog was originally posted on August 6 on Loaded Up and Trucking. Click here to read the original entry.
