I wanted to continue
writing about driver health issues this month but was beginning to
feel like I was flogging a dead horse. That isn't the case according
to the results of a recent Health & Wellness Survey of Transport
Truck Drivers conducted by the Department of Family Medicine at
McMaster University & City of Hamilton, Public Health Services.
According to the survey 33.1% of drivers say they are willing to
participate in Workplace Wellness programs on their own time. So a
large number of drivers recognize that the trucking lifestyle has a
negative impact on their health and they would like to do something
about it. As drivers we know that there is a huge divide between our
intention to live a healthier lifestyle and our ability to carry
through with that intention. I think most drivers would agree that
time is the limiting factor we all share. It's fair to say we simply
don't have enough of it. This point was driven home to me over the
course of the past week.
I left southwestern
Ontario last Saturday morning and headed up to Winnipeg/Brandon where
I peddled freight around all day Monday. Tuesday I reloaded down
around Fargo and was back at my home terminal early on Thursday.
Over 3,000 miles, 12 picks and drops along with the border crossings
makes for a busy week. My EOBR showed me either on duty or driving
for a total of 67 hours. Not any different than the 300,000 other
Canadian truck drivers doing the same thing as me. We do that week
in and week out right? You bet we do.
Waiting at the yard for
me was my car sitting on one very flat tire. Okay, I kept ignoring
that 'need new tires' item on my to do list and now I was forced into
crisis management mode. I also had a 'needs brake service', and
'needs emissions test for permit renewal' on that same list. At home
I had another list with items such as: 'trim cedar hedge around
backyard', 'fix slow leak (for now) on upstairs toilet', and let's
not forget 'meet deadline (today) for Truck News column'. There are
many other items I could add to these lists and I know that every
driver out there has lists just like them. Where does 'family time'
and 'leisure time' fit on those lists? What about 'exercise time'?
It's pretty easy to see why we call truck driving a lifestyle and not
a job or a career. When you drive a truck it becomes a part of who
you are not just what you do for a living.
Something else happened
last night that put all of that on the back burner. My daughter went
into labor with our first grandchild four weeks ahead of schedule.
SURPRISE!! Thankfully everything went smoothly, Mom and baby are
fine, healthy, and happy. Standing next to my daughter this morning
with Nate, my grandson, in my arms and my wife by my side, I
recognized that making the time to live a healthy lifestyle was about
my whole life not just about my physical well being.
When was the last time
anyone within our industry took the time to coach you on the benefits
of including your own time into your trip planning? Making sure that
you had time to sleep, to eat, to relax etc. Why don't we plan for
ourselves and in doing so still accommodate the needs of our
shippers, receivers, carriers, and enforcement agencies and they for
us (drivers) in their planning?
I've become involved
with a Transportation Industry Health Promotion Research and Policy
Planning Group which was created by the two organizations I mentioned
at the top of the column that are responsible for the driver survey
that kicked things off. I'm impressed with the passion, sincerity,
and genuine concern the members of the group have for improving the
quality of life for transport drivers. The thing that bothers me is
that of the 37 or so members that attended the first session I was
the only driver. Drivers are a very diverse group and greater
representation and participation is needed in order for the
professionals and academics that drive the group to make the best use
of their skills to help us improve the quality of our lives out here
on the road.
Too often we bitch and
complain after the fact about plans and policy’s that are put into
place for our benefit. Think of the hours of service rules and policy
regarding EOBR's. The intense research done prior to the
implementation of these policies was intended to benefit us not limit
us or control us. As drivers we too often sit back and allow things
to happen without participating in the process. I know it takes
time, of which we already have little to spare, but if we don't
actively participate in the process we are giving up the independence
that attracted most of us to this profession in the first place.
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