A truck driver\u2019s job requires a high level of safety and sharpness, which is why it is essential that truck drivers can get a good night\u2019s sleep on a regular basis. And yet, getting regular, quality sleep is one of the biggest challenges that a truck driver faces. Because the job facing a truck driver is so critical, sleep, sleep apnea, and health and wellness have been highly-studied topics over the past quarter-century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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When a truck driver is hauling goods, they are doing more\nthan just ensuring the consistency of the supply chain, they are responsible\nfor ensuring the safety of themselves and those around them on the nation\u2019s\nroads and highways. Many would be shocked to hear how difficult it actually is\nfor a truck driver to get a good, solid night\u2019s sleep considering how important\ntheir job is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What happens when a truck driver is unable to sleep well?\nTheir mood changes, their ability to focus diminishes, and even motor skills\ncan suffer; all of which are mental health aspects that a truck driver must be\nable to rely upon. And it is not only mental health that suffers. A lack of\ngood sleep can have a major impact on physical health as well. Irregular sleep\npatterns have been tied to everything from weight gain and cardiovascular\ndisease to hypertension and obesity. When we consider that this is an ongoing\nproblem for truck drivers, it isn\u2019t hard to see it turning into a major crisis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only do some truck driver suffer from a lack of quality\nsleep, they must contend with noisy truck stops, stiff or otherwise\nuncomfortable mattresses, camped cabs, and an \u201con the road\u201d lifestyle that does\nnot create a healthy paradigm. Spending so much time out on the road does\nnothing to improve the sleeping lot of truck drivers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The question now is this: If getting a regular night\u2019s sleep\nis such a big challenge \u2013 for long-haul truckers, especially \u2013 then what is the\nindustry doing about it? Furthermore, what can individuals do about it to improve\ntheir own lot? While it is important that fleets themselves put a lot of\nthought and effort into this matter, individual operators must also make\nspecific life changes to ensure they are getting the rest they need. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are many ways that drivers can improve their sleep\nquality and there are many things the trucking industry can do to focus on this\ntopic. Motor carriers must support their people in ensuring they are supporting\nthe cause of a restful sleep and offering support and resources to their truck\ndrivers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Improving Physical Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact is this: A better mattress equals better sleep. Ask\ntruck drivers and many will tell you that truck sleepers are uncomfortable and\nthe mattresses within them of poor quality. But trucking companies do not have\nto do much to improve a truck driver\u2019s lot within the cab. Something as simple\nas a 3- to 6-inch memory foam pad or high-quality mattress cover can make all\nthe difference in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fleets should either provide a better mattress or pad option\nto their truck drivers or offer their truck drivers a payment plan or other\nincentive to acquire them themselves. The important thing is that fleet\nmanagement does not saddle their people with uncomfortable or otherwise\ninadequate equipment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Improving physical resources also encompasses the truck\nitself. While most fleets are very conscientious about purchasing new and\nergonomically-enhances vehicles, many fleet drivers still suffer from poor\nequipment choices, whether it be through old trucks, long worn-out seats in\ncabs, or cab equipment that breaks down or is unreliable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Truck drivers spend a lot of time in their vehicle and it is\nup to their employers to ensure their vehicles meets all the latest safety\nstandards while also providing them with a comfortable environment to get the\njob done. The truck is a truck driver\u2019s office, and much like corporate outfits\nstock their offices with ergonomic chairs and other comfort and wellness\namenities, trucking companies must do the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on Health\nand Wellness<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the big problems truck drivers face is a lack of\nmovement, and trucking is not the only profession where truck drivers face this\nproblem. Drivers must get out and move more, keep their circulation going, and\nprevent blood clots. The more someone moves throughout their day, the more\nmelatonin their body produces, which then creates a better, deeper level of\nsleep; individuals simply sleep better and stay asleep longer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The more one moves and exercises (which is another area where companies must put their focus), the better able a body is to recover from the stresses of the day. Motor carriers have responded by installing amenities such as gyms and truck driver wellness programs, but still, not enough is being done on an industry-wide basis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n Truck drivers must be encouraged to stretch several times a\nday, take walks whenever possible, and even do limited exercises such as\nsquats. They must also be encouraged to stay active on days they are off the\nclock and at home. In many cases, all they need is someone teaching them how to\nmake healthy changes, and this is where their fleet comes in. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Focusing on proper health and wellness is not just about\nstaying active. Diet is also incredibly important. Truck drivers must be taught\nhow to reduce or eliminate caffeine, especially during the six hours before\nthey go to bed. What many don\u2019t know is that caffeine inhibits the production\nof melatonin. So, even though a truck driver may be able to fall asleep some\ntime after drinking a cup of coffee or soda, the sleep will be less restful and\ndeep. Truck drivers should limit their caffeine intake to no more than 60mg per\nday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking of soda, truck drivers should avoid it. Rather than\neating processed foods and drinking Mountain Dew, individuals need to eat whole\nfoods, fruit, and vegetables, and take a high-quality multi-vitamin, which will\ngive the body plenty of energy without the need for caffeine. Putting programs\nin place that encourage drivers to eat well goes a long way to securing their\nhealth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n And while many truck drivers may scoff at the idea of using\nrelaxing music to meditate or help them fall asleep, research proves that\ncertain types of meditation help people fall asleep. Furthermore, they achieve\ndeeper, more restful levels of sleep. Fleets can find a variety of these\nsolutions on YouTube or through mobile apps. <\/p>\n\n\n\n With sleep apnea being such a large problem for truck\ndrivers \u2013 with one study showing it affects up to 28% of all professional\ntruckers on the road today \u2013 trucking companies must do more to address\nobstructive sleep problems. They can do this through education programs that\nencourage truck drivers to get tested and offer access to CPAP machines should\nthey need it. Ask any truck driver with sleep apnea how much a CPAP machine has\nimproved their quality of life and the vast majority will swear by it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Looking Beyond Sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n If there is one thing that impacts drivers more than sleep,\nit is stress. And there may not be any workforce that deals with more stress on\nan ongoing basis than OTR truckers. Yet, it does not need to be this way. Of\ncourse, stress is an everyday reality and a part of life, but fleets that go\nout of their way to help their truck drivers manage stress reap big rewards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n While a certain level of stress is beneficial to one\u2019s health,\nongoing or high levels of stress has a negative impact on one\u2019s health. Stress\nimpacts an individual\u2019s ability to get quality sleep, reduces mental focus and\nacuity, and contributes to major physical illness. For those who have\npreexisting conditions, stress can exacerbate already complex health issues. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Truckers face potential stress factors from all angles. Whether it be family and relationship stress, dealing with bad weather, truck breakdowns, irregular sleep patterns, problems at the dock, or otherwise, there are no shortage of ways a trucker can quickly get stressed out. Chronic stress of this nature also increases accident risk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, the FMCSA completed a Large Truck Crash Causation\nStudy, which reviewed 141,000 trucking accidents over a three-year period and\nfound that a truck driver feeling pressured resulted in 16% of crashes. Fatigue\ncaused by chronic stress was responsible for another 18% of crashes. Stress can\nbe a major safety issue for truckers, and it is something that should be addressed\nat the management level.\n\nBeing proactive about managing stress and\nfiguring out ways your organization can help truck drivers reduce stress and\nimprove their levels of quality sleep does more than just lead to happy\nemployees, it leads to less accidents and a better safety record. Investing in\nsolutions that mitigate these problems should not be viewed \n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"