October 1, 2024
Prioritizing Driver Wellness: Creating a Healthy Fleet Utilizing a Driver Wellness Program
Tosha Missel, PacLease Senior Marketing Specialist
Driver wellness is critical for any fleet. Maintaining the health and well-being of drivers not only benefits them personally but also has positive impacts on the business and boosts customer satisfaction. It's encouraging to seethe growing adoption of wellness programs within fleets has increased over the years. According to the NPTC Benchmarking Survey Report, 74% of surveyed fleets had a wellness program in 2023, up from63% in 2015. This upward trend indicates that fleet operators recognize the importance of prioritizing driver wellness and are taking proactive steps to implement wellness programs within their organizations.
Exercise
Staying active can be difficult when you are on the road for long hours. Take a few laps around your rig to stretch your legs when parked at a rest stop or even go for a short run. If you are limited on time, practicing some mindful stretching can also be helpful.
Eat Right
Being on the road sometimes means frequenting fast-food places or restaurants. Maintaining a well-balanced diet is important for your health. Be mindful of hidden calories, sugars, and excessive salt intake. Look for foods that are dense in nutrition, they tend to have more vitamins and minerals.
Be sure to follow the USDA dietary guidelines by including the following into your diet:
- 8 glasses of water a day or more
- Vegetables of all types
- Fruits
- Grains (half of which should be whole grains)
- Dairy and/or lactose-free versions and/or fortified soy beverages as alternatives
- Protein (lean meats, poultry, eggs, seafood, beans, peas, lentils, nuts, seeds, and soy products)
- Oils (vegetable oils and oils in food)
Sleep
Make sure you get sufficient sleep each night. It is recommended by the CDC to get at least 7 hours or more of quality sleep.
Mental Health
Spending long hours or days alone on the road can be tiring, so it’s important to take care of your mental health. Stay social, connect with family and friends when you have down time. Thanks to modern technology, it is easier now than ever to stay in touch. Gone are the days of pay phones and pagers; now through our connected devices, video chatting applications make connecting with family so much easier, just make sure not to video chat while on the road!
Wellness Checks – Stay Current
Your health is important. Many Americans only schedule an appointment with a care provider when something is wrong. Remember to take care of yourself with preventative care measures.
Implementing a Driver Wellness Program
The FMCSA offers voluntary guidelines to help fleet management companies promote wellness and improve the overall safety of their drivers. These guidelines are not intended to create new regulatory requirements, but rather highlight key areas where all drivers (no matter the size or type of fleet) can benefit from a healthy lifestyle. The FMCSA encourages fleet managers to use these guidelines as a springboard for developing their own programs that best fit the needs of their organization and drivers.
To be effective, any driver wellness program should include:
- A formalized program that is easily understood by drivers
- Adequate resources available to support the driver wellness program
- Periodic review and updates of the driver wellness program
It has been reported that fleets that implement driver wellness programs have seen reduced accident rates, reduced injury rates, improved driver retention and a more positive driver morale. Additionally, driver wellness programs have been shown to have a significant impact on medical costs. Studies show that implementing a wellness program may result in:
- Improved driver health
- Improved driver safety
- Improved driver wellness
What are you waiting for? Set the tone of a healthy lifestyle. Keep your drivers healthy by providing the additional support of a wellness program.
For more information from the CDC on employee wellness:
https://www.cdc.gov/workplace-health-promotion/php/resource-center/index.html
Dietary Guidelines for America:
Hours of sleep recommended by age from the CDC: