Retaining Drivers Via Health Programs

In these days of driver shortage, retaining drivers is extremely important.

One area of loss is through health issues that disqualify drivers. Bob Perry, president and founder of Rolling Strong, a firm specializing in improving driver health, says the trucking industry has lost more than 150,000 drivers because of medical reasons since the National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners was established in May 2014. That’s a lot of drivers.

Truckload Carriers Association (TCA), partnering with Rolling Strong, began a program in January, 2016, to help drivers with health.

“The studies are alarming…drivers are gaining weight, not exercising much, and developing serious problems like sleep apnea and diabetes,” said Keith Tuttle, TCA’s chairman. “This, in turn, undermines their ability to work, meaning less money to provide for their families. From the trucking industry’s standpoint, it means fewer drivers and more recruitment costs. We see Rolling Strong as an innovative solution; their approach not only boosts driver health and fosters driver-retention, but also delivers an unprecedented return on investment for users.”

Some of the things cited by TCA and Rolling Strong:

• Trucking companies need to set a good example by providing healthier foods at their terminals and locations.
• Some drivers don’t even have a doctor. They need help when problems strike. Telling a driver to go home and return when a problem is solved is inadequate.
• Firms need to demonstrate to their drivers that they care about their health. Education will help.

Read more about this issue in an article entitled Driver Health a Key Component of Mitigating Driver Shortage, TCA Says.