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How Can Trucking Companies Improve the Overall Health of Drivers?

 

How Can Trucking Companies Improve the Overall Health of Drivers Mother Trucker Yoga Blog

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If your trucking company wants better employee productivity and performance, it’s time to focus on your drivers’ overall health. Researchers from the NIHR in Leicester revealed that drivers’ average BMI and waist circumference are higher than normal levels. Since most drivers pursue sedentary lifestyles, they are at a higher risk of diabetes and metabolic syndrome.

 

Unfortunately, the researchers also discovered that truck drivers suffer from poor mental health. It was highlighted that US truck drivers have higher levels of anxiety and depression than the average worker, thus increasing their likelihood of experiencing collisions on the road.

 

Given these dire health conditions, you need to start supporting the wellness of your employees. To start, here’s how your trucking company can improve the overall health of your drivers:

 

Digital Fitness Programs

 

Many truck drivers drive long distances for many hours, so it’s much easier to catch up on sleep than hit the gym. Unfortunately, when this happens, drivers’ physical and mental health can suffer.

 

Trucking companies can put a stop to their drivers’ sedentary lifestyles by making it easier for the employees to exercise. Our article on the ‘Benefits of Yoga for Travel’ highlights that mind and body exercise can be practiced everywhere through the guidance of digital platforms and books. Through these accessible yoga resources, drivers can do a quick yoga routine to improve their body’s circulation and relieve any pain, then hop back on their trucks to continue their drives.

 

Virtual Care Services

 

Truck drivers have a higher risk for physical and mental illnesses, so it’s crucial to boost their access to medical services. But since truck drivers travel to numerous locations, it’s easier for them to connect with telehealth professionals than in-office physicians.

 

Since trucking companies need to provide on-demand healthcare services for drivers on the go, the telehealth platform Wheel illustrates how companies can customize virtual care services for their employee benefits program. A customizable healthcare solution allows companies to achieve up to 70% savings while allowing their drivers to benefit from primary care, behavioral health, and diagnostics services in one solution. By boosting the accessibility of healthcare services, your company can ensure your drivers get effective, timely care.

 

Regular Sleep Disorder Screening

 

Truck drivers also have a high risk for sleep apnea. This sleep disorder interferes with the quality of their rest, and drivers with sleep apnea may experience daily memory issues and daytime fatigue, which can lead to accidents.

 

Recognizing the hazards of sleep apnea, the chief medical officer at the National Transportation Safety Board recommends that all transportation operators must be screened and diagnosed for sleep apnea. Companies must also provide flexibility with the screening and treatments for this sleep disorder so that it’s easier for drivers to get the help they need.

 

Nutrition Education

 

Many truck drivers also struggle to maintain a healthy weight because of the lack of nutritious food options on the road. Long-distance truck driver Carlos Soto explains that he had to make a significant effort to fit a healthier diet into his lifestyle. Rather than relying on convenient, fast food, he preps his meals and brings a supply of healthy snacks for his shifts.

 

Similarly, companies can encourage truck drivers to consume a nutritious diet by providing educational programs. Truck drivers need to learn how to prepare nutritious meals to bring healthy meals for their long drives instead of resorting to fast food.

 

Due to the nature of trucking, truck drivers may pick up unhealthy habits on the road. By making it easier to pursue a healthy lifestyle, trucking companies can reduce the occupational hazards that come with the job.

 Can’t Sleep? Top 3 strategies for better sleep for truck driver health 

 Are you getting enough sleep at night? Do you have trouble staying focused during the day? Not having quality sleep can result in worsened health, and it’s as simple as it sounds. Your cognitive functions, ability to stay alert, assess situations, and handle stress are health qualities that are important in many professions, especially truck driver health and those who have long stressful work shifts. So if you’re suffering through bad nights of sleep, we’ve got you covered with our three strategies for better sleep for truck driver health.

Top 3 strategies for better sleep for truck driver health 

  1. Enforce a sleep schedule.

Your brain requires 7-8 hours of sleep to perform its duties efficiently. Usually, you wouldn’t need more than 8 hours in bed to be fully recharged and ready to go. So how do I enforce a sleep schedule on myself for truck driver health

Now for a person with a typical job, I recommend that they go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. However, if you are a truck driver working long late-night hours, these naps are necessary to cover your sleep debt. Try to minimize the time difference on weekends so your body can get used to a consistent and healthy sleep-wake cycle. Eliminate daytime naps as they interfere with your sleep cycles and impact overall agility. 

I understand the above might not work for most drivers. So you have to get creative and try to find some consistency. If your driver time is all over the place, what about your sleep schedule can you be consistent with. Not having screen time 15 – 30 minutes before bed, exercising and getting movement in, not eating a heavy meal before bed, and listening to a relaxing meditation help you relax before bed. Aromatherapy to relax, all of these things can help you get the sleep you need despite your erratic schedule.

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Pay attention to what you eat and drink.

Here’s the thing: your body has an intimate relationship with everything you eat and drink, so no wonder these habits may leave you restless throughout the night. It would help if you didn’t go to bed hungry or stuffed. 

Avoid having heavy meals right before bedtime as the discomfort may keep you up. Having a snack before rest is wonderful, so long as you are away from highly energizing meals or meals with foods that require a lot of digestion power.

Here are eight foods and drinks to consider before bed if you need that quick snack:

  1. Almonds.
  2. Turkey. Turkey is delicious and nutritious.
  3. Chamomile tea.
  4. Kiwi.
  5. Tart cherry juice.
  6. Fatty fish.
  7. Walnuts.
  8. Passionflower tea.

As for drinks: alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine are not your friends. Stay away from beverages that include any of these if you want to have a good night of sleep. Alcohol may leave you feeling drowsy but will disturb you later in the night. Alcohol can also lead to weight gain, other health issues, and other truck driver health issues. Consider drinking in moderation and never when it would cause problems while out on the road. 

 Nicotine is a stimulant, much like caffeine, and will keep you awake when your body heavily needs sleep. You may want to remember that cigarettes introduce nicotine to your system and keep you awake. If you can’t fall asleep, look at your smoking habits. 

Create a calming environment

Here’s the strategy that will certainly help you wind down before bed. Turn off light-emitting devices like phones and TVs at least an hour before the time you intend to sleep. Create an ideal space for sleeping soundly. 

Pick up reading, writing in journals, taking a bath, or listening to calm music with earbuds to relieve stress. The blue light emitted from these disrupts the sleep-wake cycle of the brain. This is important to note as a truck driver’s health is tied to stressful environments.

Every driver needs to find time to take a break, even if it’s a mini-break, to refuel and recharge your body and mind.

Light some scented candles for relaxing effects or leave the room pitch black, whatever fits you best. Make sure your room is the right temperature and comfortable. Don’t lie in bed awake if you can’t sleep within the next twenty minutes. Read or listen to slow sleep-inducing music until you’re fast asleep.

Conclusion:

We have crafted this blog just for you, and if you follow the strategies we’ve mentioned above, you will achieve an A1 truck driver’s health, especially in terms of sleep. With these three strategies for better sleep, you will experience a change; you’ll find yourself at peace and better equipped to do your truck driving duties.

 

Better sleep for truck driver health is essential and within reach for any driver with just one of the strategies above. But if you are looking for more sleep strategies, support, and driver wellness help, check out our NEW Mother Trucker Yoga LIFESTYLE JUMPSTART Membership Platform & APP. 

You can join for 30 days FREE using the code: MTY30

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How To Deal With A Vehicle Accident: Helpful Tips For New Drivers

What do you do when your vehicle gets into an accident? Knowing the best course of action can be challenging, whether it’s a fender bender or more serious. Here are some helpful tips that will keep you safe and protect your vehicle.

Stay Calm And Assess The Situation

It’s easy to get nervous when in a car accident, but you must stay calm and assess your situation before moving. This will ensure that no one gets injured or damages their vehicle needlessly.

Get To Safety

If you are in a severe accident, it’s essential to get yourself and anyone else involved out of the way of any oncoming traffic. If your vehicle is still operational, move it somewhere safe so that no one gets hit by another driver who might not be paying attention or be impaired.

Call Emergency Services

Even if only minor injuries, always call for help when an incident happens with your car. An ambulance will come along with police officers to take statements from everyone involved about what happened before sending them home safely.

It is also possible that someone else was injured more seriously than they let on at first, which means calling emergency services can save lives! This is especially true if both parties were responsible for causing the crash because then nobody would be helping those who need it most.

Call Your Insurer And Call A Lawyer

If you were involved in the accident and caused damage to someone else’s property (including their vehicle), then your insurance company will be getting a call shortly! It is always best that all relevant information about what happened gets passed along as soon as possible so that everybody has an accurate picture of how things occurred. This way, there won’t be any confusion later on if something like liability needs to get sorted out before repairs can begin. Insurance companies are known for playing hardball when they feel they have been wronged by customers making claims against them. With this knowledge at hand, though, drivers can ensure that everything goes smoothly and that both parties feel satisfied with the result.

Many people overlook calling a lawyer as soon as an accident happens, but this is actually one of the most important parts of dealing with your insurance company and any other drivers involved in the incident. Even if you do not think that there was anything negligent about what happened on your part, it’s still worth consulting the best legal representation who can help protect your best interests and guide you through all of the steps to take once an auto accident occurs.

Accidents are scary situations for many people because they often involve unknown or unforeseeable circumstances, which can put anyone at risk of being taken advantage of by others looking to make some easy cash from someone else’s mistake! Calling a lawyer right away helps ensure that no matter how complicated things get within the first hours after an accident, somebody will always be there looking out for you.

Gather Evidence And Take Photos

Even if it’s just a small fender bender, take photos of the damage done to both vehicles involved to present them as evidence when talking with your insurance company or any other drivers who might have been at fault. Make sure that nothing gets moved around until after all necessary pictures are taken so that no one’s story about what happened becomes muddled while trying to piece together what occurred before police officers arrive on the scene (if they do). This is important because once someone moves something from its original place, it can make figuring out where everything should go much more difficult later down the line! Remember, though. It is always best to leave anything that could be considered a piece of evidence alone until the police arrive on the scene or you have been instructed by them otherwise.

In this blog post, we went over what exactly happens when an accident occurs and how important it is for new drivers, in particular, to follow these steps carefully if they end up being involved in any vehicle crash! Even though there are several legalities at play here which might seem daunting at first glance, the most important thing about dealing with auto accidents involving other people’s property (including their vehicles) can come down to simply following orders from your insurance company about what needs to be done next. Keeping calm under pressure will help ensure things go smoothly without too much stress getting in the way of the best possible outcome for all parties involved.

And always remember, if you work for a company, reach out and gain clarity on the policies and procedures that they have in place for their drivers to ensure you have done everything you need to do to ensure the best possible outcome despite the accident.

 

4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have

Corporate wellness is not only essential for the trucking industry, it’s what can help change it for the better!

Without truck drivers, where would our economy be? And those drivers need well-maintained trucks to get where they need to go. But what about well-maintained drivers?

Does your company offer a quality trucking corporate wellness program that you and your fellow drivers can actually use in your everyday life?

After nearly 20 years of working with people just like you with mental health, physical health, and lifestyle improvements, I’ve learned the right strategies you need to improve your life, not just your fitness regimen. There are so many programs out there, but how do you know what your company needs? How do you know what is right for your drivers? And even more importantly, how do you know once you invest what your drivers are actually doing?

4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have:

Moves that make sense.

Most fitness and wellness programs focus on strength building. But as you age, you lose 10% of your flexibility every decade, and when you aren’t moving your body, all the systems in your body aren’t flowing.

The content you are providing should be focusing on: lifestyle movements and enhancements, driver-focused movements, mini exercise sequences, and full-on workout programs. That way, everyone can get their needs met, and there is a track to continue moving forward.

You need a program that does more than strength training. You need a program that focuses on not just flexibility but mobility. Not just strength but stability. It would be best if you had them all. And that means you need more than just a resistance band or a set of hand weights. You need a program that looks at movement as an opportunity to improve your lifestyle, not just exercise more. And breaks them down into bite-size pieces that make sense for your driver for the long haul. As your trucking fitness company we strive to meet your drivers needs and yours as the owner as well.

 

Tracking & Reporting 

You can have the best driver wellness program (corporate wellness) available for your drivers, but without the proper tracking and reporting, how do you really know who is using it and if it’s working? When you have tracking that marks usage, login, and things like quizzes, checkpoints, and opportunities for drivers to show you they are applying what they are learning, you have healthier drivers and a program that works. Plus, that means you have data to provide to your insurance provider for discounts and kickbacks.

4 Things Your Trucking Corporate Wellness Program Needs to Have: Reporting Mother Trucker Yoga

Community 

How is it that the drivers communicate with other drivers? How do they get their questions answered? You want to make sure the program you implement offers a community. Corporate wellness isn’t anything new across industries, but many approaches like traditional fitness or traditional coaching. And you also need a space for the participants (drivers) to connect with their peers who want the same thing. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it should be a place where drivers can ask questions, share their experiences and get feedback. One-on-one coaching is good for some. But when you are working with drivers by the hundreds, why not allow those drivers to learn from each other, because if they have a question, dozens of others might too.

 

Certificates of Completion

Providing drivers with a certificate of completion that has met the standard for health and safety is essential. If your driver gets into an accident, they should have the appropriate paperwork showing they are doing all they can to improve their health. I learned a lot by applying, owning, and operating a state-approved vocational school for the state of Wisconsin, teaching yoga for more than nine years. After 20 years of training, certifying, and instructing both teachers of fitness and wellness and their students, I have learned a thing or two about what should be included and what works and what doesn’t work. It’s critical to not only track what you offer your clients and drivers, but they need to be able to track and be rewarded for it too.

 

To learn more about Mother Trucker Yoga’s Driver Wellness Program and Corporate opportunities,  and how Mother Trucker Yoga can become your trucking fitness company, visit our page for details, watch a short video, and book a call!

 

 

 

The Missing Link In A Safety Check

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More trucking companies are tuning in to incorporate a driver wellness program for their truck drivers and other employees as a means to improving their bottom line and attracting and keeping hold of drivers for the long haul. But what to do and how to implement this for all drivers has yet to be successfully implemented for all drivers to benefit.

Most driver wellness programs currently out there focus heavily on exercise. Traditional methods and fitness models take the driver out of their workflow and ask them to “workout.” And although that approach is helpful and will work for some. The likelihood of the drivers who need it most to implement it themselves and stick with it is lower than anyone wants to admit.

The New Stretch With Safety Checks

It is nothing new for a company to have a list of required safety checks each driver must do every day before heading out on the road. But with the current state of our trucking industry, our driver’s health, the stats don’t lie. These stats lead us to see that 86% of drivers are obese and  54 percent of commercial drivers smoke cigarettes, and only 8 percent exercise. So is it that we need more safety checks for drivers to remain safe on the road, is it that we need another exercise program telling drivers how to do push-ups or pull on a resistance band, or is it about time we require something a bit different?

The missing link in a driver’s safety check is not another walk around on their truck, another electronic device regulating something or another, nor is it another cargo inspection. It’s an inventory of the driver themselves. That inventory is in the name of safety, except it has everything to do with simple ergonomics drivers can implement every day. If you care about the driver being safe on the road, isn’t it time to consider the one behind the wheel?

 

What We Can Learn From the Construction Crews

Those who work in the construction world have had similar fallouts with quality workers and those who stay in the game long term. Many feel it is hard on the body, and those that suffer injury often begin to look for other means for work. Recruiting quality talent and keeping the existing healthy enough to keep pounding nails are becoming increasingly difficult.

However, companies that chose to implement properly designed stretching or ergonomic (driver wellness) programs for their workers found success in reducing work-related injuries. However, for these programs to work, the exercises and stretches must be taught by a well-trained individual and done repeatedly at least two to three days per week with a time commitment of five to ten minutes. What if every driver on the road took 5 minutes every day to do a few stretches designed specifically for driver success?

My Husbands Story

My husband is a construction worker by trade and has done everything from operating machinery (a CDL holder) to concrete forming and pounding every type of nail you can imagine. And at one time, he worked on a crew that required an 11-minute stretching routine each morning before starting work. If you didn’t show up, you didn’t work. Although my husband laughed at it (I was telling him about these stretches for years, but hey, better late than never), after just a few days, he mentioned his hands hurt less, and there was a reduction in tension related to swinging his hammer and gripping certain various tools throughout the day. All of which points to a reduction in future work-related injuries. My husband no longer works on that crew, but he still does many of the previously required stretches he learned during his morning safety routine on the job.

If it helps, this decision is not about making your drivers healthier (although the industry points to us that we should care about this more), but rather making your drivers safer. The truck can only be so safe, and at some point, it is then in the hands of the competent, alert, physically healthy driver to execute and perform the tasks at hand.

The Outdated ROI Decision Making Strategy

Sadly far too many employers (trucking company owners) are still stuck on the old method of ROI (return on investment), where it all comes down to the dollar bills. And although you should always weigh the cost factor when considering a new company program or feature, you also have to ask yourself, what is the potential value on investment (VOI) and long-term ROI, not just the immediate cost?

When a company is considering implementing a well-designed program into their driver’s safety check routine, they are showing future drivers, lawmakers and hopefully it never comes to this, but lawyers or agents that they have done all they could to help reduce the chances of an accident, injury or hazardous outcome by implementing the missing link into a drivers safety check, with a properly designed wellness program.

It’s about demonstrating that the expenditure comes with a benefit (ie. Reducing soft tissue or musculoskeletal injuries, reducing fatigue, improving reaction and response time while behind the wheel, all for a reduction in workers’ compensation costs and improved worker productivity and wellness). And if you can do this, then the training or program will be more likely perceived as a benefit by the employer, driver, and even insurance company.

truck driver wellness program the missing link in a safety check mother trucker yoga blog

With nearly 20 years of experience designing usable fitness, wellness, and ergonomics programming for both individuals to take part in and companies, I have learned that when choosing a driver wellness program, make sure:

  1. The program is broken down in an easily digestible way, meaning drivers can utilize the content in a way that makes sense for them and their day. Have you ever seen an entire parking lot of drivers working out outside their truck? Great concept, but highly unlikely.
  2. It’s simple. When you incorporate a driver wellness program into a safety check, you are showing drivers when and where to apply these strategies, and that will ensure a greater means of measurable success. More does not always equal better, and in some cases is confusing, overwhelming, and causes wellness regression.
  3. Finally, it happens from the top down. When the owner, CEO, or the man/woman in charge is all in on their drivers, you’ll see your drivers boost your bottom line all on their own. ,.once you have a well-designed program and safety protocol when integrated properly with the right leaders in place, anything can happen! As humans want to feel cared for, a program can only do so much for the company and drivers.

The Bottom Line

If you fail to make any newly implemented program mandatory, you will struggle to see any real value or ROI on your investment. Don’t look at mandatory as a bad thing. You require your drivers to secure the load a certain way. You require them to wear a safety vest. You require them to fill out certain forms regarding the load they are carrying a certain way-right? All in the name of being able to run a successful company. A safe, reliable trucking company.

When implemented correctly, asking drivers to integrate specific stretches or ergonomics into their day as a part of their safety check will help both the driver and you as a company overall. While others in the trucking industry are focused on exercise programs for drivers, I’m telling you that it won’t do much of anything in the immediate and long-term it may end up as just a feel-good box checked.

We have to start small and start smart. If exercise were the solution, then the stats wouldn’t be reading like they are, that drivers are amongst the most unhealthy in our nation compared to any other industry. These are the men and women driving your company’s trucks, shipping your cargo, and driving your bottom line in one direction or the other. They deserve more. They want more. They are just as critical to your companies success as a well-running truck. And if you are ready to improve your company in the name of safety. And I’m here to show you how simple it can be.

If you would like to learn more about Mother Trucker Yoga’s Driver Wellness Program and Safety Check / Pre-Trip Initiatives-

Learn more about Driver Wellness Program HERE

Contact Hope HERE