I’m not a
health nut. But I am a pretty fit guy and do some form of exercise 3-5
days a week. However, I love to eat awesome food and the most awesome
foods I’ve ever come across usually aren’t the most nutritious for you.
In fact, this was my breakfast last Saturday morning with my boys at a
local dive.
But
I know that to enjoy some meals like that every now and then and stay
healthy for my family, I have to exercise and stay away from too many
bad habits. As a result, I feel energized on a daily basis and am able
to deal with the stresses of life we all face.
Transport Topics
reported this past January on the CDC release of a survey that found
70% of longhaul truck drivers obese, 50% smoke and 14% have diabetes.
The obesity and smoking alone was more than twice the rate of the
general population. The study also found that 15% of the drivers
surveyed showed some signs of sleep apnea, while 59% had some
respiratory disturbance. And 34% of drivers admitted to nodding off or
falling asleep while driving and 7% admitting to being drowsy every day.
Some
within trucking industry advocate groups question whether driver health
and fitness is really a safety issue that FMCSA should be concerning
itself with. Rob Abbott with ATA stated “this very question played out
in the hours-of-service rulemaking when the agency used presumed driver
health benefits, not substantial safety benefits, to justify the rule
change.”
Personally, I completely disagree. AND LET ME BE CLEAR…I
do not agree that the HOS reg needed to be changed to begin with and
think the FMCSA based the change on unreliable science. In my humble
opinion, driver fatigue is not an hours-worked problem or even a problem
of whether drivers are getting enough sleep. I believe that the
majority of fatigue is resulting from overall driver health. Sure
adequate sleep is important to not falling asleep at the wheel. But that
is a drop in the bucket to the overall fatigue problem that is going on
if you ask me.
I always love when someone I haven’t seen in
awhile tells me “you look good” because I get to respond with the
wisecrack of “well I feel good!” But frankly it’s true. When you take
care of yourself, even with minimal exercise and nominally healthy
eating, you will feel better.
Many companies are fighting the driver health problem too. This year, Celadon, Con-way and Prime Inc.
were recognized for their efforts in improving the health of their
drivers by offering health and diet counseling and exercise facilities
to their drivers. The companies have realized that keeping drivers
healthy makes the drivers safer operators. And while not recognized,
Melton Truck Lines is right there with them in fighting this fight.
While these companies have no reason to know this, I have been following
and keeping up with what they are doing for their drivers. I believe in
being healthy and keeping your body a well-oiled machine. And I admire
what these companies are striving for.
My Thoughts:
Typically,
sleep apnea, or even just poor sleep generally, is a result of poor
health and obesity. Not always, but for the most part it is the root
cause. And when you’re unhealthy and suffer from sleep disturbance,
well, you don’t sleep well and aren’t rested.
FMCSA has stated
that a rulemaking effort on obstructive sleep apnea may be in the cards
for 2014 or 2015. I don’t know what will happen or even what should
happen. I admit this is a hairy issue and I am not a fan of increased
regulation. But I am a fan of safety and defending safe companies and
drivers.
With recent changes to med certification, companies
taking steps to improve driver health, and accidents involving driver
fatigue, it seems to me that we may have a perfect storm in the making
to see some sort of extensive driver health regulations in the near
future.
What do you think?