Driver Wellness Program More Than Just Exercise

The American Psychological Association Center for Organizational Excellence noted that more than a third of working Americans (35 percent) reported experiencing chronic work stress, and less than half said their employer provides sufficient resources to help employees manage their stress.

Stress comes in all forms and for a truck driver there is more stress than normal, and unless you work in the industry you don’t quite understand and if you aren’t out on the road, you may not even know exists.

Stress in a job can often make or break you, and it’s not so much “if” your job can be stressful, it’s more so for how long and what tools you have (been given) to handle it. Being out on the road day after day is a challenge, being away from your family and friends is less than ideal, but constantly having to deal with factors far outside of your control in order to do your job is even more stressful.

When the American Psychological Association took this poll on workplace stress 39% of people said unrealistic job expectation was one of the front-running reasons why they were stressed at work. I believe that % is much higher in the trucking industry.

When looking to incorporate a driver wellness program into your company it’s important to consider not just the physical, but also the mental, emotional, social, and even financial aspects of wellness. Most trucking wellness programs focus solely on exercise and although that is great, few drivers take on a regular traditional approach to fitness which is exactly what these other providers are offering.

Have you ever driven into a truck stop and seen groves of drivers getting their exercise outside their truck? It would be amazing to see, but it’s far and few in between.

Ask yourself, how can you support your drivers? As someone who has been building employee wellness programs for years, a driver wellness program should be simple, easy to use, and not have a million options. Because the more options you offer someone the less likely they are to choose anything.

If your drivers as stressed, ask yourself what can I offer these drivers to reduce stress and improve happiness, and morale and let them know you care?

As a trucking fitness strategist there is a fine line for employees and drivers between being bored and interested, excited and then stressed, and hitting burnout. Take inventory, where are your drivers? How do they rank?

BORED —-- INTERESTED —-- EXCITED —-- STRESSED —-- BURN OUT

Before you build anything into your employee wellness program, take a stake in where your drivers fall. If they are burnt out, telling them to exercise is going to be the last thing they want to do. And if they are bored telling them to “just rest” may not be the most productive encouragement. It’s the trucking wellness program that successfully knows how to do both that sees a great company culture and an environment that drivers want to say in for years to come.