.gif)
Show Your Drivers You Care! Put a Healthy Trucking Kiosk in Your Terminal
“There is more credit and satisfaction in being a first-rate truck driver than a tenth-rate executive.”
– B. C. Forbes (1880-1954), editor and founder of Forbes Magazine (1917)
By Wendy Sullivan
When I was in nursing school more than 33 years ago, who knew I would develop a passion for the treatment of sleep apnea in commercial drivers? It is funny where life can take you and why, but I have no doubt I was meant for this industry at this time!
My realization came while I was employed as an occupational health nurse for a large trucking company. A trend – sleep apnea – developed among the fleet, and I knew there had to be a way to do something about it. My goal was to help the driver, help the company and help the motoring public. Changes needed to be made, and I believed I had found a way to do it.
Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder that causes cessation of breathing while you sleep. It can occur anywhere from five times an hour to more than 100 times an hour. Sleep apnea is a disorder that worsens with age and weight gain and is more common in males and menopausal females. Untreated, sleep apnea can be a factor in high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, stroke, anxiety, depression, respiratory disorders and heartburn. Once treated, many of these conditions improve, resulting in reduced health care costs for the employer and the driver alike.
Untreated sleep apnea drivers have two to seven times the risk of a motor vehicle accident. Drivers are not fully alert and often use caffeine and cigarettes (nicotine) to compensate and help them stay awake. This, of course, further perpetuates unhealthy behaviors. Studies have shown that treatment of sleep apnea provides a 3.5:1 return on investment through accident reduction.
When treated, drivers afflicted by sleep apnea feel better, thus it makes sense that their productivity would increase. When you sleep better, you work better. Drivers often tell me that they are late on their loads trying to do the right thing by pulling over and taking a nap due to their excessive daytime sleepiness. Those delays are costing your company money. Investing in your drivers via a sleep apnea program may help retention in your fleet by fostering the sense that “my company cares about my health and safety by investing in me.” Safe and healthy drivers are your company’s greatest asset.
FMCSA statistics suggest that up to 28 percent of your fleet may be at risk for sleep apnea. I can think of no better way to address a fleet’s health and safety issues than by screening your fleet, refer and treat those at the greatest risk for sleep apnea and monitor drivers’ compliance on the back-end with coaching and troubleshooting where necessary.
The Medical Review Board under the FMCSA is currently updating its sleep apnea guidelines for DOT examiners. While the final vote has not been rendered, sleep apnea is a subject of much focus. As with anything concerning your driver fleet, the carrier is ultimately responsible for whom you put behind the wheel.
Help your drivers help your company’s bottom line. A corporate driven sleep initiative makes a difference.
Wendy Sullivan (wsullivan@ppdsleep.com) is a registered nurse and vice president of project implementation for Health and Safety DOT Consultative Services with Precision Pulmonary Diagnostics.
