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Quote of the Day
“The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.”
– Colin Powell
Chairman, U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, 1989-93
My Point
Health Initiatives Seen as Recruiting
and Retention Tools
By Marvin Shefsky
The Healthy Trucking Initiative is quickly growing into a nationwide movement, as carriers, owners and drivers alike have pledged their support to RAMP Media's coast-to-coast efforts to help professional drivers and owner operators get healthy and live longer lives.
Education and awareness are the keys to making a difference. Many people are shocked to learn that the current driver population is in such bad shape that drivers now have a life expectancy of LESS THAN 60 YEARS of age.
The RAMP team recently returned from the Great American Truck Show in Dallas, where we offered free blood pressure (BP) screenings for all drivers who visited our booth, just as we did earlier this year at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville and THE TRUCK SHOW Las Vegas. Hundreds of professional drivers and owner operators stopped by our booth to check their blood pressure for free at our special Healthy Trucking blood pressure monitor kiosks, which operated continuously for the duration of the show. Many fleet owners and driver recruitment/retention executives also came by to find out more about the kiosks and our campaign to improve the heath of professional drivers, and to have their blood pressure checked as well.
Clearly, driver health is becoming a key issue in the trucking industry as companies look for ways to keep their drivers healthy, happy and “retained” in the face of perpetual driver shortages and rising turnover rates. We can all agree that it is far more cost-effective to retain our drivers than it is to replace them. In this day and age, if your company develops a corporate culture that says “we are a company that cares,” you are well on the path to a long term successful retention program. This is what our Healthy Trucking Initiative and logo signify, “companies that care.”
Thanks to the growing concern over the issue of driver health, many truck companies are adding wellness programs, free health screenings, fully equipped gyms at selected terminals, and other health-oriented perks to their driver benefits program. Some of our customers have gone the extra mile by installing our Healthy Trucking Blood Pressure monitor kiosks at the company headquarters as well as their main terminals, so that drivers can check their own blood pressure on a regular basis. We’re told that the BP monitor kiosk has quickly become a popular gathering spot for drivers, the talk is all positive, and it is considered a retention tool for the company. For more information about how your company can have a Healthy Trucking Blood Pressure monitor kiosk installed at your facility, send us an e-mail at mshefsky@otrprotrucker.com, or give us a call at 800-878-0311.
So, why all the fuss over driver health? Because our nation’s drivers, collectively, are in bad shape---the job is literally killing them, and the trucking industry has a moral obligation to do what we can to improve the situation. Plus, as noted above, it just makes good business sense.
According to Professional Drivers Medical Depots (PDMD), over 90 percent (90%) of over-the-road professionals are currently taking medication for high blood pressure, diabetes, cholesterol, heart problems or some combination of these serious medical problems. Additionally, at least 70 percent (70%) of drivers are at high risk for sleep apnea. The job of driving a truck has become inherently unhealthy and our nation’s drivers are suffering.
Clearly, something has to be done to address this industry-wide problem. As a company that has been serving the trucking industry for almost three decades, at RAMP Media we’re determined to do our part. We have already installed 100 free Healthy Trucking Blood Pressure monitor kiosks at truck stops and travel centers around the country, and plan to have 250 in place in 2008. We’ve also partnered with Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation in its efforts to provide drivers with a wealth of free health information and reduce drivers’ blood pressure through its BP DownShift™ drivers’ health program. Additionally, we now dedicate considerable editorial space to drivers’ health issues in our flagship publications, Over the Road and Pro Trucker, including a new column by Dr. John McElligott, the founder of PDMD---and we’re just getting started!
This is what our Healthy Trucking Initiative and logo signify, “companies that care.” We’d like to invite you and your company to join our campaign to provide drivers with the resources they need to get healthy and live longer lives by becoming a part of the RAMP Healthy Trucking Initiative or by starting your own drivers’ health initiative. RAMP Media is committed to helping drivers, and helping you help your drivers. We’ll provide the resources---all you have to do is MAKE THE CALL.
(800) 878-0311 x 2101
-- Marvin Shefsky, Publisher/CEO
(Marvin@otrprotrucker.com)
