The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute is conducting a study to create a comprehensive catalog of existing health and wellness programs in commercial motor vehicle operations to readily identify and detail programs and best practices.
The Institute has developed a 1-minute survey inquiring about motorcoach and commercial truck operators’ health and wellness programs.
VTTI is reaching out to the United Motorcoach Association to ask motorcoach operators to participate by completing the survey — and possibly participating in an hour-long interview with a researcher. Much of the institute’s work contributes to exploring ways to improve transportation safety.
Leading the effort is Laurel Glenn, a research scientist with master’s degrees in experimental psychology and public health education. She hopes to have a report completed by January.
Focus on safety
VTTI is one of the premier transportation institutes in the country, with a focus on research related to bus and truck safety.
“A lot of our work at VTTI is concerned about the health of CMV drivers, considering their lifestyle and the barriers that they have with their daily activities, restrictions in getting to places they might want to go,” Glenn said.
She added that overweight and obesity rates among commercial drivers are very high compared to the general population. Health issues can impact work performance, productivity, absenteeism and even crash risk.
“We’re really just trying to get a view of what these programs look like and create this catalog so we know what is working for organizations and what might not be working,” Glenn said. “Other companies can take a look and, hopefully, learn and see some good outcomes.”
Common concerns
The goal is to provide a wide range of ideas for what is being used to help keep drivers healthy and safe. One example of a health issue that impacts drivers is sleep apnea, which is often tied to being overweight. The medical condition also is linked to driver safety.
“The stress for a motorcoach driver is going to be different than it would be for a driver delivering furniture,” Glenn said. “They don’t have to deal with as many people, for example.”
Initial research is showing that wellness programs run the gamut, from companies working with third parties to implement programs to not having one at all.
“We want to hear from organizations that have programs, because what we’re doing is detailing all the little aspects, like recruitment, health assessments, testing, education and any kind of coaching,” she said. “If we can get all this documented and distributed, and make it publicly available, companies can hopefully learn from other companies. The sharing of information helps everyone improve their own program — or create a program — or whatever it is that they need to do to improve operator health.”
