On average, a long-haul trucker works 60 hours per week and drives more than 107,000 miles per year. [1] They are at risk of drowsy and distracted driving, and the consequences can be fatal. In 2012, 697 truck drivers, or their passengers, were killed in crashes.[2]
Injury and Safety
Haul Truck Driver Salary
Drivers can prevent accidents and injuries:
- buckle up on every trip
- get enough sleep
- stay focused on the road
Truck crashes are preventable if drivers, employers, and others on the road work together to use safe tactics and follow safety laws.
What safety issues did we find?
Buckling up on every trip can prevent injuries and deaths in the event of roadway crashes. Virtual turntables free online.
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We found 14% of the drivers said they sometimes or never wear a seatbelt.
Lindsay Slazakowski was a long-haul truck driver for three years. Follow Arielle on Twitter. Advertisement - Continue Reading Below. More From Things I Wish I Knew Before I Started My Career. At least 25 long-haul truckers are currently imprisoned for serial murders. In 2009, the FBI revealed their database, the Highway Serial Killings Initiative, which tracks information about hundreds of murders that have taken place along US highways and tries to link some together by details.
Having unrealistic deadlines can increase the likelihood of unsafe actions, such as speeding, violating driving-hour regulations, and driving despite fatigue, bad weather, or heavy traffic.
We found 73% of the drivers perceived their delivery deadlines as unrealistically tight.
We found 24% of the drivers said they “often” continued to drive despite fatigue, bad weather, or heavy traffic; 47% of drivers said they continued to drive in these conditions “sometimes”.
We found 68% of company drivers who had a non-crash injury(s) involving days away from work did not report the injury(s) to their employer.
We found 35% of the drivers reported at least one crash in their career.
Haul Truck Driver Mining
We found 38% of the drivers said they received inadequate training at the beginning of their careers.
What can the trucking community do to promote safety?
- Ensure that drivers’ schedules are not so tight that they might violate hours-of-service rules to make on-time deliveries.
- Be sure drivers are aware of and adhere to cargo securement and weight limits, safe driving techniques, and ways to avoid drowsy or distracted driving.
- Ensure that entry-level truck driver training meets current needs.
- Ensure the highest level of leadership commits to driver safety programs.
- Establish and enforce, such as requiring everyone in the truck to buckle up.
- Promote seat belt use in training and safety meetings.
To learn more, please check out CDC’s Vital Signs: Trucker safety.
Related Study Publications
For more details on the study and results, please see the journal articles, or contact us as [email protected]
- Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vital Signs: Seat Belt Use among Long-Haul Truck Drivers-United States, 2010.
References
- Sieber WK, Robinson CF, Birdsey J, Chen GX, Hitchcock EM, Lincoln JE, Nakata A, Sweeney MH [2014]. Obesity and other risk factors: the national survey of U.S. long-haul truck driver health and injury. Am J Ind Med 57:615-626.
- CDC [2015]. Trucker safety. CDC Vital Signs, March 2015. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
Overview
Long-haul truck drivers operate heavy trucks and tractor-trailers (with a capacity of at least 26,000 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight). These men and women are essential to the transportation of goods in the United States, but high job demands and low control (e.g. tight delivery schedules, delays, etc.) may cause stress and lead to poor health. Blogger templates free blogger layouts.
Long Days and Hard Work
By law, drivers of commercial vehicles and trucks are permitted 14 hours of duty per day worked. They are required to take a mandatory 10-hour break before they can drive again for work. As a result, long freight delivery routes often require them to sleep away from home. Life on the road makes it more difficult to live healthy because of:
- irregular schedules
- long hours
- little physical activity
- limited access to healthy foods on the interstates
- stress
Health Challenges
Compared to U.S. adult workers, truck drivers have higher rates of.
- heart disease[1]
- diabetes[2]
- hypertension[2]
- obesity[2]
In 2010, we did a large, in-depth national survey on long-haul truck drivers to learn more about the health and safety conditions in these workers. The survey helped us better understand how certain health conditions, behavior, and work environment combine to affect long-haulers’ safety and health. We hope the information we gathered from the survey will help guide truck driver health and safety policy and address the health and safety concerns they face.
Learn more about the health and safety issues we noted among long-haul truck drivers, and resources to address them.
- Robinson CF, Burnett CA. 2005. Truck drivers and heart disease in the United States, 1979-1990. Am J Ind Med 47(2):113-119.
- Sieber WK, Robinson CF, Birdsey J, Chen GX, Hitchcock EM, Lincoln JE, Nakata A, Sweeney MH. 2014. Obesity and other risk factors: the national survey of U.S. long-haul truck driver health and injury. Am J Ind Med 57:615-626.