An Exploding Problem with No End in Sight
The trucking industry is bursting at the seams with new growth. Research shows that industry revenues took a giant leap forward between 2017 and 2018, going from $700 billion to almost $800 billion in 12 short months.
But all of this economic vitality comes with a dark side. Today’s truckers are under pressure like never before– logging more miles behind the wheel than many of their predecessors could have imagined. The industry is almost begging for new drivers to fill the ranks of those who retire or change professions.
To make the picture all the more vivid, consider that truckers are, as a group, more likely than the general public to suffer from significant health problems. Some of the many issues include:
- Sleep apnea: This causes persistent drowsiness and contributes to a wide range of other physical ailments, some of them life-threatening.
- High blood pressure: Caused by bad food, lack of exercise, and constant intake of caffeine, all of which are part of the average trucker’s lifestyle.
- Depression: Exacerbated by loneliness, low pay, and the sense that truckers are “throwaway people,” to use the words of one dissatisfied driver.
For the most part, truck drivers are conscientious professionals who practice their trades with safety foremost in mind. However, when you’re dealing with a giant, high-speed vehicle, it only takes one slip-up to cause an accident.