Curt, I realizet that this article is a bit outdated, but I would be interested in where you found that truck drivers have a higher divorce rate than average. This doesn't appear to be a fact, and I am looking for documentation to refute or agree with this statement.
Thanks!
The truck driver as a shift worker
By: Curt Roush
Date: Sunday, 25. June 2006
Webster's dictionary defines the word "diurnal" as the act of functioning on a daily basis or of the daytime. It defines the word "nocturnal" as the act of happening during the night or functioning at night.
Shift workers know all too well the drawbacks of being nocturnal in a traditionally diurnal world. The difficulty of maintaining proper sleep and eating habits are two of the most common. However, there are also other areas that must be considered if we are to get a better understanding of the problems truck drivers experience as shift workers.
The natural biological clock in each human being dictates to us that we work, or be active, during daylight hours and sleep or rest at night. We live in a fast-paced society in which our work dictates survival. We are not all biologically on the same wavelength by choice, or by some directive that affects our normal lives and the lives of those with whom we are closely affiliated.
Truck drivers are, and always have been, shift workers. As they roll down the nation's highways in control of 80,000 pounds of perpetual motion, the demands on their lives become of critical interest to everyone.
Truck drivers work alone, for the most part, and not under direct supervision. At times they must make split-second decisions which could affect their cargo, their life, or the lives of others. Judgment at those times must be razor sharp or the end result could be disastrous.
As mentioned earlier, there are problems that exist in shift workers'--or, if you will, truck drivers'--lives. The rate of divorce or separation is much higher than that of "normal" people. They tend to be either party animals or social recluses, and are seldom moderate in their living habits.
Medical conditions such as stroke, heart-related diseases, stomach and bowel problems are more prevalent than in normal people. Alcohol abuse and drug abuse are 2-5 times the normal rate. Sleep disorders are also much more prevalent, and these wear down the body's natural immune system, causing drivers to be more susceptible to colds or flu viruses and resulting in a higher rate of loss of work time.
Many of these conditions could be avoided if the companies that employ drivers would consider a few general guidelines:
- Express to your shippers that their first obligation is to the safety of the driver and the motoring public.
- Make sure the driver has ample time to perform the task and has time allotted for required rest periods or mechanical breakdown when promising the customer delivery or other services.
- Agree with them prior to contracting the move that all the agents are in place to assure a safe operation.
- Never put the truck driver in jeopardy or in a compromising situation that would create an undesirable result for anyone.
- Try not to put the driver in a repetitious mode. Nothing puts a person's brain to sleep faster than boring tasks, so try to keep the job assignment interesting.
Schedules that have no regard for the realities of human psychology can be very costly since they often result in expensive accidents.
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Ellen Voie,
