The mental health of truck drivers remains one of my biggest concerns. Ten years ago, I first wrote about what I thought was a monster issue hiding just below the surface of daily trucking life. “Hiding” was the key word there, and it still is. Are we making progress? Yes, but there’s much more to do.
TORONTO, Ont. – The trucking industry continues to wrap itself in Plaid for Dad to support Prostate Cancer Canada – and this year Arnold Bros. Transport even earned the coveted plaid vest awarded to the fundraising campaign’s top workplace champion. The fleet accounted for more than $19,000 of about $50,000 raised by 20 carriers and suppliers this year, according to Trucks for Change, which helped to coordinate industry efforts. It’s the first time an individual fleet has won the award, but trucking industry efforts have dominated the Plaid for Dad fundraising in recent years. An Ontario Trucking Association team earned the vest in 2016, while a Canadian Trucking Alliance team earned the top spot in 2017.
VAUGHAN, Ont. – The tone in Morris Bellus’ voice can only be described a jovial, but it wasn’t always that way. This year marked the third the 19-year veteran of the road participated in the Ride Don’t Hide for the Peel-Dufferin branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). When he registered for his first year on the 100-km bike ride, he’d only been pedaling a stationary bike at the gym for about three months, attempting to jump start a change in his mental health.
TORONTO, ON – A lack of truck parking in Southern Ontario is affecting driver health according to the preliminary results of a survey on the issue. More than 1,000 drivers have responded to the survey on truck parking being conducted for the Ontario Ministry of Transportation to asses the needs of drivers, but the survey's adminstrator Ted Harvey is hoping for 2,000 more to answer questions before the Feb. 28 deadline.
TORONTO, ON -- A lot of people make New Year's resolutions to hit the gym and eat more vegetables, but it takes effort throughout the year to remain healthy -- especially when it comes to life on the road. In this month's Pulse Survey, Today's Trucking asked for thoughts on health and wellness.
Ulch Transport dispatcher Paul Podsadecki was miserable in every sense of the word. He was on a steady dose of Tylenol and antacids to dull the recurring headaches and heartburn. Sleep was fitful when it came at all, and his mood was sour. Fellow employees began to avoid him, and he was officially reprimanded for being too irritable on the job. Then his new family doctor told him he was going to die if things didn't change. And soon. "It was a kick in the butt," Podsadecki admits, referring to his checkup in the winter of 2014. But the scale didn't lie. He weighed in at 330 pounds. "I didn't think I was that big," he says. "I was embarrassed." The news spurred him to action.