driver health

A driver’s long road to mental health

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.

Lack of parking affects driver health; survey needs respondents

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.

IN PRINT — Fit to Drive: Ulch Transport takes action on employee health

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.