Truckers’ elevated risk of chronic illness raises employers’ healthcare costs by thousands each year

Long hours. Irregular sleep. Isolation. A sedentary routine. It’s a lifestyle that any doctor would flag as a problem, yet in the long-haul trucking industry, it’s the norm. 

Knowing this, it’s no surprise that trucking wellness statistics are looking grim, with concerning rates of physical and mental ailments and many at a high risk for chronic health conditions. We’ll do a deep dive on the numbers to help you better understand the health crisis your fleet is up against and explore solutions that can make a meaningful impact on driver wellness. 

Obesity tanks worker productivity

Obesity is an epidemic among obesity drivers. Sixty-nine percent of truck drivers meet the criteria for obesity–more than twice the average in the U.S. population. 

Obesity isn’t just detrimental to health; it comes with a cost burden to employers in the form of lost productivity and more missed work. One study found the combined costs of absenteeism and lost productivity to be as high as $5,515 per overweight employee and up to $9,104 per employee with obesity. 

Why are truckers more likely to be overweight and obese? Much of it has to do with the nature of the job.

Lack of healthy food options

One major contributor to obesity among truckers is diet. Eighty percent of truckers have unhealthy eating patterns. If you consider the culinary options available at your average truck stop—vending machines, fast food, a diner if you’re lucky—this makes sense. It’s not an ideal environment for accessing fresh produce and whole grains.

Long shifts, limited exercise

The other big contributor is exercise, or lack thereof. A mere 8% of truck drivers say they exercise regularly. Again, it makes sense when you consider the conditions. 

A standard trucking shift is 11 hours on the road, often for multiple days in a row, and most of that time is spent sitting. When truckers are off the clock, time constraints and lack of convenient access to fitness resources like a gym can make exercising feel out of reach. 

Physical inactivity is a financial threat to employers in the form of increased healthcare costs. The World Health Organization estimates that by 2030, costs stemming from Americans’ sedentary lifestyles will amount to $27 billion a year. 

Cigarette use is a direct hit to trucker health and fleet ROI

It’s undisputed that smoking is bad for health. It’s also incredibly expensive for employers. 

Smokers are 33% more likely to miss work and are absent nearly three more days per year compared with nonsmoking employees. The U.S. surgeon general reported that an employee who smokes cigarettes costs their company an additional $2,056 in added healthcare costs and $3,760 in lost productivity every year–that’s close to an extra $6,000 annually, all because of smoking. 

Unfortunately, many long-haul truck drivers are smokers–about one in two, by some estimates. 

Drivers also have higher “pack-year” numbers than the general population. A pack-year is a measure of a person’s tobacco exposure over the course of their lifetime. 

One pack-year is equivalent to smoking a pack a day for a year, or half-a-pack a day for two years, and so on. The higher the number, the higher the likelihood of health issues like lung cancer. 

One study estimates the average long haul truck driver’s pack-year number is 26. To put the risk in perspective, experts recommend annual lung cancer screenings for anyone with a pack-year smoking history of 20 or higher over the age of 50. 

Fatigue threatens drivers and hurts business

Truck drivers don’t get much sleep. Long, irregular work hours coupled with being away from home many nights each month can make it difficult to get adequate rest. For truckers and their employers, that lack of shut-eye has dangerous consequences.

The National Safety Council estimates that fatigued staffers cost their employers between $1,200 and $3,100 in productivity losses every year. For an organization with 1,000 employees, that’s about $1 million a year. The losses are higher for companies that operate round-the-clock or on irregular schedules like trucking businesses. 

More than a quarter of drivers average less than six hours of sleep per night–well below the CDC’s recommended amount of between seven and nine hours per night. 

Getting insufficient sleep for an extended period of time has been linked with a wide range of adverse health outcomes, including depression, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, and stroke. 

Additionally, lack of sleep reduces alertness, which contributes to decreased reaction times and a higher risk of accidents (another financial hit for businesses). 

And there’s one more factor impacting drivers’ rest: sleep apnea. Truckers are at a higher risk for sleep apnea due to their sedentary lifestyles and higher rate of obesity. People with sleep apnea can wake up several dozen times per night, leaving them tired even first thing in the morning. According to the National Safety Council, health problems exacerbated by sleep apnea and other sleep disorders raise employers’ healthcare costs by an additional $3,000 per year, per employee. 

Poor employee mental health costs companies billions

Trucking can be an emotionally taxing profession. Being alone on the road contributes to loneliness and isolation, while tight deadlines add a layer of stress. 

As a result, truck drivers have a much higher prevalence of mental health challenges like depression than the general population. 

It may surprise you to learn that the biggest contributor to depression among truckers isn’t the tough schedule or the lack of sleep (though those are certainly factors, too); it’s the stress of being away from friends and loved ones. In a study of American and Canadian truckers, loneliness had the highest positive correlation with depression diagnosis. Back pain and financial strain were among big contributors to depression as well.  

Poor mental health takes a toll on operations, too. A Gallup study found that workers who rated their mental health as fair or poor had nearly 12 unplanned absences every year, resulting in an estimated $47.6 billion in lost productivity.

The compounding risk factors

Many of the physical and mental conditions we mentioned above compound each other. Inactivity, for example, raises the risk of high blood pressure, which raises the risk of heart attack and stroke. 

According to the CDC, more than half of long haul truck drivers exhibit two or more of the following risk factors:

• High blood pressure
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Limited physical activity
• High cholesterol
• Average of less than six hours per night of sleep

Each of these factors on their own contributes to a higher likelihood of developing chronic but preventable disease. When you combine two or more, the risk multiplies, putting truckers’ health in a precarious position. 

Combat the trucking health crisis with telehealth

Healthier drivers don’t just feel better, they perform better, stay with their companies longer, have fewer crashes, and keep the nation’s supply chain running smoothly. Based on the fleet wellness statistics we laid out above, it’s clear that drivers need more support to improve their physical and mental well-being. 

Consider a virtual wellness program for your fleet

Combatting the trucking health crisis requires targeted driver health programs that address the unique challenges truck drivers face on the road, like a constantly changing location and an irregular schedule. Telehealth offerings meet drivers wherever they are, with the flexibility to accommodate nontraditional appointment hours and the convenience to meet with truckers no matter where they are on their route. 

Virtual initiatives like smoking cessation programs, weight loss and nutrition support, and accessible mental health care promote well-being and help truck drivers build healthier lifestyle habits right from the driver’s seat. Features like video appointments and peer support groups are aligned with truckers’ itinerant lifestyle, while offerings like GLP-1 medication and tobacco replacement therapy can make habit changes feel more easily achievable and affordable. 

Build a better wellness program with Agile Telehealth

Agile Telehealth is a simple, cost-effective solution that empowers employers to offer health-boosting programs catered to drivers’ needs and lifestyle at a lower cost than traditional healthcare benefits. With services on-demand telemedicine appointments, one-on-one virtual coaching, and access to high-quality pharmaceuticals, better driver health is within reach. 

Promote driver well-being for the long haul by exploring Agile Telehealth solutions today.