Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/616524
HEALTH HELP 22 // OWNER OPERATOR // JANUARY 2016 While the mission of HTAA and HTF is to promote health and wellness within the trucking industry, the problem extends be- yond this industry and impacts the general population. The health and wellness of drivers being the primary concern of HTAA, there is also a substantial economic impact on the industry related directly to poor driver health. In addition to drivers, 6.8 million people are employed throughout the Amer- ican economy in trucking related jobs, all of whom would be impacted to some extent by loss of drivers due to injury or illness. Therefore, we have at least three impact categories of economic effect due to driv- er illness and injury: (1) drivers, (2) fleet owners and (3) people employed in related jobs. These categories do not take into con- sideration the impact on the public at large. Several recent developments have ad- dressed this economic impact. Schneider National Transportation created a screen- ing, diagnostic and treatment program for drivers with sleep apnea, a disease highly co-morbid with obesity. For each dollar in- vested in the program, $2 - $3 in savings on medical and accident expenses were achieved and there was a 200% increase in employee retention for those in the program compared to employees overall. There was a 12% reduction in preventable accidents, a 91% reduction in hospital ad- missions, and an overall 57% reduction in healthcare expenses, resulting in savings of over $500 per month per driver for those who received sleep apnea treatment. Cot- tingham and Butler Trucking Corp., along with Benefits Benchmark Survey, which conducts annual reports for the trucking industry, determined that deductibles and out-of-pocket costs to truck drivers and employers are 40% to 70% higher than in other industries. These results clearly demonstrate the benefits of preventive & proactive steps with regard to driver health.