The Importance of Supporting Van Operators’ Mental and Physical Wellbeing

A Mobility magazine article by Suddath’s Teela Gleason identifies risks and ways to address them.

Washington, DC (July 10, 2023) – Household goods moving van operators and their crews play a critical role in helping organizations keep their personnel and families safely and happily on the move. They bring a unique blend of strengths to their jobs every day, in a profession that demands high levels of mental and physical stamina.

These demands, in addition to long hours on the road and away from their own homes and families, can expose drivers to unique mental and physical health risks. This is especially true during the summer months, the busiest moving season and period when road travel reaches some of its highest volumes of the year. In the latest Mobility magazine, the quarterly publication of Worldwide ERC, Suddath’s Senior Vice President of Client Services, Teela Gleason, CRP, GMS-T shines a spotlight on how taking a holistic approach to supporting van operator wellbeing can minimize the threats and yield wide-reaching benefits.

In Trucking Along, Gleason explores some of the biggest risks drivers face, informed in part by a study sponsored by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The article reinforces why it’s in everyone’s interest to be aware of the dangers, including loneliness, sleep disorders, obesity, ergonomic-related injuries and stress. It’s essential to provide support to commercial drivers, particularly since “Healthier drivers can lead to improved morale, lower driver turnover, reduced medical and worker’s compensation costs and increased roadway safety by decreased accident risk,” as the research study noted above concludes.

Gleason offers several solutions that drivers and companies can implement together, including the provision of specialized training and education programs, encouraging a stigma-free atmosphere of openness and support and incentives to encourage preventative healthcare measures.

Read the full article on page 32.