One of the issues concerning truck drivers that need to be addressed is that of mental health disorders. There are thousands of truckies employed across Oz and their mental health affects not only their own physical health and safety but also other road users because mental health has an effect on other areas of health and safety.

Because of the relatively high levels of occupational stress, truck drivers are at risk of developing a range of occupational health induced conditions including mental health and psychiatric disorders.

Some of the issues that could possibly affect a truck driver’s mental health include loneliness, depression, chronic sleep disturbance, anxiety and emotional problems associated with demands of being on the road full time and having to adhere to tight schedules.

Although mental health disorders affect a large number of the population, the mental health of truck drivers may affect more than just themselves, but other innocent road users adversely.
Another problem associated with these mental health issues is that one is often compounded by another or induced by another. For example workers who suffer from depression may also experience fatigue and this further compounds the stress and pressure they are under to deliver loads on time.

Also because of competition in the industry, truckies are under pressure to deliver loads in record-low time even compromising their own safety and health to do so or risk losing contracts and possibly going out of business. Although Chain of Responsibility laws are meant to address these issues, sometimes they do go unattended and truck drivers are the ones to suffer.

Another problem associated with mental health is that road freight is often a male dominated field, particularly the truck drivers. The nature of truck driving is lonely and this is made worse by the fact that men are less likely to seek help for mental health issues than women. Like construction workers, truckies are more likely to ignore the symptoms of mental health disorders rather than deal with them head on.

What is even more frightening about this issue is that truck drivers with mental health problems have an increased chance of having an accident which in turn results in more depression. Similarly to fatigue, depression can impair truck driver’s cognitive and driving skills, making them more likely to be involved in a crash.

Another problem with mental health problems among this sector of the working force is that it is tempting for them to self-medicate or try to “drown their sorrows” with alcohol or drugs.
Obviously drink driving is bad, no one needs to tell us that but when faced with depression and other mental health disorders, drink driving seems a small price to pay to feel better and dull the emotions.

Research has also shown that truck drivers are twice as likely to use drugs then the rest of the population.

Long, lonely hours on the road also results in truckies taking drugs and abusing alcohol, which in the long run makes their depression and suicidal tendencies even worse.
Some of the factors that contribute to depression and poor mental health among truck drivers include:

• Long working hours
• Irregular driving hours
• Demands of operators and clients to break driving hour laws
• Working most often alone for extended hours contributing to loneliness and boredom
• Road rage and the stress of driving among other motorists who do not understand how to drive safely around heavy vehicles contributing to occupational stress
• Fatigue

Obviously everyone in the chain of responsibility has a role to play in ensuring that truckies alone aren’t bearing most of the burden in the supply chain. Operators and employers should take into consideration the mental health of their truck drivers because as I have already explained, employees’ mental health has an effect on their productivity. Employees who are mentally unstable or depressed aren’t going to be able to meet their deadlines anyway, or they may at first but they will eventually crash (figuratively and/or literally), costing the company much more than it would to simply address mental health issues in the first place.

Truck drivers too shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help if they need it. Depression is a common mental health issue and truck drivers who find themselves constantly depressed should seek professional help.

Employers can begin by ensuring that their employees, both on the road as well as admin and loading staff have been properly trained to understand what is expected from them under the law. This will also ensure that drivers aren’t unfairly pressurized. The type Chain of Responsibility training a worker receives is dependent on their responsibilities within the organisation and your specific requirements, whether you require an accredited course or not, face to face training or online training etc. It is a small price to pay to ensure that your employees are complying with the law and that your business remains incident free.