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How to Plan for Driver Health During the Hot Summer Months

How to Plan for Driver Health During the Hot Summer Months

Summer is almost upon us, and with it comes an extra layer of safety precautions to promote good summer driver health. As with any season, summer presents a new set of challenges to overcome as drivers navigate different climates, temperatures, and conditions in different parts of the country.

What are the potential health hazards for drivers during the summer?

While the summer seems like it should be slow and easy, it’s anything but. While you don’t have to worry about blizzards or severe weather in most cases, you need to be aware of an increase in traffic and construction, as well as the toll that heat and sun can take on a trucker’s body.

Why Health and Safety are Important During the Summer

There are a lot of factors that can put truck drivers’ health at risk, especially during long hauls. While the summer is a slower season for other industries, it means more traffic, more slow-downs, and more health hazards for truck drivers. 

The summer sun can present a nice, warm change from winter months, but can also present real risks to driver health when not addressed properly. The sun can cause a glare and impact vision long term, so it’s important that drivers protect their eyes. It can also cause painful sunburns, which can lead to health problems later in life if the skin is not protected.

When driving in the summer months, keep the “Five Ps” top of mind to ensure summer driver health and safety for the long haul and the long term.

Prepare for Traffic Congestion

Summer is the season for tourists, so expect traffic congestion on major roadways. This can lead to quite a bit of anxiety on the part of car drivers and truckers alike and can lead to poor decision making.

Be sure to leave early and account for slow-downs on your route, to ensure timely deliveries without pushing it on the road. Safety is an absolute imperative, so be safe by checking for traffic delays and road conditions before planning your trip.

Protect Your Eyes

Summer driver health is all about protecting your body from the risks of bright suns and heat. During the summer, the sun is especially bright, so high-quality, polarized sunglasses are essential for driving during the day.

Additionally, early morning and mid-evening sun can cause a glare, which can be dangerous to drivers, especially with more cars on the road. Take extra time to absorb surroundings and check glare spots for cars you may have missed.

Protect Your Skin

We’ve all heard of “trucker arm.” This happens when truck drivers rest their arms out the window of their truck, getting a sunburn. Days upon days of this and truckers can experience painful blistering and permanent skin damage. 

Use sunscreen to protect the skin, and roll up windows occasionally to give skin a break from UV rays.

Protect Your Truck

The summer heat puts an extra burden on a truck. It’s important during the summer to check fluids, especially coolant, during summer hauls.

When you’re driving in a hotter, drier climate, the weather can take a larger toll on a truck and even cause major issues if not addressed. Preventable maintenance is especially important during summer months when trucks are exposed to heat and elements at more extreme levels.

Pay Attention to Your Body

It’s easy to ignore the signs of dehydration. At least 518,000 people end up hospitalized each year in the U.S. due to dehydration. During an extended period outside, you may start to feel fatigued or disoriented.

This is your body telling you to cool down and hydrate. Make sure you take regular breaks and drink at least 8 glasses of water every day. Dehydration can lead to detrimental health effects and can even land you in the hospital, so make a plan to drink enough water. 

Another good idea is to carry electrolyte pouches with you at all times. These are small, easy packaged powders that can be added to bottled water to give you an instant boost. 

In addition to hydration, make sure to eat healthy food to fuel your body during the hot summer months. While we typically think of the winter as a season for sickness, the summer can present its own health challenges when you’re not properly nourished.

Key Takeaways about Summer Driver Health:

  • Summertime presents a new set of challenges for truck drivers
  • Protect yourself and your truck from breaking down by establishing a preventable maintenance routine during the summer.
  • Use the “5 Ps” to ensure summer driver health.

Infinit-I Workforce Solutions has a library of 1,000+ training videos on important health and safety topics, including protecting drivers during the summer months. Our videos use microlearning strategies that break the material down into bite-sized chunks, making it easier for drivers to comprehend and retain the information.

For more information on the online training videos available, request a catalog.

Other great posts about summer driver health:
Driver safety tips for the summer
HOT HOT HOT! Sunshine Threatens Truckers
8 Tips for Improving Fuel Efficiency

OVERCOMING THE #1 INDUSTRY ISSUE: DRIVER RETENTION

The Struggle for Driver Retention

The number of drivers looking for a job continues to decrease, but the demand for drivers is still increasing. Between driver retention and recruitment issues, the trucking industry is close to a crisis.

Many options have been discussed to deal with the driver shortage, but part of this issue is making sure you put qualified and competent drivers on the road. There isn’t a quick fix to this issue, but there are some things trucking companies can do to bring in the drivers needed to fill the yearly 44% increase in job postings.

Why is There a Driver Shortage?

There are several issues that contribute to the driver shortage. According to anecdotal research done by ATRI, the four biggest issues are compensation, work life balance, being detained when loading and unloading, and truck parking issues.

21.6% of drivers say consistent time home is an issue that will make them leave a company. This number will likely increase as the trucking industry seeks to attract younger drivers.

The aging workforce also contributes to the driver shortage. The combination of drivers retiring, and difficulty recruiting and retaining younger drivers adds to the problem. Younger drivers are difficult to retain once they have 6 months of experience.

Many drivers have also been lost due to changes in the drug screening process. Most drivers who fail their drug tests are leaving the industry rather than completing programs to get back on the road.

The debate over vaccine mandates could cost the industry more drivers. With 36% of drivers stating they have no intention of getting a vaccine, this means these people could move into other industries if the vaccine mandates are instituted.

Unfortunately, 11% of drivers won’t tell you when they are having issues that would make them leave. This makes it difficult to determine the best methods for keeping drivers around. Luckily, there are some areas you can work on to help with driver retention.

How Can You Retain Qualified Drivers?

Truth in compensation is a big issue when it comes to driver retention. Many people leave the industry when they feel they were lied to about salaries. It’s important to make sure drivers are getting paid what they were promised if you want to keep them around.

You can also look at better payment models to keep drivers around. Make the payment process simple with pay per mile and guaranteed payment options. Direct deposit can also help reduce turnover as it keeps drivers from having to track down their checks.

Your equipment also plays a role in the compensation issue. Breakdowns cost drivers money. If they are dealing with equipment breakdown issues regularly, they will leave. You need to ensure that all equipment is well maintained to avoid this issue.

Communication and authority are also key to recruiting and retaining drivers. You need to provide relevant content that drivers can engage with to grab the attention of new drivers. Managing your online company branding is essential to recruiting drivers.

Maintaining communication with drivers once they are hired will help keep them around. Listen to their feedback and make sure they are clear on the policies and procedures necessary. Provide regular training and communications to maintain driver safety and understanding.

Where Can You Find New Drivers?

Understanding where your preferred drivers are likely to be found is important to the recruitment process. This isn’t just about the job searches. This includes social media so you can communicate with them.

Recruiting new drivers is about engaging them. Provide content in places drivers are likely to hang out such as YouTube and Facebook. You can also look at other avenues to recruit younger drivers. Share content on several medias regularly to interact with potential drivers.

55% of drivers will look for new jobs in online searches such as Indeed, Zip Recruiter, or even Google searches. You want to spend time setting up applications in these areas to catch their attention.

Be careful about making the application process simple though. More than 18% of drivers state length of applications as an issue during the hiring process.

You should also get current drivers involved in the recruiting process. 18.9% of recruits look for driver referrals. You can set up a referral bonus program to help with this process. These referral bonuses can help with driver retention as well, since drivers are less likely to leave a company they refer others to.

17.5% of drivers will check out job boards when seeking a job. This means posting openings on these job board sites is still a viable option for driver recruitment. You don’t want to rely solely on these though.

Keep in mind that 76.5% of drivers will check out all the online data they can find about a carrier before deciding to apply. To attract qualified drivers, you need to be aware of the reviews, content, and company data that exists for your company.

How others perceive you online will play a big role in how many applications you receive. Get current drivers involved in helping to strengthen that online presence wherever possible.

Preparing New Drivers

As the trucking industry focuses attention on driver recruitment and driver retention, you don’t want to forget about making sure new drivers are prepared. The best way to do this is to develop a training program that includes orientation, ongoing safety, and corrective action training materials.

Infinit-I Workforce Solutions is an online training management platform that allows you to keep up with your training needs without disrupting workflows. Allow your drivers to stay on the road and making money, while ensuring they keep safety top of mind.

Want to learn more about how Infinit-I can help save you money on training and retain qualified drivers? Request a demo to get started.

Read more about how recruitment and retention was voted the #1 threat to the trucking industry.

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