If you drive a commercial semi-truck, you know about the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has been around for about 11 years. They’re the group tasked by Congress to review, change and implement regulations for the trucking industry. One issue of particular significance for the FMCSA has been driver fatigue.
In a fairly recent issue of Transport Topics Online, John Hill, an industry adviser with SleepSafe Drivers, Inc., wrote an opinion piece that holds up the industry leadership—companies such as Schneider and J.B. Hunt--as possibly doing more to help truckers than any regulations passed by the FMCSA.
According to Hill, the FMCSA has approached driver fatigue by regulating hours of service, changing existing rules already in place and creating new ones, stepping up regulatory oversight of motor carriers and drivers though its Compliance, Safety, Accountability Program. There’s debate around the hours-of-service rule and its impact on driver health and adjustment to the Compliance, Safety, Accountability Program. While this has been going on trucking giants Schneider National and J.B. Hunt have proactively addressed this issue among their drivers.
According to an article published in Today’s Trucking, “Schneider’s existing program was borne out of two pilot studies, each of which revealed significant ROI for screening and treatment. The first tracked 339 OSA-diagnosed drivers 12 months before treatment and 12 months after. … The conclusion: Preventable crashes were reduced by 30 percent; median cost of crashes (how the carrier monitors high-severity crashes) dropped by 48 percent; retention improved by 60 percent; and healthcare savings averaged $539 per driver.”
And, J.B. Hunt recently signed on to provide on-site diagnostic ambulatory testing and treatment for its drivers based on the success of its existing program that saw an 86% retention of truckers and overall safer and healthier drivers.
In his opinion piece, Hill commented, “I believe this self-imposed leadership by a few carriers holds more promise than any regulations or laws. … I commend companies such as Schneider National and J.B. Hunt for proactively addressing this issue among their drivers. Interestingly, they not only have had significant safety benefits from their self-initiated OSA treatment programs, but they also have saved considerable company money in the form of reduced medical and insurance payments. … Savvy industry executives realize that drivers are essential to their business and treating OSA where needed is an investment in those drivers, their families and the company’s viability. Data clearly show that with effective management of OSA, individuals experience improved quality of life and fewer catastrophic illnesses and diseases.”
Putting truckers’ lives first. Way to go Schneider and J.B. Hunt.
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