Drivers have become increasingly unhealthy over the years, and the number of truckers on short-term DOT physical cards has increased since the pandemic. Check out how Gulf Relay has cultivated a culture of wellness and turned its drivers’ health around.
The driver shortage has been a top industry concern for years; yet every year tens of thousands of drivers are disqualified due to failing their biennial Department of Transportation physicals.
The number of drivers disqualified last year because of failing their physicals, according to data from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, was almost 350,000, driver wellness advocate Bob Perry told FleetOwner. That number doesn’t include drivers who take medical leave or who must leave the industry entirely for health issues before they can be issued a medical qualification by a DOT examiner.
“I tell all the carriers,” Perry said, that “I don’t know what the right program is for you, but I do know the wrong one, and that would be nothing at all.”