Americans are becoming less healthy, and commercial truck drivers are in worse shape than many. Poor health can result in fatigued and distracted driving by anyone behind the wheel. The dangers become worse when the driver is behind the wheel for hours, often with inadequate sleep, and eating an unhealthy diet. This situation is the study area for University of Connecticut anthropology professor Merrill Singer.
Long-Haul Truck Drivers Live Stressful Lives, and That Impacts Those Driving Around Them
Commercial truck driving is a high-stress and risky profession. Long-haul truck drivers work irregular hours. They’re under long and repeated stretches of effort that can be made more stressful by bad weather, road construction, and traffic conditions. At the end of the day, when the effort is supposed to end, finding a safe and suitable parking spot is often a challenge.
Many drivers have elevated stress and fatigue levels, few opportunities for physical activity, and limited access to fresh, healthy foods. These physical issues combine with an isolated and lonely lifestyle. Drivers may be away from their families for weeks while under pressure to drive as many hours as possible to earn as much money as possible.
These difficult conditions lead to high driver turnover, which creates more stress on drivers by forcing them to do more to make up for the difference.
The Links Between Jobs, Health, and Diseases
Singer states he started reading about long-haul truck drivers, the diseases they are at high risk of developing, and how the industry is organized and run, which makes their lives more stressful and their health worse.
A medical anthropologist, Singer studies relationships between culture, health, and disease. He developed the public health concept of syndemics, which looks at how two or more diseases interact and how social conditions impact those diseases, making people more vulnerable to them, which in turn makes the diseases more harmful.
Singer has studied high-risk occupation populations, including South African gold and coal mineworkers and commercial fishermen, before turning to long-haul truck drivers. He published his analysis in the February 2025 edition of the Journal of Transport & Health.
Generally, Long Distance Truck Drivers are an Unhealthy Group
Singer found long-haul drivers face several health challenges, including:
- They often have sleep problems. It’s inadequate, they have insomnia, and their sleep is disrupted by obstructive sleep apnea. Reduced sleep time is linked to drowsiness, fatigue, job performance lapses, slower reaction time, and impaired driving ability. These are all things that make an accident more likely
- They’re more likely to smoke cigarettes, binge drink, and use and abuse other substances. Drivers often struggle with chronic stress and mental health disorders
- They typically eat while driving or at truck stops and fast-food outlets, where food choices are limited
- The job is highly sedentary. Few rest stops offer exercise equipment, and chances for physical activity while on the road are rare
- More than half have one or more health problems. Eighty percent state they have at least one serious health condition. This can include high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders
- Receiving regular medical care to treat these conditions is difficult as drivers spend most of their time far from home, and their physicians
Commercial truck drivers also face the following:
- Family disruption and divorce
- High job turnover
- A high and untreated disease burden
- Shortened lifespans
- Higher rates of suicide
- Increased medical costs
- Vehicle accidents that can cause serious injuries
Long-haul drivers are critical to the economy’s efficient functioning, while they’re exposed to serious health issues above and beyond the rest of the population. COVID-19, for example, led to workers in the transportation/logistics industry having one of the worst per-capita excess mortality rates.
Changes are Needed So Truck Drivers Can Be Healthier and Drive Safer
Singer recommends interventions to address the structural factors putting long-haul truck drivers at risk. This would include infrastructure planning and health interventions. He warns that if bird flu takes a significant jump into humans and we spread it amongst ourselves, commercial truck drivers could be hard hit by it and spread it among others.
Truck drivers deserve better working and living conditions. They won’t be the only ones benefiting from them. Less stressed, healthier, better-rested truck drivers will also make the roads safer for those around them. More alert and focused drivers should be better able to avoid accidents and prevent the injuries and deaths that come with them.
What’s the Next Step if I’m Injured in a Truck Accident?
The Fleck Firm is experienced in representing truck accident victims and can help you through the process. You can have a free initial consultation to understand your situation fully. If you or a family member is injured in a truck accident caused by another’s negligence, call us at (270) 446-7000 or reach out to our Elizabethtown law office today.
We’ll talk about your accident, injuries, the law, and your best options. Insurance companies have lawyers. You should have one too.
