The work and lifestyle of truck drivers can bring unique health problems, such as long working hours, high intensity of labor, night and frequent shifts, and long-term exposure to exhaust and noise pollution, which can affect their health. However, there is a lack of systematic research on their health status.
Recently, a research team organized and funded by Transfar Charity Foundation released the "Survey Report on the Health Status of Chinese Truck Drivers", written by Li Xiaoyu of Tsinghua University and Tan Xiao of Zhejiang University. The report initially reveals the health status of truck drivers, proposes corresponding countermeasures, and hopes to attract the attention of the whole society.
Since 2017, Transfar Charity Foundation has published five surveys of truck drivers in China, which comprehensively describe the work and life of truck drivers, reveal the challenges and opportunities they face, and put forward corresponding countermeasures. From 2024 onwards, Transfar Charity Foundation's research on truck drivers will shift to more detailed topics, and this "China Truck Driver Health Survey Report" is the first in a series of special studies.
Only 43.8% of those with chronic pain were treated
More than half of the truck drivers in the sample rated their health as being at a good or moderate level, and about 10% rated their health as poor. Figure 1 shows that chronic pain is the most common occupational disease among truck drivers, with a prevalence of 33.1%. This was followed by chronic gastritis (21.7%) and hypertension (18.7%).
Fig. 1 Prevalence of various chronic diseases among sample truck drivers
Figure 2 shows that only 43.8% of truck drivers with chronic pain were treated, with higher treatment rates for COPD, diabetes, and hypertension at 87.5%, 81.0%, and 77.0%, respectively. The treatment rate for depression is low, at 20.7%, reflecting the neglect of mental health in this group. According to the Simplified Epilogue Center Depression Scale (CESD-10), 55.9% of the truck drivers were in a relatively healthy psychological state, 31.6% showed a tendency to depression, and 12.4% of the drivers may have severe depressive symptoms, which require timely attention and intervention.
Fig.2 Treatment of chronic diseases among sample truck drivers
50.8% of drivers slept less than 7 hours
Sleep is key to maintaining healthy and safe driving, and it's especially important for truck drivers. In light of this, this study focused specifically on truck drivers' sleep and conducted a detailed analysis in conjunction with the number of accidents they reported over the past five years.
According to the data, only 33.9% of truck drivers meet the recommended sleep duration of 7-9 hours, while 50.8% of drivers sleep less than 7 hours, and another 15.3% sleep more than 9 hours. Figure 3 shows that the average sleep of drivers who have not been involved in accidents is 6.5 hours, and the sleep duration decreases with the increase of the number of accidents, with an average of 6.0 hours for drivers who have had one accident and 5.5 hours for those who have multiple accidents, indicating that sleep deprivation may increase the risk of accidents.
Fig. 3 Average sleep duration (hours) of sample truck drivers and the number of accidents in the past five years
According to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, half of the truck drivers showed normal sleepiness, 30.5% were in a state of suspicious sleepiness, and 19.0% showed symptoms of excessive sleepiness. Figure 4 shows that 88.6% of drivers with normal levels of sleepiness had no accident recorded. Among the suspected drowsiness drivers, 81.2% had no accidents, but the rates of one or more accidents increased to 15.0% and 3.8%. The accident rates of drivers with excessive drowsiness were 14.3% and 4.5%, respectively, indicating that the degree of drowsiness was related to the risk of safe driving.
Fig. 4 Accident rates among sample truck drivers with different degrees of drowsiness and in the past five years
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent among truck drivers. Among the sample truck drivers, 32.6% were at high risk of OSA, while 63.9% were at low risk of OSA. According to Figure 5, 13.9% of OSA high-risk drivers had at least one accident and 4.7% had at least two accidents, which was significantly higher than the 10.5% and 2.0% of OSA low-risk drivers, suggesting that OSA may be associated with the driving accident rate.
Fig. 5 OSA risk and accident rate of sample truck drivers in the past five years
In addition, this report provides a preliminary survey of the health effects of lifestyle factors such as sedentary work, dietary structure, alcohol consumption, and smoking habits among truck drivers.
The truck driver lifestyle is not good for health
The health of truck drivers is not encouraging. Although they generally consider themselves to be in good health, the actual prevalence of chronic diseases is high, which may affect the driver's driving and work efficiency and even endanger life, and the low treatment rate of diseases, especially in mental health, should be paid attention to and intervened.
The lifestyle of truck drivers presents a variety of characteristics that are not conducive to health. Many drivers face sleep deprivation, which can increase their risk of accidents. Drowsiness and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may increase the risk of accidents, but these issues have not received enough attention. Attention needs to be paid to and steps taken to address these common health risks.
It is necessary to strengthen the occupational physical examination of truck drivers and comprehensively improve their lifestyle
First, we should gradually strengthen the occupational physical examination of truck drivers and strive to establish detailed health records. Medical intervention and rehabilitation guidance should be provided in a timely manner for identified health problems. For drivers hired by him, the employer can be required to implement an occupational medical examination and establish a health record. For self-employed drivers, it may be possible to undergo a medical examination through the affiliated company or driver's organization. At the same time, the "public welfare physical examination" project is advocated to reduce its financial burden.
In view of the importance of sleep status to the driving safety of truck drivers, it is recommended that sleep disorder screening be included in the qualification review of truck drivers. Provide timely treatment and rehabilitation guidance for drivers with sleep disorders. At the same time, we will actively promote the inclusion of sleep disorder treatment in medical insurance to reduce the financial burden of drivers and ensure the continuity and effectiveness of treatment.
Second, comprehensively improve the lifestyle of truck drivers. For example, the driving environment should be optimized, comfortable seats should be promoted to reduce driving pressure, and fitness trails and sports facilities could be added to the rest areas of expressways to create convenient exercise opportunities for them.
Third, strengthen the prevention of fatigue driving and improve the conditions for high-speed rest. Formulate a flexible driving and rest system, and improve the setting of temporary parking areas on highways. Establish and improve the driver log system and strengthen safety management. Intensify law enforcement and investigate and punish illegal acts. Strengthen information sharing, early warning and intervention in fatigue driving, and reduce traffic accidents.
Fourth, it calls for the establishment of a scientific distribution mechanism, and reasonably arranges the delivery time and route according to the actual situation of the goods and the transportation route. The industry should strengthen supervision and impose severe penalties on enterprises that violate the regulations. At the same time, protect the rights and interests of drivers, establish a complaint mechanism, and ensure that their working hours are reasonable. Comprehensive measures to help drivers rest and safety, and improve the efficiency of road transportation.
It is reported that from February to March 2024, the research team relied on the Transfar Anxin Station platform to distribute online questionnaires to the majority of good station friends and truck drivers for a survey, and a total of 1,119 valid questionnaires were collected, and the survey samples covered 29 provinces across the country, with samples from Shandong and Henan being the majority. Among them, 93.2% of male drivers and 6.8% of female drivers have an average age of 45.1 years old, and 91.7% are married. The level of education is dominated by junior high school (60.9%), followed by upper secondary school and equivalent (26.0%). 76.5% of the drivers were self-employed drivers with an average annual income of MOP81,000, while 23.5% were other-employed drivers with an average annual income of MOP99,000. 44.0% of the drivers drove large trucks (more than 13 meters), 49.0% of the transportation distance was mainly long-distance (49.0%), 36.2% were short- and medium-distance, and 14.8% were urban delivery drivers. The type of cargo is mostly truckload transportation, accounting for 74.4%, LTL and express delivery accounting for 16.5% and 5.3% respectively.