Great West Casualty Company Blog

Sitting for prolonged periods behind the wheel or at a desk is bad for your health. Regular stretching can help improve flexibility, circulation, and range of motion. Stretching is also good for stress relief. Here are several stretching techniques to try during rest breaks.

Influenza (flu), COVID-19, and other contagious respiratory illnesses can be spread by coughing, sneezing, and talking. These illnesses can attack your lungs, nose, and throat. To help reduce the risk of catching one of these illnesses, read the information below about germ protection. Consider these techniques, and then ask yourself how you can better protect yourself from illness. Find more information about these illnesses and flu prevention on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.

People who sit for long periods of time, lead sedentary lifestyles, or work in high-stress environments are prone to many serious health problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, deep vein thrombosis, and more. Exercise is a great solution. It can help you feel better, boost your energy, manage your weight, and prevent work-related injuries.   Below are several exercises that use your own body weight as resistance. These can be performed in the office, around the truck, or at home. Be sure to consult with your physician before starting any exercise program.  

Professionalism in the workplace benefits you, your peers, and your employer. Exhibiting professionalism can bring you an inward sense of pride, self-respect, competence, and job satisfaction. Your peers will mirror your behavior in the way you treat others and approach your job, while your employer will view you as a reliable team player. Read the informaiton below, and ask yourself if there are actions you can take to present yourself in a more professional manner. 

Managing the space around the truck is challenging. From driving in congested traffic to navigating a crowded parking lot, truck drivers must constantly track the hazards around them to help prevent a collision. Read the information below and ask yourself how you can improve your driving style in any of the hazard categories.

Stress can manifest itself in many ways and negatively affect your mood, body, and behavior. Read the information below about the symptoms of stress, and see if any apply to you. Even if you are not feeling stress now, try applying one or more of the stress management techniques to your daily routine as a preventive measure.

Improper lifting is a common cause of serious back injuries and could potentially lead to a lifetime of discomfort. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), adults ages 18 and up require a minimum of seven hours sleep per night.  The problem is that many factors can disrupt a person’s ability to get even the minimum amount of quality sleep. These factors include stress, working irregular hours, and practicing unhealthy lifestyle habits. Read the information below and decide how you can better improve your sleep habits.

Self-motivation is that force within yourself that pushes you to keep moving forward towards achieving your goals. For some people, self-motivation comes easily. For others, it is more of a challenge. This is partially due to two internal traits: self-assurance and self-efficacy. Self-assured people are not afraid to set challenging goals for themselves and do not become easily deterred when they face setbacks. People with high self-efficacy believe in their own ability to succeed. This can impact the types of goals (if any) they set for themselves. Read the self-motivation tips below and ask yourself how these might be able to help you achieve personal and professional goals.

With the advent of more and more technologies competing for our attention, it is becoming more difficult for humans to sift through a swarm of distractions and focus on those items that are worth paying attention to. For motor carriers, whose survival hinges on preventing crashes, driver distractions and inattention are not new. They are old enemies. Preaching to drivers to pay attention and focus on the road ahead is nothing new, yet preventable crashes still occur, leaving a motor carrier’s management team members scratching their heads in frustration. One solution, and arguably the solution to the distracted driving problem, is simple mindfulness.