Great West Casualty Company Blog

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.

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.

The winter months bring shorter days and increased driving hazards due to adverse weather. The change in season can be difficult to adjust to, especially for older truck drivers. One way normal aging affects older adults is fading night vision. The eye’s retinas function like photo film, reacting to light and images and then transmitting those signals to the brain for interpretation.

Obesity and being overweight are two common health risks facing truck drivers. Obesity means having too much body fat, while a person can be overweight due to too much muscle, bone, fat, and/or body water. If a person consumes more calories than he/ she burns, those extra calories are stored as fat. Over time, if life changes are not made, that excess body fat will continue to increase until a person reaches obesity. When that happens, there is an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, etc. The good news is that obesity is reversible in most cases, by eating and drinking smarter and increasing your physical activity. Consider the chart below and ask yourself where the majority of your daily calories are coming from.

Substance abuse involves more than taking illegal drugs. It also includes misusing alcohol, prescription medications, and other legal substances if too much is taken or in the wrong way. Unlike an addiction – which is a disease – individuals can stop abusing substances if they choose to before their unhealthy behavior becomes an addiction or causes serious health problems. Read the information below about commonly abused substances and the health risks each pose. If you feel you might have a substance abuse problem, seek assistance immediately.