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Trucking

11-02-2009

During a 4.15am radio interview I did recently, two truckies phoned in with questions. I wondered about their world, and remembered two stories from my days in clinical psychiatry.
The first was about a 9 year old boy who was on an access week end with his father. His father was a truckie and, against the mother’s wishes, took the boy with him on an overnight trip. The father’s truck was involved in a road accident where three people were killed. The boy was witness to the carnage. Complicating this was the fact that his father swore him to secrecy, lest his mother discover what had occurred. This left the child with no one in whom he could confide. He eventually came to our attention and there was a good outcome.
The second story was about one of the many Vietnam veterans I have seen over the years. He had seen and done too much as a 20 year old infantry conscript and was trying to manage his symptoms with a combination of hard work, drugs and alcohol. He told me that he was delivering a truck load of cattle from country New South Wales to the old Homebush Markets. Believing he had arrived at Homebush he duly unloaded the cattle. The problem was the he unloaded them onto the steps of the Gundagai Hospital! The confusion was apparently a sight to behold. I can also report that he is now doing really well and is one of the finer people I have had the pleasure of working with.
There are significant health risks associated with working in the trucking industry. Long hours spent in a relatively fixed posture, in an often noisy environment which is constantly vibrating, take their toll. Back, neck and other joint problems are common. Hearing loss is also a problem.
This is a sedentary occupation and anyone who has visited a truck stop will understand the narrow dietary options available to truckies. As a result diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure and heart disease present threats to this population.
The job often involves the delivery of dangerous chemicals and lifting heavy weights, both risks in their own right.
Truck drivers are often away from their families which is disruptive, as well as depriving them of the benefit of family support.
A 2008 survey of 1300 Australian truck drivers by Dr Michael Hilton of The Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research looked at mental health issues in truck drivers. Depression, anxiety and other stress related symptoms were more common than in the general community. There was a tendency to self treat these symptoms, mainly with alcohol. Drivers sought help less commonly even than other males for mental health issues. One major problem was that drivers with symptoms of depression were much more likely to be involved in motor accidents. It was common for drivers to work 62 hour weeks and even longer working weeks were recorded in some. Owner drivers are often servicing large debts to pay for their machines.
When drivers are involved in motor accidents, they are often at high speed. They are much more likely to be witness or to be directly involved in accidents because of the hours they spend in this environment. Involvement either directly or as a witness, often leads to trauma related psychological problems.
Not surprisingly, sleep disorders of various kinds, including sleep apnoea are more common in truck drivers.
Because of the nature of the trucking lifestyle, drivers are in a less stable personal environment so that they are unlikely to access even basic medical care. This factor also makes them less amenable to education programs aimed at prevention of health problems.
Having said all of this, the drivers themselves often love their lifestyle. They occupy a world which is far from humdrum. There seems to be a strong camaraderie amongst truckies. They have their own unique language, music and code of behaviour.
This is one of those high risk occupations which is currently an important component of our economy. More attention should be paid to these people.

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