ClearConnect Solutions has partnered with Supply Chain Fitness, a leading driver health and fitness program designed with the truck driver in mind. Scott Grandys (President/Co-founder of ClearConnect Solutions) and Dr. Mark Manera (Founder/CEO of Supply Chain Fitness) are excited to share their passion for driver wellness and risk mitigation to elevate the health and fitness of today’s drivers. The transportation and insurance industries are challenged with finding new ways to combat old AND evolving problems; while often overlooked, driver health and wellness is a big one.
We’ll explore some of the transportation industry’s risk mitigation challenges and how we, together, can help reduce risk through health and fitness solutions. How do we accomplish this? Let’s take a deeper look at the importance of driver health, benefits, and the key factors that increase driver risk score, insurance claims, health issues, missed days of work and other concerns that face today’s drivers, fleet owners and insurance companies.
Why is Driver Health Important?
First, let’s discuss why driver health is so important and how it can impact you and your business.
With a rigorous driving schedule, long hours, weeks at a time on the road, limited access to healthy food – it’s no wonder truck drivers have a hard time staying healthy and safe. In 2019, U.S. truck drivers had the second highest number of injuries on the job! (Employer-Reported Workplace Injury and Illnesses, 2019) And, the troubling statistics don’t end there.
Dr. Mark Manera, with Supply Chain Fitness explains, “From a fleet perspective, there’s a lot of risk in putting drivers behind the wheel with the current state of health they’re at. On top of that, there’s everything from workers’ comp claims to health insurance to just overall employee satisfaction. By helping your drivers exercise and eat healthy and live a healthier life, you’ve got all of these benefits that come from that,” (Manera, Freight Waves).
According the the CDC, an astounding 70% of professional truck drivers are obese, which leads to health-related issues that negatively impact your bottom line and driver health.
- Obese drivers file 2X as many insurance claims
- Obese drivers miss thirteen more days per year due to injury
- Obstructive sleep apnea (with obesity being a contributing factor) doubles drivers’ crash risk
- One in every seven drivers suffers from type 2 diabetes (often caused by obesity)
- Higher BMI (body mass index) increases driver fatigue associated with crashes
These factors affect a driver’s risk score, number of insurance claims, accountability, and retention. AND, let’s be honest, when you don’t feel good or sleep well, your mental health suffers, too. The good news – there’s a cost-effective solution with the ClearConnect Solutions and Supply Chain Fitness partnership. So, what is this program and how will it help my fleet?
How Does the Supply Chain Fitness Program Work?
The Supply Chain Fitness health and fitness program was developed by Dr. Mark Manera, initially as a physical therapist working with drivers, who understands the transportation industry and how challenging it can be for truck drivers to stay healthy on and off the road.
With Mark’s expertise in health science, physical therapy and fitness paired with ClearConnect Solutions’s risk mitigation technology and audience reach, their combined vision can fill a dire need for improved health and fitness across the transportation industry
Program Overview
Supply Chain Fitness is a customizable program that educates, coaches and provides drivers with truck-friendly exercise and nutrition plans that can be incorporated into the trucking lifestyle – anytime, anywhere.
- In-truck workouts
- Truck-stop workouts
- On-the-road meal-prep plans
- Choosing healthy foods – on the road
- 24/7 hour access to message coaches
- Weekly coach/driver check-ins
“The program is worth every dollar. It’s gotten me and several of my friends out of the truck or into the bunk to do a workout. And they’re designed for every shape, size, and weight of a person! Your energy levels are going to go through the roof, and I started losing weight the first week I was on the program” (Butler, Ron. Truck Driver, Crete Carrier).
Benefits of Healthy Drivers
We want to make a difference in the lives of drivers. By using the Supply Chain Fitness program, you will see long-lasting results that not only foster healthier drivers, but also have the potential to improve driver retention, cut costs in insurance and workers’ comp claims, boost company culture and driver morale, and improve your bottom line over time. At ClearConnect Solutions, driver health is and always has been a top priority; now is the time to raise awareness and really make a change in the transportation industry. As ClearConnect Solutions President, Scott Grandys says it best,“Your body is like a vehicle…fill it with healthy fuel and it will run well…fill it with junk food and it won’t!”
According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), obese drivers spend $1,500 per year more on health care, which is ~41% more than drivers of normal weight, and the American Diabetes Association sites that drivers with diabetes spend $9,600 on health care per year! These are not only expenses that directly impact drivers but also result in higher health care costs and workers comp claims for employers.
Long-term value can be seen in:
- Lower risk
- Increased productivity
- Better employee retention
- Reduced medical expenses and claims
- Reduced driver illness and injury, and
- Increased profitability
Now that’s something we can all get excited about!
Start Improving Driver Health and Fitness
By making health and fitness a part of the trucking culture, we can begin to shift trends on a positive trajectory, improve drivers’ lives, help the businesses who support them, and foster a more profitable future.
What’s stopping you? Learn more about integrating health and fitness into your business, and start seeing results that improve lives.