World Diabetes Day in November highlights an awareness of this disease which can affect anyone. Truck drivers are one of the most vulnerable sectors being at risk of a number of debilitating health conditions including *diabetes. With this in mind the role of the industry in addressing employee awareness and management of this disease needs to be explored.

Craig Uren, Chief Operating Officer at Isuzu Trucks South Africa, says, “As the industry prepares for the busy festive season, driver health is a crucial but often overlooked factor in overall road safety. The industry needs to recognise the impact that a poorly managed health condition has on truck drivers.”

“In the wake of any accident involving a truck, attention immediately turns to the vehicle’s mechanical soundness and capabilities of the driver. Little, if any, focus is placed on the health status of the driver.”

According to Uren in various studies around the world researchers found that truck drivers are at an increased risk of being overweight or obese, having high blood pressure and developing Type 2 diabetes.

A recent study of truck drivers released by the Journal of Diabetes and Metabolic Disorders (1) noted: High blood sugar was found in 52.1% of the drivers, 9.1% of them were in diabetic stage, and when using the hemoglobin sugar test 77.6% of these drivers were in this stage. Excessive body weight was recorded in 65.6% of the study population, 44.8% were diagnosed with overweight and 20.8% with obesity. High blood pressure was recorded in 16.4% of drivers.

In the USA, numerous studies have found that truck drivers are at increased risk of lung, colon and larynx cancer, ischemic heart and cerebrovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, low back injuries, diabetes and non-alcohol cirrhosis – and, as a result – at increased risk of motor vehicle accidents. In Canadian studies, uncontrolled and poorly controlled diabetes among truck drivers has been found to contribute to an increased risk of road accidents .

Adds Uren, “Clearly, this is a universal problem. The conditions under which truck drivers work lend themselves to unhealthy practices, which can escalate to chronic illness over time. By the very nature of their work, truck drivers spend long hours sitting, with little physical exercise and poor sleep cycles. They also tend to eat unhealthy convenience food, snacks and drinks containing high levels of salt or sugar. Over time, these factors increase their risk of weight gain, high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes, among other conditions.”

“The well-being of truck drivers and road users in general is of critical importance to us. We urge drivers and companies operating in the transport sector to take charge of this rapidly growing health and safety risk through simple measures such as routine testing. Professional blood tests for glucose level monitoring must be conducted at least annually among all drivers. If drivers are found to be diabetic, the condition can be controlled by ensuring each driver has his or her own glucometer in order to test and record his or her own blood glucose levels daily, and be guided on managing the condition by Diabetes SA. By helping manage truck driver health, we can improve their personal well-being and that of their families and contributing to improved safety on South Africa’s roads.”

“If Type 2 diabetes is not managed properly it can result in symptoms such as blurred vision, tiredness and lack of concentration impacting on a driver’s ability to function optimally on the road. There is also a risk that a driver with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes could suffer a hypoglycemic attack while driving, with associated dizziness, weakness or even loss of consciousness.”