July 24, 2020 Idealease Safety Bulletin: Driver Health

The latest edition of the the Idealease Safety Bulletin has arrived! This week focuses on important Driver Health safety reminders, as well as tips to control hypertension. 

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In this edition:

DRIVER HEALTH - Hypertension and Drivers

Question: I have sent my driver for a DOT physical and the doctor has issued a three-month certification due to the blood pressure (hypertension) of my driver. Can my driver continue to be qualified by seeing the physician every three months and receiving a new medical certificate?

Answer: NO! The three-month certification for hypertension is a one-time certification. Hypertension, as defined by the regulations, is classified in three stages depending on the systolic and or diastolic blood pressure readings taken of the driver.

• Stage #1 (systolic 159-140 and or diastolic 99-90): A driver with this condition may be certified for one year. Upon re-certification, if the driver’s blood pressure is equal to or less than 140/90 could they again be certified for one year. However, if the driver’s blood pressure is greater than 140/90 and less than 160/100 at the time of re-certification, the driver is issued a one-time three-month certificate.
• Stage #2 (systolic 179-160 and or diastolic 109-100): A driver with this condition must be treated and given a one-time, three-month certificate. Once the driver has reduced the blood pressure to 140/90 or less, a one-year certificate is than issued and recertified annually.
• Stage #3 (systolic equal to or greater than 180 and or diastolic equal to or greater than 110): A driver with this condition cannot be certified until their blood pressure has been reduced to 140/90 or less and is placed out of service immediately as medically disqualified. The driver cannot be recertified until the blood pressure is reduced to 140/90 or less and then can be recertified every six months.

*It should be noted that once a driver has been diagnosed with hypertension, the re-certification for Stage 1 and Stage 2 will continue to occur annually and the recertification for Stage 3 will occur every six months. The regulations, as outlined in 391.43, specifically state that if a driver has hypertension and/or is being medicated for hypertension, he or she should be recertified more frequently.

What Can You Do to Help Control Hypertension? 

1.  Eat healthy foods - Eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods. Get plenty of potassium. Eat less saturated fat, trans fat and total fat. Limit the amount of sodium (salt) in your diet.
2. Maintain a healthy weight. Losing even 5 pounds can help reduce your blood pressure.
3. Increase physical activity. Strive for at least 30 minutes each day!
4. Limit Alcohol. Alcohol can raise your blood pressure. Drink in moderation; it is suggested no more than one drink a day for women and two a day for men.
5. Don’t Smoke. Tobacco injures blood vessel walls and speeds up the process of hardening of the arteries. 
6. Manage your stress.  Practice healthy coping techniques, such as muscle relaxation and deep breathing. Get plenty of sleep!

Driver Health on the Road 

As a driver of a commercial motor vehicle it is hard to eat and remain healthy compared to other professions. The following will provide you with some tips to stay healthy when eating fast food.

Try selecting from the following: 

• The smallest sized hamburger
• Grilled chicken sandwiches or salads
• Low-fat dressings and sauces (or none)
• Diet soft drinks or preferably, water

Try to avoid the following: 

• Super-sized ANYTHING
• Fried or breaded chicken or fish; as well as chicken nuggets
• High-fat dressings and sauces
• Extra/ sides of cheese

The #1 Secret to Reducing Blood Pressure- MOVEMENT!

As a commercial driver, your job is getting stuff from point A to point B as quickly as possible. So you sit for hours on end with no movement. This forces your heart to do all the work, to pump all the blood, for all of your body. Something it was never designed to do.

Movement improves blood flow and helps to reduce blood pressure. Move any way you can, any time you can! Be conscious of sitting still for hours while you’re driving. Find ways to make even small movements in your feet, legs, hands, arms, shoulders and neck. The secret is in moving frequently. Find ways to be active outside the truck. Ten minute activity periods, four or five times a day will go a long way to reduce blood pressure and maintain your DOT medical card at two year intervals.

• When loading or unloading seems to be taking too long, take that time to move, stretch, and walk.
• Park at the far end of the rest stop, and walk the long way around, to get into the building.
• Don’t always eat at the truck stop. Walk to a nearby restaurant to eat. Walk to a nearby grocery store and buy some healthy food to eat on the road.
• Step in and out of your truck 10 times after stopping for a meal. Or walk around your truck 10 times. Every extra step helps!
• Walk around the parking lot, up and down the rows, and find the nicest looking customized truck.

Regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your heart. A healthy heart helps keep blood pressure low. Regular physical activity also helps control your weight and reduce stress. Any regular exercise like walking or biking, even 15 minutes a day will do wonders for your health.

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Road Rage Statistics in 2020 and COVID-19

Due to the vast losses associated with coronavirus (COVID-19), many people are experiencing sadness, fear, anxiety, and loneliness, as well as anger. People may be feeling anger about deep losses related to jobs, finances, normalcy, routines, cherished activities, the health of self or loved ones, or the ability to see friends and family. As a professional driver you will witness some of that anger being vented into road rage.

In May 2020, The Zebra, the nation's leading insurance comparison site, conducted a national survey on 1,500 Americans to better understand this "road rage" phenomenon.
Major takeways include:

• 19.3% of respondents reported feeling anger and intense aggression while driving in the past year, while 5.5% said they experienced those same feelings weekly. 2.8% reported those same feelings every time they drive.
• The most common act of road rage witnessed by American drivers was another driver honking their car horns in anger (48.3%). However, 41.1% (almost half of the respondents) witnessed drivers giving rude hand gestures to the person of their aggression. 35.8% saw other drivers yell at another driver, while 6.2% actually witnessed drivers get out of their car and fight in a physical altercation.
• Distracted driving, tailgating, and being cut off in traffic are the most enraging behaviors, according to the survey (respondents reporting 27.7%, 21.4%, and 15.6% respectively)

This new data also indicates a concerning lack of action taken by most Americans, despite knowing the dangers of road rage.

• 40.8% of drivers reported believing road rage was just as dangerous as distracted driving.
• 41.4% of drivers reported believing road rage was just as dangerous as drunk driving.
• 44.4% of people also admitted failing to report road rage to the police when they saw it.

Perhaps this discrepancy comes down to varying beliefs regarding how road rage is defined.

• 17.4% claim road rage is only feelings caused by another driver's behavior, while 10.1% define road rage as physical responses due to another driver. 2.1% see road rage as physical responses due to traffic/blockage. 1.8% responded that road rage was caused by traffic or construction.
• Of the above options, 46.7% saw road rage as all of the above, but 21.1% didn't see road rage as any of the listed options.

If you find yourself frustrated behind the wheel, our research shows these as the top ways to relax after a road rage incident.

• Listen to music or a podcast: 30.5% (still regarded the top favorite choice, in accordance to last year's road rage survey)
• Think of something more peaceful: 19.2%
• Letting off steam by yelling in the car: 9.5%

Idealease Announces a New Safety Webinar Series

Due to the cancellation of our on-site safety seminars in 2020 we will be presenting a safety webinar series starting next month to keep you informed and up to date on changing regulations as well as a review of existing regulations. The webinars will be one hour in length and will address six separate topics regarding compliance and safety. Look for registration information in future safety bulletins and on the Idealease website. 

Here are the dates and webinar topics:

Brake Safety Week to Remain on CVSA's Calendar of Events - slated for August 23rd-29th, it will proceed as scheduled, according to the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA).

Annual event which is part of law enforcement's efforts to reduce brake-related crashes and remove unsafe commercial motor vehicles (CMVs) from the roadways.

How is this different than any other time of the year?
Throughout the year, law enforcement checks brake components as a part of the roadside inspection process. However, during this year's enforcement campaign, roadside inspectors will pay special attention to hoses and tubing. Brake Safety Week 2020 will be used to highlight the importance of these brake components.

The week-long event is a part of the greater Brake Safety Awareness Month. During August, law enforcement will provide outreach materials to drivers, motor carriers, mechanics, and others on the importance of properly maintained brakes.

Importance of brake safety
A CMV's brake components must work together to slow and stop a vehicle. If the brake hoses/tubing are not working properly, it can affect the entire braking system and create a safety issue.

To function properly, hoses and tubing must be:

• Properly attached
• Without damage and leaks
• Flexible

When roadside inspectors identify critical out-of-service brake violations, the vehicle cannot be operated until the defects are repaired. During last year's Brake Safety Week, officers placed 13.5 percent of the CMVs they inspected out of service due to brake-related vehicle violations.

Vehicles that pass the vehicle portion of an eligible roadside inspection may receive a CVSA decal.

ELEVATE YOUR DRIVER'S PERFORMANCE

Sign up to receive short weekly questions/tips to keep your team striving for Excellence behind the wheel, covering (but not limited to) the various following topics:

• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Safety
• Scorecarding
• Driver performance
• Motivation
• Incentives