Santam: Truck driver wellness hinges on preventive measures

How can the trucking industry respond to the need for faster deliveries to ensure financial sustainability, without compromising the wellness of their drivers? It’s a conundrum… Natalie Mpele, relationship manager at Santam Heavy Haulage, confirms that owners of smaller hauliers in particular are understandably pushing for delivery results. This is not just impacting the drivers themselves, but all road users.

“By far the greatest threat on our roads is driver fatigue. This is not to say that all truck drivers suffer from it, but anyone behind the wheel of a vehicle on our arterial routes – which are the backbone of the transport industry – is susceptible,” says Mpele. Santam Heavy Haulage has to deal with the often tragic end results of a lack of driver well-being, which is not so much about a claim, but rather loss of life.

This aligns with the conscience of this socially responsible insurer that values people above all else. So, it made sense for Santam Heavy Haulage to partner with the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) in its annual efforts to promote greater awareness around truck driver fatigue and health issues that have a direct impact on truck accidents.

“The Driver Wellness Initiative speaks broadly to Santam’s drive to encourage proactive risk prevention behaviour. This programme is empathetic to the drivers, who are being tested at the voluntary RTMC roadside clinics and anonymously revealing that they are struggling or being diagnosed with health conditions,” explains Mpele.

“It’s not just fatigue but also diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, largely as a result of not getting enough physical exercise, a lack of nutritious food, and getting less than six hours sleep,” she continues.

These reports are effectively driving a change in the mindset of hauliers who are prioritising business over health. The RTMC presents its findings to truck owners with recommendations on the need for ongoing wellness training and revised delivery schedules.

“This is, however, quite a challenge for owner-drivers and hauliers employing contract drivers,” says Mpele, who makes the point that the larger fleet operators are regulating their full-time drivers’ health. “However, the pressure to provide drivers with training and access to health and wellness campaigns is usually put on a back burner by financially constrained operators. The cost for not doing so is usually the loss of lives,” she notes.

In 2022, the RTMC reported 10 611 fatalities resulting in 12 545 lives lost on our roads with 86% of all crashes caused by human factors or errors. Santam Heavy Haulage insures 34% of this market and, as such, is actively pushing freight industry stakeholders to address not just wellness but also driving skills. “If we don’t work together to minimise driver threats and their health challenges, there is a danger that the risk exposures could become uninsurable, which can have a devastating impact on families and business at large,” stresses Mpele.

“Santam Heavy Haulage is intent on changing this narrative through our collaboration with the RTMC. We will never know with certainty if our efforts are saving lives, but we believe it takes a collective effort to reduce the risk and increase the number of people saved through preventive actions.”