Drivers get the job done day after day, week after week, delivering the goods that keep the nation moving. But no one seems to notice that month after month, year after year, truckers' health is deteriorating. And, the change is rapid as many drivers report weight gains of 50 - 100 pounds per year. We have blown straight past "problem" and have moved right onto "crisis." If you haven't heard the alarm bells coming from your drivers' ranks, you are missing something that has a critical bearing on your business.

Overweight increases the risk for many diseases. Truck drivers as a group are too heavy for their own health or for that of their employers and, not coincidentally, the driving public. While the American population hovers around the 66% mark for overweight (nothing to write home about, mind you), truckers are 86% overweight. The nation has a 33% rate for obesity; drivers are at 57%. What does it matter?

Those extra pounds mean more heart disease, more type 2 diabetes, and more high blood pressure. Then there are joint problems. These used to be ailments that afflicted the elderly. Not anymore. We get calls on Sirius/XM from drivers in their 30s struggling with the consequences of overweight. Yes, many can be controlled with medication, which, if the driver has no health insurance, can cost more than they are willing or able to pay. Who will have to pick up the tab for decreased productivity and missed delivery times because a driver is too sick to work?

Here's something else: obesity leads to sleep apnea which leads to waking-time fatigue and decreased alertness on the road. A sleepy driver is a massive insurance claim waiting to happen.

On top of that, several studies suggest super-sized bodies can lead to a form of progressive sight loss known as macular degeneration. Consider what these "blind spots" can mean to a driver navigating 80,000-odd pounds down a superslab at 65 mph. When will a driver admit to eye problems that could cost a CDL? What do you call a truck driver who can't see? Unemployed.

From a purely pragmatic business point of view, it is in a trucking company's interest to be fully invested in managing weight and nutritional health. True, you will go nowhere if you do not get buy-in from your drivers. But, the situation will only go downhill if you do not take the lead. Bob Petrancosta, VP of Safety for Con-way Freight, discusses and expands on the business reasons why they focused on Employee Wellness Programs.

What's it worth to your business to help turn your drivers' lives around? Will improved driver health and appearance present a better image to your customer base? Will reduced driver downtime increase productivity and profitability? Will you be a company that cares for its drivers and, as a result, becomes a preferred place to work?

A nutritional wellness program begins with starting a dialog. You have to engage your people in a conversation that leads to awareness that drivers have to be in control of their lives in spite of HOS limitations. You have to give them the information and the tools to be able to take care of themselves on the road…but you also have to be ready with workshops and support networks for when they are at home, too. Consider engaging spouses and children as part of your effort.

In the long run (and isn't that what we really want?), you will shore up the most important part of your business, one that goes beyond hardware, the drivers that generate your revenues. But, while your work will cut health care costs, increase productivity and return on investment, the biggest single impact will be found in the fact that your company cared enough to step forward and say "Enough!"