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Canadian long-haul truck drivers lead sedentary lives, but are receptive to receiving physical activity information to address health risks. This study examined how Canadian long-haul truck drivers would like to receive physical activity information in order to improve their overall health. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) explore barriers Canadian long-haul truck drivers have to receiving and using physical activity information and 2) understand how physical activity information should be structured and delivered to these drivers to overcome these barriers.

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 Canadian long-haul truck drivers. Drivers had, on average, 14.3 years of professional long-haul driving experience.

Few drivers had received any physical activity information. Drivers discussed a culture where they perceived both employers and drivers to be lacking awareness of the importance of physical activity and its impact on health. Drivers explained they were too busy, stressed or tired to be active or to learn about physical activity. Information received by some drivers on this topic was too general to be helpful in changing physical activity behaviours. Drivers mentioned that personalized and accessible physical activity information should be provided to them through multiple methods by their employers, as an aspect of occupational health and safety.

Future physical activity information strategies should use both passive and interactive mediums to promote physical activity to Canadian long-haul truck drivers.

This is the first study to assess how Canadian long-haul truck drivers would like to receive trustworthy information that can lead to healthful improvements in physical activity behaviour.

This chapter explores how long-distance truckers in the contemporary United States navigate work and family obligations. It examines how Christianity and constructions of masculinity are significant in the lives of these long-haul drivers and how truckers work to construct narratives of their lives as “good, moral” individuals in contrast to competing cultural narratives which suggest images of romantic, rule-free, renegade lives on the open road.

This study is based upon ethnographic fieldwork, interviews, observations of long-haul truckers, and participation in a trucking school for eight months in 2005–2006 and an additional four months in 2007–2008. Using feminist grounded theory, I highlight how Christian trucking provides avenues through which balance is struck between work and family and between masculinity and other identities.

Christian truckers draw upon older ideas about responsible, breadwinning fatherhood in their discourse about being good “fathers” while on the road. This discourse is in some conflict with the lived experiences of Christian truckers who simultaneously find themselves confronted by cultural narratives and expectations of what it means to be a good “worker” or a good “trucker.”

As these men navigate both work and social locations, gender expectations are challenged and strategies to ameliorate the work/family balance are essential.

The chapter contributes to discourse on gender studies as well as to the reshaping of ideology and practices of work and family in contemporary American culture.

Most long-haul truck drivers are physically inactive. Despite being identified as a source of health information, online physical activity and exercise information has not been evaluated for this population. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the accessibility, accuracy, technical and theoretical quality, and readability of online physical activity, exercise, and sport information for long-haul truck drivers.

A standardized protocol was followed to identify and evaluate web sites. Web sites were included in the review if they met the following criteria: first, presented information on physical activity, exercise, or sport; second, provided information for long-haul truck drivers; and finally, provided information in English. Each web site was evaluated independently by the two study authors. After evaluating the web sites independently, the authors then met to discuss each construct for each web site.

Overall, 44 web sites were reviewed. Nine web sites provided information based on physical activity guidelines. Most web sites scored poorly on technical and theoretical quality. In total, 28 web sites provided information that was written above the recommended grade 8 reading level.

Research has shown that theoretically designed physical activity and exercise interventions are more successful than those with no theoretical underpinnings. Creating web sites or online applications using behavioral theory and improving the readability of online health information may help increase levels of physical activity and improve overall health for this population.

No previous research has examined the quality of online physical activity, exercise, or sport information for long-haul truck drivers. This is the first study to examine how online health information for this population can be improved.

The purpose of this paper is to solicit perspectives from stakeholders concerning health, environmental and operational challenges among Commercial motor vehicle (CMV) drivers in Canada (truck and bus drivers).

Two focus groups and one interview were conducted with key industry, government and advocacy groups representing or working with CMV drivers. Perspectives pertaining to working conditions, health issues, driver recruitment and retention, and other key issues in the CMV sector were obtained.

The findings show that undesirable working conditions are primary issues that impact recruitment and retention, as well as health and wellness (H&W), and productivity of drivers in both the truck and bus sectors. Compared to our US counterparts, finding parking areas and rest stops were seen as a major issue for Canadian truckers (particularly in the north). Unfortunately, there is limited or out-dated information on drivers and companies in Canada. Stakeholders stated the need for more information from both carriers/companies and from drivers themselves (particularly long-haul drivers).

This study identifies gaps and key priority research areas pertaining to the H&W of the CMV sector in Canada that require further investigation.

CMV drivers are considered a vulnerable sector of the population. While drivers themselves have reported on undesirable work conditions leading to poor health, prior studies have not assessed the awareness or perspective of stakeholders involved in the CMV sector. This is the first study to capture stakeholder perspectives of the working conditions and health outcomes of CMV drivers.

The purpose of this paper is to explore truck drivers’ views toward diet, physical activity, and health care access to inform the development of a weight loss intervention.

The authors conducted four focus groups via teleconference (one) or in person (three). Each focus group included eight to ten truck drivers. Sessions were digitally recorded and transcribed. The authors used thematic analysis of the participant responses to develop themes and subthemes.

Truck drivers desired good health, however, many knowledge gaps were identified. Drivers were aware of some healthy foods, but lacked knowledge of appropriate energy intake and healthy weight. Drivers expressed many barriers to eating healthy food and engaging in physical activity on the road. Participants suggested strategies and resources to improve their diet and increase physical activity.

This qualitative study included a convenience sample of 30 long-haul truck drivers. Consensus of themes and subthemes was achieved by four sessions. Issues facing long-haul truck drivers may be different than other truck drivers. Additional qualitative research should be conducted along with interventions focussed on healthy behaviors that can be implemented in the mobile working environment.

This is the first focus group study of truck drivers that targets eating and physical activity. Future weight loss intervention designs should address the lack of knowledge and skills. To succeed, interventions should implement strategies to address perceived barriers: access, time limitations, and high cost of healthy lifestyle habits.

The purpose of this research is to analyse the relationship between economic pressure, multi‐tiered subcontracting and occupational health and safety (OHS) outcomes for employee and owner/drivers in long‐haul trucking, using Australian evidence.

The analysis is based on direct interviews with 300 long‐haul drivers, using a structured questionnaire along with an examination of documentary records, statistics and government reports. Qualitative and quantitative data were gathered on self‐reported acute and chronic injuries, the incidence of occupational violence, truck crashes, indicators of illicit drug use, hours of work/fatigue and psychological distress.

Variations between owner/drivers and employees working for small and large firms were investigated. Overall, owner/drivers reported worse OHS than small fleet and, more especially, large fleet drivers. Evidence also indicated a connection between economic pressure, the expansion of contingent work and negative OHS outcomes.

Further longitudinal and comparative research is needed to test the hypothesized link between competitive pressures, supply chain rationalization and OHS outcomes. Research to investigate these issues in other countries is required in order to compare findings with those for Australia and to assess the effectiveness of new enforcement initiatives.

Findings suggest the need for policy interventions aimed at improving OHS to address commercial practices, including elaborate subcontracting chains, more explicitly than is currently the case with road transport regulation. Recent moves in this direction are identified.

Unlike manufacturing, healthcare and the public sector, there have been few studies of the OHS effects associated with contingent work arrangements in transport. In addition to helping to fill this gap the paper provides evidence on the effects of competitive pressure and supply chains on work practices and OHS.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and contribute to the understanding of the critical issue of “driver turnover” in the USA long-haul trucking environment which is becoming a malaise in the transportation sector not only in the USA but also worldwide. Most importantly, it accomplishes this through an exploration of the perceptions of the “drivers” themselves regarding the external customer-base in the trucking industry. This, to the best knowledge of the authors, has not yet been done and so becomes the missing angle in focus on driver turnover research.

This exploratory study employs a qualitative research methodology via in-depth interviews of a select sample of drivers in a field setting followed by content analysis of the responses. This methodology, by and large, is the most suitable for this type of exploration.

A content analysis of the perceptions of drivers reveals several important reasons (or causes) for driver turnover. This paper elaborates on those and offers customer-centric solutions to alleviate the plight of the driver and improve overall performance in the trucking sector.

Needless to say, this exploratory research should be replicated in several other locations within the USA, other settings (e.g. trucking in extreme conditions), and other countries in order to enhance the external validity of the findings and recommendations.

All implications of this research are practical as they have direct managerial significance.

The value of this research lies in the fact that, to the best knowledge of the authors, this is the first study that explores the perceptions of long-haul drivers regarding the external customer-base of the trucking industry. The findings have direct implications for management in the trucking sector.

The purpose of this paper is to provide a review of both occupational safety and health (OSH) and worksite health promotion (WHP) efforts targeted at long-haul truck drivers (LHTDs) and to identify strengths and weaknesses to inform future interventions and/or policy changes.

Review of the literature was done to identify theoretical and methodological approaches frequently used for protecting and promoting the health and well-being of LHTDs.

Health and safety issues impacting LHTDs are complex and naturally interrelated. Historically, the majority of approaches to the health and safety of LHTDs have emphasized the safety side and there has been a lack of comprehensive and integrated WHP/OSH attempts.

The literature pertaining to LHTD health has expanded in recent years, but intervention and policy efforts have had limited success. Several scholars have discussed the need for integrating WHP/OSH efforts for LHTD health, but have not actually provided a description or a framework of what it entails in which the authors provide a conclusion to the review of the literature. The authors provide a critical discussion regarding a collaborative approach focused on National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health’s Total Worker Health model. The integration further promotes an advancement of theoretical and methodological strategies.

This paper aims to investigate whether firms strategically use retirement plans to retain employees with core competencies and whether offering these retirement plans provides competitive advantages that lead to greater profitability.

The data set consists of annual financial data reported to the US Department of Transportation by long haul truckload carriers. The paper uses linear regression analysis to test the hypotheses. Descriptive statistics, univariate comparisons and robustness tests are also reported.

The findings support the assertion that offering a retirement plan is positively related to the attraction and retention of skilled workers and that firms that offer retirement plans are more profitable.

Data limitations preclude proving a definitive causal relationship. With the increasing availability of rich and timely data sets at both the firm and employee levels, future research may enhance the understanding of the role that pensions play in both labor and firm productivity.

This study provides evidence that retirement plans may serve as a strategic tool in highly competitive industries characterized by high labor turnover. This study shows that by analyzing the degree of cost stickiness in income statement line-items, it is possible to bypass the need for more granular analyses to uncover meaningful economic relationships. Finally, this study contributes to the literature examining the implications of operating decisions for financial performance (a balanced scorecard perspective), and it shows that offering pension benefits is related to stronger financial performance.

The purpose of this paper is to examine whether or not driver life, carrier performance, and customer service can be improved as a result of the use of a technique called yard‐stacking in the truckload trucking industry. The technique seeks to find ways to provide level freight availability during normal weekly cycles in an effort to seek improvement relative to all constituencies.

Simulation is used to examine the use of yard‐stacking on Fridays to provide additional freight on weekends, which is generally much less available than on weekdays. In this technique, before being dispatched on Friday for a long‐haul, a driver initially picks up a load to make a short “dray” move from the customer site to the carrier's closest terminal yard. During the weekend, another driver picks up the drayed load. In this research, we evaluate the potential of weekend yard‐stacking under a variety of scenarios.

The paper shows that a carrier's adaptation of weekend freight leveling can be beneficial to both trucking companies and their customers, while remaining relatively neutral to drivers.

Carriers may be able to utilize Friday yard‐stacking to improve their cost efficiency, driver satisfaction and customer performance.

This research extends the knowledge base of truckload freight imbalance problems. It was industrially motivated by J.B. Hunt Transport, Inc., one of the world's largest truckload carriers, who provided freight data and conceptual guidance.