Carrier Profile

Getting with the program

Crete Carrier is actively helping drivers to live healthier, more productive lives

Trucking companies from coast to coast are recognizing the unique health challenges facing today's professional driving workforce. Lincoln, NE-based Crete Carrier Corporation was one of the first to acknowledge that keeping drivers healthy is just as important as keeping them safe on the road, and they implemented Crete's unique Sleep Apnea and Wellness program to make it happen.
            Tim Aschoff serves as Vice President of Risk Management at Crete, and he has played a pivotal role developing what has proven to be one of the most effective health and wellness programs in the trucking industry. Tim recently chatted with Driver HEALTH about Crete's ongoing efforts to help their drivers and owner-operators live healthier, happier, more productive lives:

Was there a trigger that set the Sleep Apnea and Wellness program in motion?

We understand that the job our drivers have is a very difficult one and the lifestyle that they have - primarily their regular over-the-road route - is challenging. When we began to see some of the health- and wellness-related issues that more and more drivers were experiencing, we wanted to make sure that we were taking action to help them out. We saw our Crete family going down a path that was susceptible to health problems, given the lifestyle they have, so we wanted to do what we could to support them and help them achieve a healthier lifestyle.

Were there any health issues that Crete greeted with particular alarm?

Obviously diet is a big issue for drivers, and the lack of regular exercise and a well-balanced diet typically leads to diabetic conditions, high blood pressure, coronary conditions, sleep disorders…unfortunately, these are the usual suspects in the driving world.

How long has Crete's Sleep Apnea and Wellness program been in place?

The program really started long ago when we provided drivers with a good benefits plan that included insurance that they'd actually use - a program that would give them what they need to stay healthy, along with the benefits they need when they have health issues. That benefits plan has been around for a long time, but we have eventually evolved into a lot of other things.
            It started initially as an awareness campaign. We installed blood pressure stations and general health and awareness information at a number of our terminals. We do some other things with our drivers who have high blood pressure and diabetic conditions that are beyond the bare bones required by DOT. Crete pays for periodic checks at a clinic we're associated with that are more frequent than what's required by DOT. We also work hard to make sure the DOT physical is a true and accurate evaluation of the driver, because if drivers lose their health, they lose their livelihoods. That not only impacts the drivers, but their families as well.
            Recently, we added sleep disorder testing and a sleep disorder treatment program we kicked off in February of this year, in partnership with Sleep Pointe. We know diabetic conditions, high blood pressure and coronary disease are common, but it also appeared to us that there is a relationship between those diseases and sleep apnea. Crete developed a program that is not only effective in getting drivers tested and treated, but also isn't a significant burden for the drivers themselves. The program wouldn't be effective if it wasn't affordable, so we think we're unique in the industry because we pay for the full cost of the sleep study and if treatment is necessary we provide fixed pricing for treatment and a payment deduction over time method through the company.

So Crete has invested in both sleep testing equipment and blood pressure machines?

That's correct. We have eight blood pressure stations. We have one six-bed sleep lab in Wilmer, TX, and we're constructing a second in Salt Lake City. We're also in the process of setting up mobile sleep labs, too, which are tractor trailers that have been converted into rolling testing labs, in a couple of our other facilities.

What about education methods? Is it through newsletters or the Internet?

We're trying to use multiple channels. Communicating with more than 5,000 employees or contractors is a difficult task. So we use a newsletter, we use video and other software and presentations. We have public PC terminals, which are at our terminals across the country. Here, drivers can go in and view educational materials online or on video. We have an Internet portal where drivers can go in and get payroll, benefit and other health and awareness information. Finally, we are also implementing a program in which health care professionals contact our drivers with certain health conditions to directly provide them with information and support.

How difficult is it to encourage behavioral changes in such an independent group?

It is very difficult, and that's why we have to have several different angles with which to communicate with and reach drivers, because when you're out on your own, it's easy to get discouraged and lack an incentive to make some of the necessary changes.

Do you have a sense that the industry's health problems have bottomed out?

If you talk with our drivers at Crete, there is much greater awareness about how to properly maintain their health than there was three or four years ago. We're in the beginning stages of a movement in which drivers are taking the initiative for managing their health. Obviously, the HTAA (Healthy Trucking Association of America) is helping drivers to obtain the tools they need to maintain a healthier, more productive lifestyle. They sometimes need a small boost…a little initiative that encourages them to go to the sleep studies, to monitor their blood pressure and to live an overall healthier lifestyle.
            You can show drivers that if they can start feeling better and being more alert because of adequate sleep, maybe they can lose weight… they can control their diet more effectively, they can better manage their overall health. At Crete, we believe that we're learning how to provide drivers with a nudge toward health that will help drivers make the right choices and take action to feel better.