Health and Wellbeing of Older Professional Drivers: Best Practice Guidelines

Commercial fleet operators are being encouraged to give more consideration to the mental health of their drivers, with the researchers behind this set of guidelines warning that a poor state of mind can increase crash risk.

Evidence suggests male dominated workforces, such as the haulage and logistics sectors, are among the hardest hit by the effects of poor mental health.

To help combat this, mental health is an important element of this new set of guidelines, which have been made available to help managers support the older professional drivers within their organisation.

The guidelines, developed by the Age, Health and Professional Drivers Network (AHPD Network), focus on 10 areas of health and wellbeing which research has identified as significant.

The guidelines also cover physical health issues including healthy eating and obesity, which can lead to medical conditions that also impact on road safety, such as sleep apnoea.

The AHPD Network, led by Dr Sheena Johnson, an occupational psychologist at Alliance Manchester Business School, promotes best practice in the transport industry relating to the ageing workforce and the health of professional drivers.