Unions Organise Mental Health Training to Help Australian Truck Drivers

The truck driving industry is a very male dominated industry.   Professional truck drivers face a higher risk than other Australians of developing depression.  ABC News reports as many as 1 in 5 truck drivers in Australia are experiencing mental health issues.   In a recent survey of over 4000 drivers, 918 of them said they had issues.

Depression and suicide among truck drivers are also very high. Tony Sheldon of the Transport Workers union wasn’t surprised by the findings stating that the figures were significant but not getting any better.

In a PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) report on mental health in the workplace, the report found  truckies faced the following:

• Mental health conditions – 23%
• Substance abuse – 6%
• Anxiety condition -20.4%
• Mood condition e.g. depression 7.2%

The union is partnering with Beyond Blue in an attempt to assist clients and employees with a strategy that will take place right across the union to educate delegates and organisers to identify mental health issues and for equipping them to also deal problems.   The aim is to encourage the people who need help to reach out and get receive it.

These long hours behind the wheel to please the client by meeting deadlines can cause driver fatigue making the driver dangerous on the road.  Long hours without rest can also impact on a person’s mental health. The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator has set up a page on their website titled, ‘About Fatigue Management’  for Truck drivers to comply under safety laws and regulations within the industry.  Some are exempt from Fatigue management.

Sources:

ABC News by David Webber

The National Heavy Vehicle Regulator ‘About Fatigue Management’

Heads Up – Pricewaterhousecoopersreport (PWC)