II Is the haulage industry finally accepting that stress is
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a serious illness which can cost millions, cause longterm illness and even kill? Juliet Morrison investigates.
The macho image of the haulage industry has led to many truck operators and their drivers dismissing signs that they might be suffering from stress. But there is evidence that attitudes are slowly changing.
Lobbying from trade unions has led to blue-chip companies such as Weetabix agreeing to examine ways of altering drivers' work patterns—although the food giant denies they were directly causing illness. Weetabix started studying drivers' work practices after the United Road Transport Union said it was concerned about stress levels.
Drivers had complained of being over-tired, and there had allegedly been several rows between staff and near-misses on the road; all indications that the drivers could be stressed. So this spring the company came up with a plan to ease the load on its 65 truck drivers based near Kettering in Northamptonshire.
It agreed to avoid changing drivers' starting times in the same week, and to introduce an awareness programme with briefings on how to avoid stress and improve communication between the traffic office and drivers.
URTU regional officer Mike Billingham describes Weetabix's changes as "nothing major" in themselves—but they do show that truck operators are beginning to appreciate how a more competitive industry can take its toll on drivers. Ever-demanding customers, an increase in just-in-time deliveries, truck restrictions and performancerelated pay are some of the factors that contribute to stress, says Billingham.
"What we have here is a blue-chip company that has taken on board this issue and addressed it," he adds. URTU is also making progress with other major companies.
Haulage group Taylor Barnard is introducing new working practices at its depot in Mendlesham, Suffolk, after the union expressed concern that the 38 truck drivers there were under pressure.
Drivers had complained that taking 45ft trailers into high streets was simply too stressful. They wrote to the company, warning that "any momentary lapse in concentration could result in serious injury or worse" to the public. This caution has led to the Mendlesham site experimenting with smaller vehicles delivering to high streets. The semitrailers are hauled into Taylor Barnard depots and the contents are transferred to smaller trucks overnight for delivery the next day.
Graham Lockwood, director of Taylor Barnard's multi-user division, is keen to act on drivers' comments because of the impact the changing industry is having on stress levels. "Stress, certainly with drivers, is serious. As'a company we can't afford to ignore it because it will cost more in the long run," he says.
Billingham is optimistic that Government plans for union recognition will lead to wider acceptance of stress-reducing initiatives.
If the European Working Time Directive is extended to the haulage industry, that will also have a dramatic effect on work practices. Proposals include: a minimum three weeks' annual paid leave, rising to four in 1999; 11 consecutive hours rest in any 24-hour period; a limit of an average of 48 hours in a week in which a worker can be required to work; and an average of eight hours work in 24 hours which night staff can work.
Transport & General Workers Union regional road transport officer Maurice Britton says a working day of up to 15 hours is too stressful. He also wants performancerelated pay outlawed. "Then there's no profit for the driver to speed," he says.
Some drivers use their own methods to control stress. London agency driver Russell Davies works nights only and refuses to do multi-drops. "I'm into doing a good job and finishing the job, and employers can take advantage of that," he says. "And at night there are more professional drivers about."
But Billingham realises the problem does not end with burdensome company practices. "We have to look at outside influences such as traffic congestion, and improve awareness of drivers' needs in A, highways and planning departments which are putting in lanes and controls which are almost impossible to get through with larger trucks," he says. BUILDING UP STRESS It's not just drivers who are suffering from increased stress. Jim McMullen (bottom) is typical of a successful entrepreneur who built his haulage business from one to 24 trucks in Ballymoney, County Antrim. He works seven days a week, has not had a holiday for three years and has seen his 14-year-old business grow bigger than he had planned. He often suffers from chest pain, giddy spells and cold sweats. One of his biggest problems is that he does not have a transport manager. Even when he leaves work, generally at 19:00-20:00hrs, he diverts the phone to his home number. Most weeks he has to deal with at least five calls after 23:00hrs.
At 46, McMullen is concerned about the effect on his health. He even visited a stress consultant for six months. But he says as soon as he left the £25-an-hour sessions, he became wound up again. "I know I'm not doing things right—I'm a workaholic," he says. "It's my life now; I cannot unwind. I'm tired all the time and I can't sleep, even if the phone doesn't ring at night.
McMullen is not alone. David Furnell (right), managing director of Furnell Transport, says he becomes stressed when staff at his business in Hemel Hempstead, Herts, fail to use common sense. "It might be that they turn up at a job to move a computer and then realise that – they haven't got enough straps and blankets," he says.
Lack of communication is another wind-up for Furnell: "It's better if a driver tells you when something has gone wrong," he says, "then you can take the wind out of the sails of the customer."
CHANGE OF ATTITUDE The most effective way to beat stress is to change your mental attitude, says Dr Stephen Palmer, a director and counsellor at the Centre for Stress Management. "Stress is caused by a person's appraisal of a situation and not the situation itself," he explains. "Driving on a motorway is not stressful if you are not demanding things of yourself, like you must be everywhere on time, when traffic conditions are out of your control.
"If a driver cuts you up, don't get angry; just think the driver is skill deficient," Palmer suggests. "There are millions of fallible drivers on the road, and you should accept that is the way they are."
The same applies to roadworks, he adds: "I call it the Moses syndrome, when motorway drivers demand that roadworks do not exist. Moses got the sea to part, but he had God on his side." Palmer suggests drivers avoid becoming stressed by counting to 10 when they feel themselves getting wound up and then breathing slowly from the belly. Reminding yourself of something you have to look forward to, or tightening and releasing muscles can also help. "It's not worth reducing your life by 10 years by getting so wound up," he adds. "Your body releases cholesterol with stress, which is okay if you run around the block. But if you spend the day in a lorry cab the fat clogs up your arteries."