How Truck Drivers Can Stay Protected from the Sun

Being a truck driver presents a number of risks while traveling from highway to highway. Car wrecks, loss or damage to freight, engine trouble and more are just some of the ways in which a day behind the wheel can take a turn for the worse. But one risk that isn’t discussed as thoroughly is damage to a truck driver’s skin after years on the open road.

Truck drivers literally face irreparable damage, including skin cancer, every day they get behind the wheel and head out for long hauls. Trucking companies should keep information available for their drivers and avoid liability risks related to claims of skin cancer or eye issues. Having commercial truck insurance can help protect trucking companies, but keeping drivers protected first should be the goal. It’s important to sport the signs of sun damage and make moves on limiting risk over time.

Here are some ideas on how to stay protected from the sun.

Know the Signs of Sun Damage

First, it’s important to be aware of sun damage and look out for its effects early on. Even minimal sun exposure to one side of your face can cause skin cancer to develop and cause more harm over the years. Drivers should be looking out for spider veins, skin spots, and freckles that are out of the ordinary, and check on skin texture too.

Too much sunlight causes the collagen in your skin to break down, which prevents your skin from creating new collagen to repair itself over time. Even if the side effects of sun exposure are discovered, it may be too late to take action.

Use Sunscreen Every Day

Step number one is making sure to lather up on good quality sunscreen every single day, no questions asked. It’s a simple step that drivers can do right before they take off for the day. Your windows may be able to filter out the sun’s UVB rays, but they won’t do anything to stop the more harmful UVA rays from coming in. This is why we suggest a broad-spectrum sunscreen because it offers up protection for the skin from both types of solar radiation. Start out with an SPF 30 then move up from there if need be.

Avoid Peak Hours

Between 10am and 2pm, the sun’s rays are at their strongest. While driving can’t be avoided during those hours every day, it is important to take extra care of your skin. Try to take walks and breaks during the morning and evening hours to avoid sunlight, but still remember to put on sunscreen and stay in the shade as much as possible.

Change Your Clothes

While this is a good rule of thumb anyway, changing up what you wear can be helpful in keeping sunlight away from you and damaging your skin further. A simple way to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful effects is to wear clothes that shield your skin. During the summer, try to wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and hats that cover face and neck.

Wear Some Shades

Eye care is just as important as skin care when it comes to sun damage. Don’t overlook eye care when it comes to this part of the job as you need to be able to see well when you’re taking care of your operations. Invest in some high-quality sunglasses that polarize the sunlight coming through and filter out the bad rays. This will help to keep visibility high while maintaining safety from the sun.

About Western Truck Insurance Services

Western Truck Insurance Services is a commercial truck insurance agency with roots dating back to 1954. We have evolved into a highly respected, professionally managed, truck and transportation insurance brokerage. The hallmark of our organization is our desire to provide unparalleled service. We go way beyond what you expect to receive from an insurance brokerage. Equipped with state of the art automation, Western Truck Insurance can provide you with lightning fast truck insurance quotes, customer service, Insurance certificates, and coverage changes.

The Biggest Problems Facing the Trucking Industry Today

No matter the type of business, no matter the economy, there are high times and tough times for each major industry. And with the advent of smarter and more efficient technology many industries are seeing the speed of change pose new issues.

One major industry feeling the pressure of too much change, too fast, is the trucking industry. From driver shortages to more tech-based opponents, traditional trucking companies are having to change course. One step to protecting the overall future of the industry is to invest in truck insurance, and another is to invest in the actual future: drivers. Here are some ways in which the trucking industry is feeling some pain today.

1. Driver Shortage

Even with an average pay of around $80,000, many news outlets are reporting that the trucking industry is seeing a huge challenge meeting it employment needs. A driver shortage is causing trucking companies to find new ways to attract tomorrow’s drivers. This has been a concern for years in the industry and with companies like Tesla and Uber testing out self-driving trucks, traditional truck drivers are feeling like they’re being replaced.

According to ATRI research, nearly 57 percent of the trucking workforce is at least 45 years old. If this continues, the shortage will reach more than 175,000 drivers by 2026.

2. Hours of Service

Flexible hours or service rules are now more emphasized by companies for their drivers. Many of those who hold stake in the industry believe that drivers should split their hours of operation, while some stress eight hours of straight driving. Employees could get an opportunity to rest when tired and adjust their schedules to avoid everything from traffic congestion to health risks.

3. Cash Flow

Trucking fleets may see a wait time as long as 60 to 90 days to get paid by brokers and shippers. With an extended cycle, a fleet’s cash flow can be drained and growth could be limited. Accounts receivable financing turns fleets’ invoices into cash in under a day, which results in building their working capital.

4. Driver Health

Truck drivers face a number of health obstacles, especially the longer they’re behind the wheel. These drivers are twice as likely as other workers in any industry to be obese, have diabetes and not have any type of health insurance. The job is demanding, and with such stress put on it, drivers are seeing a rapid decline in health, another component of making the job less enticing to new crops of drivers. There are new initiatives in place, like Rolling Strong, which aim to invest in drivers’ health and wellness with better fitness.

5. Safety

Accidents and fatalities behind the wheel happen and have always posed a risk for drivers. But beyond these risks, drivers face overall safety at their truck stops or where ever they park their trucks. There is new sensing technology that has come out that helps trucks avoid collisions and helps reduce the number of accidents, with numbers expected to reduce in the coming years.

About Western Truck Insurance Services

Western Truck Insurance Services is a commercial truck insurance agency with roots dating back to 1954. We have evolved into a highly respected, professionally managed, truck and \ transportation insurance brokerage. The hallmark of our organization is our desire to provide unparalleled service. We go way beyond what you expect to receive from an insurance brokerage. Equipped with state of the art automation, Western Truck Insurance can provide you with lightning fast truck insurance quotes, customer service, Insurance certificates and coverage changes.