DAT 2023 On the Road and Beyond

Executive Summary

No one understands the rigors of life on the road better than a truck driver. They know what makes them feel satisfied and successful, and what they wish was different, especially when it comes to managing their physical and emotional well-being.

This year we commissioned a study to help identify the specific challenges drivers face in their everyday lives to gain more insight into their daily challenges and pain points. The results revealed a wide range of conditions that lead to stress on the road, including:

Despite the huge challenges that they face each day on the job, our nation’s truckers continue to successfully deliver the freight that our country depends on and that keeps America’s supply chains running.

I hope that the information and knowledge acquired from this survey will help shed light on their working conditions and most importantly, help drive the creation of new solutions that help address some of the issues surrounding the physical and mental well-being of our trucking community.

Sincerely,
Satish Maripuri - DAT Freight & Analytics Chief Executive Officer

Introduction

A new survey of truck drivers by DAT Freight & Analytics highlights the pros and cons of being a long-haul, or “over-the-road” trucker.

Those surveyed find their work fulfilling; however, nearly 75% state the job is physically and emotionally stressful. More troubling, though, is the finding that few drivers are able to take care of their well-being or to seek support when needed.

“Although the country recognizes the vital role of truck drivers in the U.S. economy, the DAT survey results show why it’s important to empathize with the challenges they face in their personal and professional lives,” said DAT Chief Marketing Officer Jeff Hopper.

Key survey findings

The DAT survey revealed the major reasons that lead to stress on the road for long-haul truckers. They include:

Overview

The DAT survey was conducted by Censuswide, and information was collected from a sample of 504 U.S. truck drivers in 2023. Of the 504 respondents, 438 were men; 64 were women.

According to the organization Women in Trucking, women comprised almost 14% of professional drivers in 2022, up from 7.9% in 2018. In 2022, National Public Radio estimated that the percentage of women who are long-haul truckers is about 7% of the total.

Men by Age Group

Age Group Quantity
16-24 0
24-34 97
35-44 260
45-54 76
55+ 5

Women by Age Group

Age Group Quantity
16-24 1
25-34 22
35-44 34
45-54 6
55+ 1

As indicated by the numbers shown in the chart above, the women surveyed were generally younger than the men.

Of the drivers surveyed, it is important to note that 337 are owner-operators of the trucks they drive. The responsibilities of being an owner-operator may cause additional issues for those surveyed and other owner-operators.

In general, driving a Class 8 tractor-trailer on trips of any length is a demanding and dangerous job. But long-haul trucking is even more demanding and dangerous.

Nevertheless, there are over 3 million truck drivers in the United States, and many of them love the job and all that it entails. Some of the pros and cons of being a long-haul trucker will be covered later in this document.

Other studies confirm the issues faced by long-haul truckers

In an article in the Fall 2019 issue of the Johns Hopkins University Magazine entitled “The Perils of Long-Haul Trucking,” lead author Greg Rienzi started the article with the sub-head “Truck drivers are especially vulnerable to physical and mental health issues, but few care options are available where they are – on the road.”

Rienzi also wrote, “Long-haul trucking is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous professions in America. Nearly one-third of the 3.5 million truck drivers in the United States will be involved in a serious road accident at some point during their careers, according to statistics from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Long-haul truckers – interstate drivers who are typically gone for days at a time – also have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. They frequently suffer from neck, back, hip, knee, ankle, and a host of musculoskeletal injuries owing to the repeated stress on joints from driving more than 10 hours consecutively for days on end.”

Mona Shattell was the then-newly appointed associate dean for faculty development at the John Hopkins School of Nursing. She studied the mental, physical, and sexual health of truckers throughout the 2010s.

“They [truck drivers] have more health problems than the standard population, and less access to healthcare, which is a dangerous mix," commented Shattell, who became a champion for this underserved population.

During her studies, she authored op-eds on trucker health that appeared in The New York Times and The Atlantic, and also hosted a podcast called Health on the Highway. In 2018, Shattell worked with Karen Heaton, a researcher with the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing, on a pilot study focused on the health of 140 truck drivers from across the country.

In the study, as well as in conversations with drivers, Shattell learned that they are not just involved in accidents; they witness them at an alarming rate. Repeated exposure to accidents takes its toll, according to the article. Shattell stated that “being involved in an accident can leave lasting mental scars, and even seeing one can cause enough stress and anxiety to become a diagnosable mental illness like acute stress disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.”

Rienzi also wrote, “Truckers also suffer from obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and sleep disorders at rates that are higher than the national average. Anecdotal evidence suggests high rates of substance abuse and depression, which often go undiagnosed and untreated. The on-the-job fatality rate for drivers is 11 times the national average, according to a 2016 study.”

Talking with drivers, Shattell learned that they “often either ignore mental health issues or refuse to seek care for fear that they'll lose valuable time on the road.” [Most long-haul truck drivers are paid by the mile; when they are not driving the truck they are not earning money.] Rienzi also noted that Shattell said, “Even when truckers are willing to seek mental health care, the demands of the job can make it difficult to follow through. Long-haul truckers are seldom at home, and they have little autonomy over their working hours – often being told what route to take, where to buy gas, and when and where to sleep.”

Therefore, scheduling regular appointments can be difficult.

In the article, Shattell was an advocate for “more nurse practitioners and primary care clinics at truck stops, as well as driver access to telehealth services.” She was quoted, "We need to provide support where the truckers are, and that's on the road." She also called on trucking companies to offer more wellness programs.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH) has also studied long-haul truck drivers. The federal agency noted, “These men and women are essential to the transportation of goods in the United States, but high job demands and low control (e.g. tight delivery schedules, delays, etc.) may cause stress and lead to poor health.”

NIOSH pointed out that “drivers of commercial vehicles and trucks are permitted 14 hours of duty per day worked. They are required to take a mandatory 10-hour break before they can drive again for work. As a result, long freight delivery routes often require them to sleep away from home. Life on the road makes it more difficult to live healthily because of: irregular schedules; long hours; little physical activity; limited access to healthy foods on the interstates; and stress.”

In addition, NIOSH noted that “compared to U.S. adult workers, truck drivers have higher rates of: heart disease; diabetes; hypertension; and obesity.”

Key issues raised in the DAT survey and across the industry

On a scale of 1 to 5 with 1 being “not at all” and 5 being “extremely”), how stressed do you feel, if at all, on a typical workday as a truck driver?
This was a critical question; while most workers would say there is at least some stress in every job, of the truck drivers who responded to the survey 72% responded that they felt at least “moderate” (or greater) stress on the job.

The lone female driver between 16 and 24 answered “slightly” to this question. Of the drivers between 25 and 34, 3% answered “not at all,” 25% answered “slightly,” 43% answered “moderately,” 27% answered “very,” and 3% answered “extremely.”

In the 35-44 year-old category of drivers, 2% answered “not at all,” 24% answered “slightly,” 40% answered “moderately,” 24% answered “very,” and 3% answered “extremely.”

Of the drivers between 45-54, 33% answered “slightly,” 45% answered “moderately,” 16% answered “very,” and 6% answered “extremely.”

Drivers 55 or older answered slightly differently – 33% answered “slightly,” 50% answered “moderately,” and 17% answered “very.”

When studying the answers by gender, the answers were similar. Two percent of the men and 2% of the women answered “not at all,” 25% of the men and 34% of the women answered “slightly,” 46% of the men and 42% of the women answered “moderately,” 24% of the men and 19% of the women answered “very,” and 4% of men and 3% of women answered “very.”

Of those whose gender choice was “other,” 50% chose “moderately” stressed and 50% chose “very” stressed.

The study “Work-Life Conflict among U.S. Long-Haul Truck Drivers: Influences of Work Organization, Perceived Job Stress, Sleep, and Organizational Support” was published online in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in March 2019.

Among the many findings of the study’s authors, one sentence stands out and supports the findings of the DAT survey: “In terms of stress, 62.6% of drivers [studied] felt their stress level was moderate or high.”

How many hours per week are you working?

The answers to this question were quite varied, ranging from less than 12 hours of work (not necessarily driving) per week to as many as 144 hours of work (again, not necessarily driving) per week.

FMCSA Regulations Summary

The following summarizes current FMCSA regulations for drivers of freight-hauling trucks:

What, if anything, are the most common challenges you face in your daily work life?

(those surveyed were able to choose up to three answers)

Age Segmentation

How many hours of sleep do you get per night, on average?

Overall, of the male drivers surveyed:

Of the female drivers surveyed:

Age Segmentation

Do you take any medication to help with sleep?

Of the male respondents, 57% answered “no;” and 78% of the female respondents also answered “no.”

There is no question that sleep is important for everyone, particularly for over-the-road truck drivers.
The study conducted by Miller and others found that “Getting regular quality sleep is one of the biggest challenges long-haul drivers face.”

Do you have someone to talk to about your emotions/experiences?

The answers are fairly consistent by gender.

Have you ever considered talking to a professional?

By gender:

When on the road, how often do you exercise?

Male Drivers

Female Drivers

Age Segmentation

What, if anything, are the most effective strategies for maintaining mental and physical health while working as a truck driver?

The answers varied slightly by age:

Conclusion

The survey illustrates that drivers of different ages and genders recognize the rigors of the road. They know what generates stress in their lives, what they are missing, and what they wish was different.