I was talking to a long haul driver the other day who confided in me about being witness while on the road in his truck to a terrible two car accident which involved the horiffic deaths of a small child, a mother and an elderly.
This particular driver has been on the road for nearly 26 years and seen alot of fatal accidents and events which he said has marked his soul for life.
He told me that he has quietly carried the memories of 26 years worth of highway carnage deep within him and attempted to bury the memories, but that the burden has become too much and finally spilled over to the point of causing him to break down mentally and physically.
He is now at home unable to work and trying to deal with his emotions
alone.
I know exactly what this driver is going through because I and many of you have seen over and over again and again hundreds of tragic deaths on the road involving four wheelers!
How many of us big riggers have come within an inch of being involved in a spectacular and maybe fatal auto truck crash because of some four wheelers inability and I'm not going to say stupidity but I will discribe it as failure to conduct themselfs safely while behind the wheel of their car to be politically correct.
How have you felt after a close call or incident like that? and I know that many of you have been through this several times!
I can tell you that it makes me almost want to faint and it's a deep down sickening feeling to come that close to killing someone with an 18 wheeler.
This happens all too often on our highways and Truck Drivers are like a captured audience forced to be part of this on going drama playing out like a never ending nightmare, like something you don't wake up from!
Truck Drivers all over North America are going home to their families with a continued build up of daily road stress and a feeling of complete and utter helplessness to deal with these emotions day in day out.
How many people do you know that get up in the morning and go to work with the knowledge of knowing that they will without a doubt be witness to someone dying violently in front of their very eyes.
We hear of the Military, Fire departments, Police departments, First Responders, Ambulance operators, Medical care givers, the Airline industry, even the Countries Postal Service providing
therapy and post traumatic stress relief programs to their personel, but
when is the Trucking industry going to realise that Truckers are also confronted everyday with life and death events and sometimes events involving them against their will.
When are the so called truck industry experts and regulators going to realise that some kind of stress management program in reconition of post traumatic stress syndrome be made available to drivers across North America free of charge?
Doctors agree that Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is a silent killer of truckers with it's many underlying side effects such as Heart disease, High Blood Pressure, Diabeaties, etc.etc. besides contributing to the high turn over rate in our industry.
I would say to Truck Company owners and to all of the trucking Industry Regulators including DOT that instead of worrying too much about Hours of Service I would start considering something as important as the physical and mental health of our Nations Truckers because no matter what you think of truckers
TRUCKERS HAVE FEELINGS AND HEARTS TOO!
Isn't it about time we cared for the people who care for you?
Wildbill
Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome ( PTSS )
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