FEDERAL MOTOR CARRIER SAFETY ADMINISTRATION

FMSCA Contact: Albert Alvarez, MC-RTR, (202) 366-4706

Design, Development, and 

Evaluation of Truck and Bus Driver

Wellness Programs

Introduction

In May 1997, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), formerly the

Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Motor Carriers, began a research project to

design, develop, and evaluate a model truck and bus driver wellness program. This

wellness program was developed to provide a resource for addressing truck and bus

industry challenges in the area of driver safety, performance, job satisfaction, and

industry competition. The program is intended to provide strategies to give drivers

opportunities for improved health, benefitting the individual, the company, and the

industry. 

The program had five primary research tasks. Tasks 1 and 2 consisted of a review of 

literature regarding commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driver health and current wellness

programs, and a draft core wellness program for FMCSA. A survey of 448 experienced,

mostly long-haul drivers indicated priority health/wellness concerns, such as lack of

family time, lack of exercise, weight, fatigue, poor diet, and stress. Researchers also

found that literature on driver health is scarce, and most companies do not have 

wellness programs.

Tasks 3, 4, and 5 involved the development of the core wellness program, the pilot test

and evaluation of the program, and the development of a marketing plan. This tech

brief summarizes the study final report, which is the product of tasks 3, 4, and 5:

Design, Development and Evaluation of Truck and Bus Driver Wellness Programs.

Purpose

This wellness program, Gettin’ in Gear, was developed to help create awareness and interest in

health and wellness within the trucking industry by

providing basic health and fitness information to

CMV drivers.

Methodology

Researchers recruited CMV drivers and other 

trucking industry personnel to participate directly

in the development of the Gettin’ in Gear wellness

program. Drivers and personnel working on the

program met over a weekend in Des Moines, IA, 

in September 1998 to share experiences and ideas

used in video, audio and written material to be

distributed as part of the program. Trucking 

Tech Brief

The goal of the Federal Motor

Carrier Safety Administration

(FMCSA) is to reduce the 

number and severity of large

truck-involved crashes

through more commercial

motor vehicle and operator

inspections and compliance

reviews, stronger enforcement

measures against violators,

expedited completion of 

rulemaking proceedings, 

scientifically sound research,

and effective commercial 

driver’s license testing, 

recordkeeping, and sanctions.

The Office of Research and

Technology manages research

and technology development

and deployment programs for

the FMCSA.

There are eight major research

and technology focus areas:

crash causation and risk 

factors; regulatory evaluation

and reform; compliance and

enforcement; HAZMAT 

safety and cargo tank 

integrity; driver training and

performance management;

driver alertness and fatigue;

driver physical qualifications;

and car-truck proximity.

Driver physical qualifications

concentrates on the research

of specific medical conditions

in relation to commercial

motor vehicle driving safety,

with emphasis on medical

standards guidelines.

Office of Research and

Technology

400 Seventh Street, SW

MC-RT; Room 3107

Washington, DC 20590

A truck and bus driver wellness

program designed by drivers for

drivers.
companies that agreed to participate were provided

with recruitment packages to encourage drivers to

enroll in the Gettin’ in Gear program. Introductory

packages, consisting of a brochure, video, audio tape,

and notebook were given to each of the 128 participants. The pilot test was scheduled to last 6 months: 

1 month to recruit participants, 1 month to introduce

the program, and 4 months of driver participation in

the program. Health assessments, containing both a

written lifestyles questionnaire and a physical risk 

factor assessment, were completed with each 

participant. The assessments were given at each pilot

trucking company at the same time the introduction

to the program was given. The assessment included 

questions about work environment and health

beliefs, blood pressure and heart rate readings, and

flexibility, strength, and aerobic fitness tests. All 

participants had the opportunity to speak with a

health professional who explained their results and

helped them set personal goals.

Participants in the Gettin’ in Gear wellness program

received information, both written and audio, mailed

directly to their homes for the 4 months of the study.

The informative materials were designed to be 

interactive; for example, each written chapter had

worksheets to be completed. The materials addressed

the following four topics:

• Refueling — healthy eating habits; 

• Relating — value of relationships with family and

friends;

• Rejuvenating — health benefits of exercise; and 

• Relaxing — managing stress issues.

Each program participant also received a letter from a

health professional several times during the 4-month

period. Drivers were offered personal coaching by

email or toll-free phone number to provide an 

opportunity for drivers to form a relationship with a

health care professional to assist them with lifestyle

changes. Some pilot companies provided snacks

throughout the study to participants, and all 

participants were offered a free membership with 

the Rolling Strong gyms found in several truck stops

across the country. One company subsidized YMCA

memberships for its participants.

After the 4-month period, all participants were

offered follow-up health assessments to collect 

post-study data on belief, behavior, knowledge, and

physical data of participants. Researchers sent letters

reminding participants of the follow-up assessment, 

contacted them by telephone, and worked with pilot

company facilitators to schedule drivers. 

Follow-up health assessments were performed on 

54 of the original 128 drivers. Because of the

extremely low follow-up rate, researchers sought to

determine whether those who came to the follow-up

assessment were the more healthy participants. An

analysis of the initial mean health assessment scores

of both groups (follow-up and non-follow-up)

showed that participants who came back for followup assessments were no healthier than those who did

not come back.

Findings

Health Improvements

The Gettin’ in Gear Program had a positive health

impact on the 54 participants measured both initially

and at follow-up. This was shown in both lifestyle

habits and physical lifestyle data. The most 

significant improvements were made in the area of

exercise and fitness; this is important because this is

the area where drivers needed to make the most

improvements.

Lifestyle habit data were collected both at the 

beginning of the study, and at the follow-up health

assessment, via questionnaire. Participants recorded

their responses to questions in each of the four 

intervention areas: refueling, relating, rejuvenating,

and relaxing. Scores were recorded on a scale of 1 to

5, with a score of 1 signifying that a driver “almost

never” participates in a certain healthy lifestyle 

activity (e.g., eating vegetables, exercising, or taking

time to relax), and a score of 5 meaning that the 

driver “almost always” does. 

The data showed that the participants improved the

most in areas where most improvement was needed.

Table 1 shows initial and final average questionnaire

responses for each of the four categories, along with

the difference in scores. 

Measurement of physical risk factor data revealed 

statistically significant improvement in 6 of the 10

areas measured: body mass index (BMI), pulse, 

diastolic blood pressure, aerobic fitness level, 

strength fitness level, and flexibility fitness level; 

the data are shown in Table 2. The aerobic fitness

level of participants was the measure that saw the

greatest improvement in the study. The significant

improvement in tested fitness level validated a 

significant improvement in exercise habits. 

Driver Acceptance of Program

In a follow-up assessment, participants were asked

questions to help in the evaluation of the wellness

program and materials. They rated the overall 

program a 4.65 on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high).

Ninety-six percent of participants responded that 

the program had helped them; drivers commented
Table 1. 

Mean Lifestyle Habit Responses by Category

Category Initial Mean Final Mean Difference P Value

Rejuvenating 2.45 3.01 .56 .004

Refueling 2.70 2.99 .29 .03

Relaxing 3.63 3.79 .16 .14

Relating 4.13 4.10 .03 NS

* NOTE: 1 (1=Poor, 6=Excellent) 2 (1=Poor, 4=Excellent) 3 (1=Poor, 4=Excellent)

Table 2. 

Physical Data (N=54)

Physical Risk Factor Parameter Initial Mean Final Mean P Value

Total Cholesterol (mg%) 217 218 NS

HDL Percent of Total (%) 22 21 NS

Glucose (mg%) 104 104 NS

B.M.I. 31.7 28.6 .23

Pulse (beats/min) 73 70 .16

Systolic Blood Pressure (mgHg) 152 148 NS

Diastolic Blood Pressure (mgHg) 82 80 .18

Aerobic Fitness Score (1) 2.0 3.8 .00

Strength Fitness Score (2) 2.1 2.7 .04

Flexibility Fitness Score (3) 2.2 2.5 .13

that they are more conscious about eating well,

began exercising more often, and have more energy. 

Specifically, drivers liked the health assessments and

found that having their personal health information

was valuable. The notebook and written materials

were rated high, but some drivers did not use them.

Some drivers enjoyed using the written material 

and worksheets, others thought it was too timeconsuming. The audio tapes were rated equally as

high as the notebook and it seemed that more drivers

used the tapes than the notebooks. Drivers did not

often use the fitness club memberships and tended 

to do more exercising on their own. All of the 

participating drivers responded that they would 

recommend the program to fellow drivers. 

Health Assessment Procedure

Under ideal conditions, researchers recommend that

the health assessment be conducted by a licensed

trained health professional. But if the assistance of a

health care professional cannot be obtained, the

assessment can be modified to be conducted by a 

layman. Most of the blood work (cholesterol and 

glucose measures) will still need to be done by a 

doctor or through a clinic, but the strength, fitness,

and flexibility portions of this program can be 

handled by a trained fleet manager or safety director. 

To a layman conducting a health assessment, the 

elements of coaching and goal setting may present

the greatest challenges to implementing a wellness

program without professional assistance. The study

final report recommends procedures to follow 

when the health assessment is being conducted by a

layman. 

Marketing Plans

There are two primary target audiences to reach 

with the Gettin’ in Gear program: the company 

decisionmaker and the individual company employee

or driver. The decisionmaker is the individual who

decides whether to offer a wellness program to

employees. The participant is the driver or company

employee who recognizes the connection between

health habits and safety on the road. 
Researcher

This study was performed by

Sue Roberts Health Concepts,

Des Moines, Iowa; and Private

Fleet Management Institute,

National Private Truck Council,

Alexandria, Virginia. 

Distribution

This Tech Brief is being distributed according to a standard

distribution. Direct distribution

is being made to the Service

Centers and Divisions.

Availability

The study final report will be

available from the National

Technical Information Service,

Telephone: (703) 605-6000

Key Words

bus/truck drivers, fitness, 

nutrition, exercise, health/wellness program, bus/truck drivers

training. 

Notice

This Tech Brief is disseminated

under the sponsorship of the

Department of Transportation

in the interest of information

exchange. The Tech Brief 

provides a synopsis of the

study’s final publication. The

Tech Brief does not establish

policies or regulations, nor

does it imply USDOT endorsement of the conclusions or 

recommendations. The U.S.

Government assumes no liability for its contents or their use.

Web Site

All FMCSA Tech and Analysis

Briefs may be accessed at:

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

Technical Writer

Hallie Magyar, Avalon

Integrated Services.

There are several recommended marketing strategies for the Gettin’ in Gear program.

One is a large group marketing presentation to present the results of the pilot study to

decisionmakers at various meetings across the U.S. The presentations will improve 

decisionmaker awareness of the importance of health to their bottom line, present

data from the pilot study showing health improvements made with the program, and

inform decisionmakers how they might use the Gettin’ in Gear program with their

employees.

Another marketing strategy is a “train the trainer” presentation, the objective of which

is to convince decisionmakers to implement the Gettin’ in Gear program in their 

workplaces and to provide them with resources needed to implement the program. 

Project researchers also recommend that a promotional campaign be conducted to

make information available to the transportation industry about the Gettin’ in Gear

program. Suggestions include developing an announcement and press kit folder to be

sent to companies within the industry and the placement of articles and print ads in

industry publications to announce the Gettin’ in Gear program and discuss driver 

wellness.

June 2000

Publication No. FMCSA-MCRT-00-011 

Federal Motor Carrier Safety

Administration

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov