Carriers Can Save ‘A Ton of Money’ Keeping Drivers Healthy, Celadon’s Russell Says

GRAPEVINE, Texas — Celadon Group has turned employees’ health-care costs from a liability into millions of dollars in savings by making access to care and education more accessible, the head of the truckload carrier said.

“The reality is our investment has saved a ton of money,” said Stephen Russell, chairman and CEO of the Indianapolis firm. He said the average medical cost per employee in 2011 is $431, up only $2 from 2006, even as health costs over the same time have increased about 7% annually.

He shared his methods for improving the health of employees and the carrier’s bottom line during a panel discussion that included a truck-stop executive and a wellness expert on Oct. 16, during American Trucking Associations’ Management Conference & Exhibition.

Russell said that when he began to scrutinize the health of his company in 2005, his reaction was, “Oh my God, we have a serious liability.”

Test results among drivers and other employees showed 43% had high blood pressure, 46% never exercised and only 15% were at an ideal weight, he said. At the same time, 62% admitted not seeking the health care they needed because they were working.

From these “staggering findings,” Russell created the “Highway to Health” program, which started in 2006 as a small on-site facility at the company’s headquarters offering easier access to screenings and educational information.

One simple tip that proved effective, Russell said, was letting drivers know that walking around their parked vehicles 50 times was equivalent to a two-mile walk. Offering reductions in health-care premiums for reductions in body-mass index (BMI) also proved effective, and the success of the program led to the opening of a larger on-site facility earlier this year with eight medical professionals.

Meanwhile, Michael Lombardi, an executive vice president with TravelCenters of America, said that for many years the number of requests for healthier menu options did not match actual eating habits.

Drivers would ask for healthy meals, “but the guy who was the most enthusiastic about them was the one eating chicken-fried steak,” Lombardi said.

More recently, however, he has seen a shift in attitudes, which he attributed in part to the federal government’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability program.

“Drivers are much more sensitive now because of CSA,” he said. “They want to reduce BMI.”

As a result, Lombardi said, the truck stops offer more meals topping out at about 600 calories, which are noted with a “StayFit” symbol. Choices include shrimp stir-fry and grilled chicken, with an emphasis on regional flavors so there is more variety throughout the country.

Lombardi also said TravelCenters discovered something interesting when it looked at ways to improve exercise options at its facilities.

“In many cases there was already a walking trail carved out that some people knew about, but we never marked it and publicized it,” he said.

Now, at many facilities, these trails are clearly marked and mapped.

The next step, he said, was building fitness centers, which TravelCenters started along Interstate 80.

Similarly, Pilot Flying J has teamed with Snap Fitness to create the Rolling Strong program, which gives drivers access to fitness centers throughout the country.

Gene McGuire, managing partner of Wellness Coaches USA, said providing drivers and employees access can open the doors to rapid results.

The company, whose largest trucking client is Con-way Freight, creates an environment “where people are interested in asking for help,” he said.

With offers of voluntary and confidential assistance in everything from weight loss and smoking cessation to stress management, McGuire said 66% of Con-way Freight employees sought at least 10 individual sessions with coaches in 2010.

Along with thousands lowering blood pressure last year, a total of 55,000 pounds were shed.

Bob Petrancosta, vice president of safety for Con-way Freight, said that as a former trucker, he was initially skeptical of the program, “but the success has been beyond my wildest expectations.”