Driver fatigue is a leading cause of deadly trucking accidents each year. There are a number of factors that can lead to driver fatigue, including inadequate sleep, too many hours on the road, and physical factors. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has enacted safety guidelines to prevent driver fatigue and thus keep all our truckers safer. We here at ExpressTruckTax are committed to helping keep you safe and healthy, Trucking Nation. So here are some tips for your #WellnessWednesday on how to prevent fatigue from occurring in the first place.
Eating Healthy: Eating healthy food daily will prevent blood sugar problems and other factors that can lead to fatigue, but that doesn’t mean you have to munch on spinach all day long. Let’s not forget that dark chocolate is a health food too, and a few squares can help you feel more alert and give you some much needed iron and minerals. It is, after all, National Chocolate Day today, so kick off your healthy habits with a few squares of rich chocolatey goodness!
Regular Exercise: Sometimes it seems counterintuitive, but working out can actually give you more energy. And exercise can help alleviate stress, which often is a cause of fatigue. Just 15 minutes a day of vigorous exercise will boost not only your energy level, but your mood as well.
Time Management: Trying to do too much in too little time, rushing to make deadlines, running behind, all these can cause fatigue. Effective time management helps keep fatigue to a minimum.
Relaxation: Down time is not wasted time. We all need to relax and engage in positive, interesting activities in our free time in order to alleviate emotional stress and ease tension.
Minimize or Eliminate Use of Caffeine: Caffeine while having a seemingly positive effect initially, often leads to negative or depressed emotional states eventually. It also can all interfere with sleep, and we’ve already determined how important sleep is in avoiding fatigue.
Ultimately, minimizing fatigue is just a matter of living a healthy lifestyle. Often, we don’t notice the things we’re doing (or not doing) that lead to fatigue until it’s too late and we’re already exhausted. Being proactive in making healthy choices daily is perhaps the best way to keep fatigue at bay.
ExpressTruckTax can also help you avoid fatigue by taking care of your tax-related tasks that you’d rather not do yourself. Just a few short minutes of entering your information and you’re done! No hassle, no fuss.
You can always share with us your ideas on Facebook or Twitter. Our world-class support team is located in Rock Hill, SC and is ready to take your calls from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. We’re also available via chat during those same hours. Just click on the “Chat With Us” button at the top of the screen on our homepage. Finally, you can reach us any day by email at support@expresstrucktax.com.
And don’t forget to refer us to your friends and family. Why keep such a good thing to yourselves? Just think how much better the Trucking Nation could be if everyone followed these tips. Word of mouth is our best advertising.