Trucksters launches initiative to support lorry drivers with their mental health

Lorry drivers are subject to extreme working conditions making their profession a high-risk health activity, especially mental health with problems including stress, anxiety, chronic fatigue, sleeping disorders, among others.

Trucksters, the Spanish start-up revolutionising the freight transport industry, and Cristobal, a healthcare app focused on drivers’ health, launch today an initiative to support and improve the mental health of lorry drivers. With the input of healthcare professionals including medical doctors, the programme will address specific needs of this professional group. The agreement, which includes access to one-on-one personalised therapy sessions, is an example of how both Trucksters and Cristobal are committed to improving the working conditions and lives of lorry drivers.

This year, Trucksters also put together a driver experience team whose job is to ensure that drivers achieve a better life-work balance, that they spend more quality time with their families, and that they have access to clean, safe and well-serviced rest areas across the Trucksters’ road network.

Developed by Spanish General Practitioner (GP) Dr.Amelia Cantarero together with an experienced medical research team, Cristobal provides an easy-to-access menu of services which includes longer-term support, like therapy sessions or nutritional and posture advice, as well as immediate help like rehabilitation assistance. The app received the Innovation Award from Spain’s Foundation for Bio sanitary Research and Innovation in Primary Care (FIBAP) and was presented at the World Congress of Family Medicine WONCA Europe 2022 in July this year. It is free for drivers and is available for iOS and Android smartphones.

Innovating in road safety

According to 2020 data from the Spanish Ministry of Health, 42% of accidents in freight transport are caused by human error, blackouts, drug use or heart attacks, many of which are caused by health disorders or mental illnesses.

“It is an urgent matter that we devote our efforts to taking care of transport professionals to avoid accidents and casualties, explains Amelia Cantarero, CEO of Cristobal. “Facilitating healthcare support, promoting self-care and veering towards a system which helps drivers to sleep more nights at home, as suggested by Trucksters, is real innovation in road safety,” she adds. Dr. Cantarero believes that the commitment of health professionals at Cristobal has met Trucksters’ enthusiasm to achieve a common goal: improving the health and well-being of lorry drivers.

Luis Bardají, CEO of Trucksters, agrees: “we have direct responsibility to improve the wellbeing of drivers, and mental health is crucial in achieving this. Changing the inner workings of the sector takes time but while we are working in this direction, we are happy that we can at least be of help to drivers,” he adds. “This initiative encapsulates our desire to help, and we are very happy that these objectives are aligned and shared by Cristobal. And though we are very proud of the programme, we are looking froward to a day when these services are no longer needed because drivers have indeed changed their lifestyle for the better.”

Trucksters is revolutionising road transport allowing drivers to have a better work-life balance and spend more quality time with their families. Hauliers drive only sections of a longer route and at certain AI-calculated relay points, they exchange the semi-trailers to take the goods in the opposite direction. Thanks to this system, they are able to sleep more nights at home and have a better quality of life. Customers, in turn, receive a service which is up to twice as fast as traditional road transport and up to four times safer, as goods are constantly on the move, reducing the risk of thefts.

With a system based on Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, the Spanish company works like an airline through corridors and is able to achieve air transport times at ground transport prices. Trucksters received €8 million investment in March this year, building on an initial Series A financing round that raised €6.3 million in July 2021. More than 600 renowned international companies are already using Trucksters, including Kimberly Clark, DPD Group, Amazon and Seur.

Source: UK Haulier - Trucksters launches initiative to support lorry drivers with their mental health