The importance of driver wellness — Taking the Hire Road

With a background in the trucking industry, Stephen Kane also shares a passion for health and wellness after a battle with stage 3 cancer. He now works to combine his knowledge of trucking, fitness and technology, and apply that expertise to the industry, specifically in his role as president of Rolling Strong.

Rolling Strong is a fitness and wellness company that has created a mobile app that helps carriers and drivers implement and manage their wellness initiatives in order to improve CDL-compliant medical requirements.

“Wellness can mean so many things. Rolling Strong does it all. We are an agnostic solution to the problem we are trying to solve — driver wellness,” Kane said.

In an industry where driver wellness is consistently listed as a key concern, companies like Rolling Strong are more important than ever, Kane said. Driver wellness is a critical safety issue.

“Does anyone think that an overweight, drowsy and unfocused person that gets behind the wheel of a [truck] is a safe thing? Absolutely not,” he added. “We know this. We have protocols in place to hold drivers accountable for their driving, but we don’t have anything that regularly supports them to stay healthy. We aren’t focusing on the human being inside of the truck.”

At Rolling Strong, Kane leads a team of developers and coaches to raise awareness of the importance of driver health, and to create an easy and convenient tool that motivates drivers to want to participate in maintaining their health and fitness levels — a win-win for the carrier and the driver.

The company promotes behavioral change and provides support in areas such as nutrition, fitness, sleep, stress management and weight management, according to Kane.

“We want to help the person behind the wheel and make them as capable and ready as we possibly can,” he said.

According to a recent article in Authority Magazine, Kane partners with trucking organizations, such as the American Trucking Associations, as well as carriers and drivers.

“It starts with leadership. If leadership does not embrace this or believe in it, it won’t go anywhere — it’s that simple,” he said. “No one is going to do it for you. This is a serious issue, with serious consequences and it requires serious intentions. And it starts with leadership.”

For more information, visit rollingstrong.com.

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