When your team is constantly on the road or working at remote sites, getting health care can feel like an impossible challenge. Group benefits plans now include virtual care for mobile workers, and can be tailored specifically to their lifestyles in trucking, transportation and natural resources industries.
Virtual care is also changing how truckers manage their health. It gives them flexible, convenient medical help exactly when and where they need it. As a result, the telehealth service is helping employers think differently about their health plans–not just as a safety net, but as a proactive business decision.
Understanding the health risks for Alberta’s truckers
People who work away from home face many roadblocks when seeking health care. Imagine one of your truckers trying to manage shoulder pain while crossing provinces. Or think about a team member at a remote camp who needs care during a night shift. Regular walk-in clinics just don’t work for these situations. Virtual care is the perfect support for truckers in these situations.
A 2020 health study of Alberta’s trucking sector by OHS Futures Research Funding Program revealed concerning patterns about long-haul truck drivers’ wellness. Among the province’s 46,000 long-haul truckers:
- 90% are overweight (almost double the Canadian average.)
- 73.9% have high blood pressure, which can lead to heart disease and stroke.
- Higher rates of diabetes, sleep disorders and heart disease affect these workers.
Workers in oil, gas and other natural resource jobs face similar health problems. Remote work, physical demands and odd schedules all add up.
Daily work life can contribute to these health risks:
- Physical strain: Sitting for long hours, bumpy rides, poor sleep patterns, and healthy food options aren’t easy to find. In fact, over 50% of truckers reported that fatigue significantly affects their ability to work safely. Truckers also deal with tough physical work and can’t regularly visit a physiotherapist or chiropractor for care.
- Mental health pressures: Being alone on the job, tight deadlines and missing family time adds to stress and feelings of isolation.
- Limited access to health care: Work schedules don’t match clinic hours. How do you manage a health problem when your office spans three provinces? Virtual physiotherapy is now a solution you can offer your team.
Wellness plans have an impact where safety matters
These health problems don’t only hurt individual team members. They represent major business risks that safety-focused employers are working to prevent. Improvements in the health and wellness of mobile workers will improve recruitment and retention in a sector that is currently facing a shortage.
Financial impact: Companies pay more for health insurance as more workers’ compensation claims are made. One heart attack can cost you a skilled worker and thousands in medical costs. That’s before counting the cost of hiring and training someone new.
Operational stability: When workers get sick, retire early or take medical leave, you’re suddenly short-staffed. When experienced truckers or tradespeople leave because of health problems you could’ve supported, you risk losing out on knowledge that’s hard to replace.
Recruitment and retention challenges: Truckers look for employers who care for their health and wellbeing. Tailored health benefits are key to attracting and keeping top talent, demonstrating value for their wellness.
Productivity and safety concerns: Fatigued employees are more likely to have accidents, take more sick days and operate at reduced capacity. For industries where safety matters most, taking care of an employee’s health directly supports your safety goals.
Virtual care makes wellness accessible for mobile workers
Telehealth offers new ways to help team members on the road. Modern group benefit plans now include virtual care because they’re tailored to what mobile workers need. Whether your employee is driving across Canada or working at a remote camp, help is just a click or a phone call away.
For truckers who can’t see their regular doctor or get to a clinic, virtual care provides:
- Medical support, 24/7: Health problems don’t wait for business hours. Workers can reach nurse practitioners or doctors for advice any time, anywhere.
- Chronic condition management: Workers with diabetes, high blood pressure or other ongoing health issues get regular support. Check-ins, medication changes and lifestyle tips help stop small problems from becoming big ones.
- Mental health resources: Counsellors who understand the stress of remote work and shift work are available. These private services help your people handle stress and stay mentally healthy.
- Prescription support: Doctors can prescribe medicine virtually and work with local pharmacies. Mobile workers can get their medications no matter where they are.
- Nutrition and fitness education: Virtual nutrition counselling helps employees make smarter food choices on the road. It provides easy exercise routines that can be done in limited spaces with little or no equipment. These programs look at the causes of health problems, not just the symptoms.
Workplace wellness: A proactive approach
Helping skilled workers stay healthy takes teamwork between employers, health providers and employees.
Flexible health care options: Group benefits can be designed with mobility in mind, representing a fundamental shift in health care services. Private, online Health Risk Assessments can point out risks before they become serious issues. These assessments work around any schedule and support the safety culture you’ve built.
Mental health awareness programs: Virtual care for truckers helps with the mental challenges of mobile work. Online counsellors give workers the tools to handle job stress, avoid substance abuse and stay connected with family while away.
Extended health benefits: Coverage for physiotherapy, chiropractic care and other services helps truckers handle the physical demands of the job. Employee and Family Assistance Programs (EFAP) help your team members and their dependents with work-life balance, health concerns and personal challenges like parenting, money management or settling into Canada.
Partnering for a healthier future
At Alberta Blue Cross®, we understand what truckers, tradespeople and mobile workers need to support their wellbeing. As industries evolve, our approach to employee health and safety must change as well. Virtual care is more than a tech solution—it’s a sustainable way to meet the needs of the sector and businesses of any size. Hear from CMT Ventures, an Albertan trucking company, about the real-world impact of group benefits for their drivers.
Employers who invest in the wellness of their team will attract better workers, keep them healthy and stay ahead of the competition. Alberta’s skilled workers can do demanding, important jobs without giving up their health. It’s health care that works as hard as they do.
Ready to modernize health care for your mobile workforce?
Disclaimer: TELUS Virtual Care services are included in our comprehensive group benefits plans, which can be tailored to meet the unique needs of mobile and remote workers.
