Wickham Freight Lines driving healthy changes in the road freight industry

Representatives from Wickham Freight Lines accept The Health and Wellbeing Award at the Queensland Trucking Association Road Freight Industry Awards 2024

Wickham Freight Lines has been named winner of the Health and Wellbeing Award at the Queensland Trucking Association Road Freight Industry Awards. The Awards recognise the outstanding calibre of people, businesses and initiatives that make up the road freight industry in Queensland.

The Health and Wellbeing Award was a new award category in 2024 and proudly sponsored by Health and Wellbeing Queensland in recognition of a company or individual that has implemented programs/initiatives that promote and embed health and wellbeing into the workforce. Wickham Freight Lines shone through as a clear winner with its Healthy Eating Program for truck drivers and other healthy initiatives.

Drivers in the road freight industry are known for experiencing long, sedentary hours, poor nutrition, shift work, fatigue, and sleep deprivation, which take a toll on their health and wellbeing.

In 2022, a national study into the health of truck drivers found widespread medical and psychological distress. More than half of the 1400 drivers surveyed were considered obese, and around 30% had 3 or more diagnosed health conditions, such as back problems, high blood pressure and poor mental health. This is more than 4 times that of the Australian population.

In response to these findings, Wickham Freight Lines have invested heavily into the health and wellbeing of its workforce.

‘The pressure of the industry today is overwhelming. Drivers are often overlooking their own health and wellbeing to meet the demands on the road with little to no facilities on the highway to support healthy living. Our company’s purpose is to support our people, partners, and communities to excel, so partnering with Lite n’ Easy to target healthy meal plans that could synchronise to a driver’s lifestyle just made sense!’ explained Thomasin Roberts, Managing Partner/HR from Wickham Freight Lines. ‘Overall, it’s been a huge success for our business.’

Wickhams Freight Lines’ commitment to better health and wellbeing outcomes included partnering with Lite n’ Easy to develop a Healthy Eating Program for truck drivers.

The 4-week pilot program involved approximately 20 drivers, providing them with a 1500 calorie Standard Meal Plan that included breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Participants also used the Lite n’ Easy app to log their health journey and were provided with a set of resistance bands to aid in their exercise programs while on the road. Weekly communications were sent out with resources and tips, including information from Lite n’ Easy’s dietitians and wellbeing teams.

Results from the pilot program were encouraging, with 100% of participants completing the full 4-week program and reporting an average weight loss of 6.52 kilograms in that time.

Seventy percent of respondents reported improved sleep quality and said that they had higher energy levels during the program.

Participants also recorded spending less on takeaway/fast foods. Prior to the program, 55% said they purchased takeaway or fast food a few times a week. Following the program, 70% stated they only purchased takeaway/fast food once or less a month.

In addition to the Healthy Eating Program, Wickham Freight Lines has implemented other initiatives to encourage its workforce to live healthier. This has included:

access to the Wellbeing Gateway app, providing employees and their families with mental health and wellbeing resources, including confidential counselling services, stress management tools and health tracking tools.
encouragement to engage in physical activity with workout plans and educational content shared fortnightly, along with fitness challenges to participate in.
access to fortnightly massages from professional massage therapists for office staff – an initiative that booked out within minutes each fortnight!
fresh fruit delivered weekly to all departments to ensure easy access to healthy snacks.
monthly depot BBQs to encourage social interaction between drivers, depot and office staff.

‘These are all fantastic initiatives in their own right, but together really speak volumes as to the cultural change Wickham Freight Lines is committed to making,’ said Dr. Robyn Littlewood, CEO of Health and Wellbeing Queensland. ‘Staff are given the choice and variety as to how they want to make their lives healthier, which sets them up for long-term success.’

Working with the Queensland Trucking Association to sponsor this award has allowed Health and Wellbeing Queensland to champion the value of looking after the health and wellbeing of more than 200,000 people employed within the industry.

‘We hope Wickham Freight Lines will inspire other companies within the industry to foster a culture of care, productivity and holistic support for their staff,’ said Dr. Littlewood.