OzHelp has announced three new ambassadors for 2022, who will work alongside continuing ambassadors Rod Hannifey and Lyndal Denny, to promote truckie health and wellbeing.
Director of Sales for Beck’s Transport Training, Kate Beck; truckie Ian (Eno) Taylor; and managing director of Tippings Transport, Sally Tipping, who also started the Wave to a Truckie campaign.
OzHelp CEO Darren Black says he is pleased to welcome new and continuing ambassadors for 2022, noting their skills and experience, and generosity in volunteering their time to support the Health in Gear program.
“Ambassadors play a big role, sharing their knowledge, using their networks and channels to help get the word out, and connecting us with the industry and drivers. We look forward to working with them,” Black said.
Well-known interstate truck driver and president of the National Road Freighters Association, Rod Hannifey brings decades of experience to the role. “The safety of truck drivers has been my priority, and that’s more than road and vehicle safety. It’s about having adequate rest stops to sleep well, having access to facilities to eat well, and having industry specific support options like Health in Gear to handle the challenging aspects of the job if it becomes too much,” he said.
“I have devoted a lot of my career advocating for safety within the road transport industry and I’ve made it my hobby as well as my job. I gain personal satisfaction from trying to make a difference and working out how I can improve something, and who I can get to help me do it.
Truckie and CEO of Women in Trucking Australia, Lyndal Denny, says the health and well-being of the nation’s truck drivers is critical. “Until recently, the industry’s focus has been on driver safety,” she said. “It’s incredibly exciting to be a part of a program that looks at the equally important flip side of the coin – heavy vehicle driver mental health and wellbeing.”
OzHelp says truck drivers are the second highest occupation group at risk of suicide, after construction workers. Its Health in Gear program, funded by the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator’s Heavy Vehicle Safety Initiative, is now in its second year of program rollout and was developed in collaboration with truck drivers, their families, and industry representatives.
The program offers a range of resources including roadside Truckie Tune Up health checks delivered by an OzHelp wellbeing support worker and nurse at popular rest stops and service stations, a 24/7 phone support line, a website with health tips to stay well, and a podcast series calledShare the Load.
To access support, truck drivers and their families can visit the Health in Gear website or call 1800 IN GEAR (1800 464 327) for 24/7 phone support.