A new report into the lifestyle of van drivers and long-distance lorry drivers has revealed that they are the ‘most-risk’ category for the day that has come to be known as Blue Monday. This year, that day falls on Monday 23rd January as it is, as every Blue Monday is, the last working Monday of January. Fleet managers are being warned that, of any day, this is the one day of the year that their no claims bonus could go up the spout, blowing their chances of a cheap van insurance renewal quote, because their drivers are depressed!
Anyone who has ever watched ‘Dinnerladies’, where Norman the breadman informs the cafeteria that, according to the Daily Mail, delivering bread was the third most stressful job, will be awaiting the Victoria Wood punchline about now, but there is none – this is absolutely gospel and there’s research to back it up.
Blue Monday – how does it feel?
The day, the last working Monday in January, is attributed as the most miserable working day of the year due to a number of factors. Mondays are horrible, anyway – anyone who has ever held down a job will tell you that. After a weekend of relaxed days or elation on nights out, you have to come down sharpish; your body and mind struggle to cope with that rude awakening in such a short space of time.
Couple that with it being so long since the drivers have been paid – many workers on salaries having been paid before Christmas by benevolent bosses doing their employees ‘a favour’ – are totally skint. With that weighing heavier on their shoulders, drivers have time to dwell on it and it can be a very real distraction that causes them to lose concentration, hence leading to incidents which mean fleet managers subsequently have to rely on van or fleet insurance as a result. It has been predicted that as many as 4 out of 10 drivers will suffer from this condition on Monday coming
Diet and long nights out play their part, too
The study also deduces that the difficulties faced by long-distance drivers and their lack of quality lifestyle whilst out on the road is as much to do with the condition than any hangover from Christmas.
Jakes de Kockm, a member of the Blue Monday research group (not New Order, the people conducting the study) explained that long hours on the road away from the family can lead to depression. This is further compounded by the time spent not driving and unloading is often taken up by trying to find somewhere suitable to park the cab overnight or finding somewhere within budget to eat, which is often a stop-gap meal lacking in nutrition, leading to irregular sleep patterns, hence prone to bouts of tiredness during usual working hours.
In order to protect the integrity of your business, your drivers’ safety and safeguard any future prospects of your current cheap van insurance premiums, make sure your fleet vehicle operatives are treated with kid gloves on Blue Monday, before their hearts grow cold, grow cold…
