GETTIN' IN GEAR, A COMMERCIAL DRIVER TRAINING PROGRAM FOR WELLNESS, HEALTH, AND FITNESS: PRECURSORS TO MASTERING DRIVING ALERTNESS AND MANAGING DRIVER FATIGUE

For five years (1996-2001) the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA) collaborated in offering formal training on commercial driver fatigue awareness. More recently, FMCSA and ATA teamed with the National Private Truck Council (NPTC) to develop a commercial driver education program accentuating personal "wellness, health, and fitness" as essential to keeping our nation's truck, bus and motorcoach drivers healthy and safe on our highways. This Gettin' in Gear Wellness Program stands out as a government and industry attempt to encourage commercial drivers to be proactive in accepting increased personal responsibility for their own wellness, and helping them learn to integrate continuous health and fitness consciousness into their lifestyles. The Gettin' in Gear program is complementary to the fatigue awareness program, as in many ways, the health and fitness it advocates serve as precursors for drivers attempting to master alertness and manage driver fatigue.