Truck drivers in California experience a wide range of injuries, mainly to their backs, hands, necks and shoulders. On countless workdays, they have to load and unload heavy cargo onto massive vehicles. It’s common for drivers to overestimate their abilities or underestimate the weights that they are dealing with. There are several types of workplace injuries that affect truckers.
Hands and wrists
Truck drivers develop hand and wrist injuries from repetitive lifting of heavy items. Repetitive stress causes strain to muscles, joints or ligaments in the hands. A long-term effect is the development of arthritis or carpal tunnel syndrome.
Back
Because of heavy lifting, truck drivers often strain muscles in their backs and experience prolonged back pain. The risks increase when they don’t use proper weight lifting techniques, have poor posture or lift more weight than they can handle.
Neck and shoulders
Incorrect lifting puts excessive pressure on the hands and arms that extend to the shoulders. Dislocation or fracture can happen, but the most common shoulder injury for truckers is a tear in the cartilage or rotator cuff. Bursitis is an inflammation in the shoulder that occurs as a result of repetitive movements of the same location. Muscle strain is the most common complaint on claims for workers’ compensation.
Truck drivers experience the highest rates of injuries to the hands, arms, shoulders and backs. The types of injuries vary from lower back pain to arthritis that develops over the years. Some drivers develop problems by sitting in their seats for prolonged periods of time. Many injuries are caused by improper lifting of heavy cargo that is loaded on and off of trucks.
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