Freightliner has announced it has partnered with the Movember Foundation to raise awareness and funds to support men’s mental health.
The truck manufacturer says it is getting behind Movember, which challenges men to grow a mustache during the month of November, because men’s mental health is a particularly important issue within the Australian transport industry.
“Men’s mental health is a serious issue in all aspects of society, but we know it is especially significant for the trucking industry,” says Freightliner Australia Director, Stephen Downes.
“There is a high amount of stress in a range of transport related roles, but truck drivers face a raft of specific challenges that can really affect their mental health,” he says.
“Being away from loved ones for long periods of time is probably the most notable challenge, but there are also the long hours, the social isolation, fatigue and challenges relating to diet and fitness,” Mr Downes adds.
In addition to making a significant donation to the Movember Foundation, Freightliner and its 46-strong dealership network will be participating in Movember and raising additional funds.
“We know the money raised helps the Movember Foundation carry out some great work, but we know Movember also gets people talking about mental health and that can only be a good thing,” Mr Downes says.
Movember men start November 1 clean-shaven and grow only a moustache for the month. Another option is for men and women is the Move Challenge, which involves racking up 60km in the month, walking or running. Sadly, the figure 60 is equal to the amount of men we lose to suicide each hour, every hour, in Australia (Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics).
Participants can get friends, family or colleagues to donate to their efforts and help change the face of men’s health.
“I’m sure there are going to be some pretty ordinary mustaches on display at our dealerships around the country and at our head office throughout November, but this cause is so important that it is well worth it,” Mr Downes says.
Professional truck drivers have a 7 per cent higher chance of developing depression than other Australians according to Australian Rotary Health, which funded a survey of the industry in 2014.
A PricewaterhouseCoopers report from the same year on transport, postal and warehousing industry workers found that 23 per cent had a mental health condition, 20.4 per cent had an anxiety condition and 7.2 per cent had a condition that affects their mood, such as depression.
The Movember Foundation has one goal: to stop men dying too young. As the only global charity tackling men’s health issues year-round, the foundation supports the following causes: mental health and suicide prevention as well as the prevention of prostate cancerand testicular cancer.
Since 2003, the support of more than five million men and women has funded over 1200 innovative projects across more than 20 countries.
To donate or learn more, please visit www.Movember.com. To speak to someone immediately, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14