Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers

Judith Semeijn, Barry de Waard, Wim Lambrechts and Janjaap Semeijn
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Judith Semeijn: Faculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
Barry de Waard: Faculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
Wim Lambrechts: Faculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The Netherlands
Janjaap Semeijn: Faculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The Netherlands

Logistics, 2019, vol. 3, issue 1, 1-16

Abstract: Professional truck drivers are prone to both physical and psychological stress. Such stress can lead to burnout. Drawing on Job Demands Resources literature and stress research, we investigate the relationship between job related role stressors and three components of burnout, among professional truck drivers who are based in the Netherlands. They were surveyed with a time-lagged design (interval of two months). In the first wave, the different potential causes of burnout were measured (role conflict, role ambiguity, quality of sleep, and the perceived emotional intelligence of the dispatcher). In the second wave, the three elements of burnout were measured: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and low personal accomplishment. The results of our study indicate that role conflict relates positively to all three components of a burnout. The emotional intelligence of the dispatcher—as perceived by the truck drivers—was negatively related with the three components of a burnout. Finally, the quality of sleep had an impact on depersonalization and emotional exhaustion. Theoretically, several job specific role stressors are confirmed to play a role in truck driver burnout. However, the top three role stressors all appeared to be related to the trucking industry, instead of a particular employer, and they may therefore require national policy measures.

Keywords: truck drivers; role stressors; burnout; perceived emotional intelligence; quality of sleep (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: L8 L80 L81 L86 L87 L9 L90 L91 L92 L93 L98 L99 M1 M10 M11 M16 M19 R4 R40 R41 R49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jlogis:v:3:y:2019:i:1:p:6-:d:204155

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