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

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 tru...

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Main Authors: Judith Semeijn, Barry de Waard, Wim Lambrechts, Janjaap Semeijn
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2019-02-01
Series:Logistics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/3/1/6
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author Judith Semeijn
Barry de Waard
Wim Lambrechts
Janjaap Semeijn
author_facet Judith Semeijn
Barry de Waard
Wim Lambrechts
Janjaap Semeijn
author_sort Judith Semeijn
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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spelling doaj-art-a9117102b5424b2fb0226e89ccaefda42025-08-20T03:34:53ZengMDPI AGLogistics2305-62902019-02-0131610.3390/logistics3010006logistics3010006Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck DriversJudith Semeijn0Barry de Waard1Wim Lambrechts2Janjaap Semeijn3Faculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The NetherlandsFaculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The NetherlandsFaculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The NetherlandsFaculty of Management, Science, & Technology, Open University of the Netherlands, 6401DL Heerlen, The NetherlandsProfessional 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.https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/3/1/6truck driversrole stressorsburnoutperceived emotional intelligencequality of sleep
spellingShingle Judith Semeijn
Barry de Waard
Wim Lambrechts
Janjaap Semeijn
Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
Logistics
truck drivers
role stressors
burnout
perceived emotional intelligence
quality of sleep
title Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
title_full Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
title_fullStr Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
title_full_unstemmed Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
title_short Burning Rubber or Burning Out? The Influence of Role Stressors on Burnout among Truck Drivers
title_sort burning rubber or burning out the influence of role stressors on burnout among truck drivers
topic truck drivers
role stressors
burnout
perceived emotional intelligence
quality of sleep
url https://www.mdpi.com/2305-6290/3/1/6
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