Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Food--Transportation--Safety measures--United States; Perishable goods--Transportation--Safety measures--United States; Truck drivers--Training of--United States; Truck drivers--Training of; United States; Academic theses;
Abstract
The purpose of this research was to study the contemporary safety issues related to the overland transport of perishable food items via semi-truck and trailer. An anonymous survey instrument consisting of 20 questions was developed in order to examine semi-truck driver habits. The questions pertained to truck driver safety and subsequent food safety matters related to the perishable food items contained within the trailers. The paper surveys were distributed to the semi-truck driving employees of two food distributors located in the upper Midwest, which had agreed to voluntarily participate in the study. A total of 90 surveys were completed and returned. Results of the surveys were analyzed with SPSS® statistics software in order to determine the frequency of each response. In addition, the "Crosstabs" function of SPSS® was utilized in order to determine correlations between pairs of questions, e.g., comparing average distances traveled versus whether or not locks were used to secure the trailer doors. Noteworthy findings indicate less than half of the surveyed semi-truck drivers have received food safety training from their current employers and just over half of the semi-truck drivers secure their trailers with locks. Interestingly, the vast majority of semi-truck drivers responded as always wearing seat belts and following Hours of Service trucking laws; however, those same semi-truck drivers responded also that their counterparts did not follow such regulations. Overall findings suggest that basic semi-truck safety and food security practices could reduce the possibility of a semi-truck crash or food contamination that could result in a loss of lives and large financial costs. This research confirms prior semitruck safety studies and suggests an opportunity for more research on the possibility of linkages between semi-truck driver safety and food safety.
Year of Submission
2009
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of Geography
First Advisor
Tim Strauss
Second Advisor
Thomas Fogarty
Third Advisor
Alex Oberle
Date Original
2009
Object Description
1 PDF file (106 leaves)
Copyright
©2009 Lucas Charles Hartman Geadelmann
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Geadelmann, Lucas Charles Hartman, "Risk Management of Commercial Overland Food Transport and Distribution" (2009). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 2728.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/2728
Comments
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