Wearing Ourselves Out
Posted on Jul 14, 2007 - 10:17am by Don Rogers in General, Health
Are truck-drivers literally a dieing breed? Are we working ourselves into an early grave? In a poll by Knoxville-based Professional Drivers Medical Depots finds that 65 percent of truckers surveyed rated their health fair or poor. The poll also sights that 70 percent of those responding to the survey knew a truck driver who died between age 40 and 60. It seems that the already stressful driving lifestyle has gotten worse instead of better. With high stress levels, poor food, and just living in an idling tin-can for weeks at a time, are creating a crisis in the industry.
One number that truly jumps out at you in this article from the Knoxville News is the average life expectancy for a truck-driver is 55! Thats almost 20 years that we give up for our jobs! Obesity, smoking, diabetes, hypertension and stress are eating away at our numbers. Unless some changes happen soon, there won’t be any of us left.
We need to start taking care of ourselves and quit killing ourselves for the job. The industry itself needs to wake up to the fact that it is safer to work in a coal mine than to drive a truck. The companies keep crying about a driver shortage but their own policies are killing off the most experienced of us out here. The truck-stops that we give so much money to and spend so much of our lives in are poisoning drivers with their high fat, high calorie buffets. Lack of exercise, caused by our own bad habits and lack of opportunities for exercise is packing on the pounds.
How do we make a change? How do you get exercise on the road? How do you keep the pounds off? Let us know, help your fellow driver by commenting on how you stay in shape on the road, or how we change the industry to get that 20 years it takes from our lives back.
Stay safe and skip the buffet today;
Don Rogers
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Hi.
I for one eat things like salads, oatmeal. and few other things but i do eat other things that will eventually kill you but but I equal it out and also as far as exercise while on the road.
1)I park far away from the t/s building and walk around the parking lot the long way and do same on the way back to the truck, while I was teaming up I would race my buddy back to the truck just for fun.
2) I always watch what I eat
3)bring some sort of exercise machine if i can, i also bring my guitars with me an relax have a good time take my mind off the job.
thats just to name a few things.
and I do tend to take more time off at home, we aren’t robots here and we do need time off the road and spend time with family and take care of things that need done.
laters.
Sc.
Hey Don, have you heard anything about ergonomic designs helping the hypertension and health problems we all face? I think I read an article about how truck design can help relieve some of this stuff. RJ
I eat every kind of power bar when I’m on the road. I like to try every kind. I’m basically a conniseur of power bars and coffee after driving my International 9900ix for the past several years across the entire country.
Take ownership in your health. Our HealthPass program allows drivers to self-educate themselves to a healthly lifestyle. We have put the FMCSA Gettin in Gear wellness program on CD. Drivers get a great deal of helpful wellness information while driveing down the road. In addition we provide a driver medical compliance program that includes annual blood profile test, office exam, no fee telemedicine physcian network, electronic medical record and a complete turn-key sleep apnea program. Drivers can participate on a per month per member fee basis. Take the hassels out of passing a DOT exam and get your health and medical file in order. Life is too short so get in gear and make it happen