Posted on Jul 14, 2007 by Don Rogers in General, Health 3 comments so far
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. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jul 07, 2007 by Wayne Weisser in Health, Trucking 7 comments so far
Free of charge! Here are my solutions to fix the hours of service debacle, a unique black box solution and even the solution to the driver shortage.
Hours of Service: No fourteen hour rule
Split sleeper, teams can drive however they choose. More sleep time and last week’s work doesn’t affect today’s. Trying to bend or get around the fourteen hour rule gets in the way of driver productivity and sometimes their sleep.
Screen for Sleep Apnea
Plus, instead of a small percentage that are drowsy and need a nap and ruin it for the rest of us, screen for sleep apnea: If 28% of drivers have some degree of sleep apnea and if PATT was really about tired truckers, they would be concerned about sleep disorders instead of some other agenda. It should be a rule, if you’re a big driver, you get tested. Free of charge or a small fee because it would be subsidized by the government, thanks to legislation pushed through by PATT, because they really care about the tired drivers. No fear of repercussions. After getting treated with a CPAP machine you will feel like a new person and your productivity and driving will skyrocket. Companies should be able to appreciate that. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted on Jun 04, 2007 by KMHarders in Health No comments yet
By Kathy Harders
We all know that exercise, eating right and getting enough sleep is vital to maintain our health. However, we also know that some things are easier said than done especially for truckers. Here are a few easy tips that can help you to stay healthy on the road
Exercise - Enough excuses! Use your rig to do standing push-ups, lean on the stairs to do squats, park far enough away so you have to walk to the truck stop – walking will increase your heart rate making you a healthy person as the pounds drop off. How about a few laps around the rig?
Eating Right - Instead of eliminating certain foods from your diet, why not eat more of the good stuff and less of the bad stuff? Raw veggies are great to munch on (just make sure you wash them first). Fruits are also great in vitamin and fiber, keeping your system healthy.
Eat a handful of nuts (about 10) daily. Nuts have more calories but they keep you satisfied longer and you may eat less the rest of the day and don’t forget a healthy breakfast.
Sleep - Ah, what we wouldn’t do to more sleep every night (or day depending on your schedule). Did you know that women are twice as likely to suffer from insomnia as men. Avoid caffeine (coffee and soda’s) during the evening. Try to eat dinner at least 2 hours before you go down for the night – cut out snacking (see eating right above).
How do you keep fit and healthy in your busy life? We want to know…
