Living the life of a truck driver, or anyone involved in intermodal freight transportation, can make it difficult to stay healthy. Long hours behind the wheel of a big rig as well as limited and unhealthy food options while on the road do not promote a healthy lifestyle. But, that is all changing thanks to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA) enforcement program turning its attention to the wellness of truck drivers. In addition, the intermodal trucking industry as a whole is working towards helping their drivers not only get healthy, but stay healthy.
Some companies are offering weight loss programs to assist their drivers in losing weight, getting healthy and staying healthy. The Truckload Carriers Association began Trucking’s Weight Loss Showdown, which not only helped truck drivers get on a wellness program, but also made it a competition amongst the truckers.
The weight loss competition aided truck drivers by providing them a step-by-step diet plan, as well as by assigning each trucker with a coach to talk to each week. Thanks to this program, the drivers were able to lose weight while on the road, and start on their own personal road to a healthier lifestyle.
Other trucking companies have come up with additional wellness initiatives. Some of these included fitness challenges. Part of the challenge included a website that allowed employees to track their activity, as well as compete against co-workers. The website also included a cookbook that provided nutritious recipes and meal choices.
Being sedentary isn’t the goal for anyone, but for those that live their lives behind the wheel, it can be unavoidable. A sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy diet increases the risks for heart attacks, strokes, and other serious health issues. If you happen to be behind the wheel of a truck when something happens, it can lead to a highly dangerous situation, not only for yourself, but also for others on the road. As an employee in intermodal freight transportation, it’s important that you pay attention to your health and do everything you can to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
One of the big perks of wellness initiatives, such as the TCA’s weight loss showdown, is that in a friendly competition there is also support and comradery, as well as increased company moral. It’s said that losing weight or working out is more fun with a friend. A company-wide competition can lead to better health, less downtime and happier and healthier drivers.
