How Has Trucking Effected Your Health?
Topic 31345 | Page 1
Which magazine?
Writing a press release for a health magazine and I’m looking for stories on how trucking has effected your health, wellness and your life.
Hi, Andrew!
For future reference, being a fellow journalist; the correct word is 'Affected' ( the A being for "action") not 'Effected' (the E being for "result.") Just a bit of advice!
Next, to answer your question in a nutshell, here's a list of threads that you can peruse, where this topic has been surveyed and discussed ad nauseum. Hope this helps!
Best wishes,
~ Anne ~
I wouldnt say trucking affects our health. Trucking makes it easy for us to make unhealthy decisions. Its easier to buy fast food from the truck stops. It is easier to just lay down in bed after our shift, vs choosing to get some physical activity. It is all about the decisions we make. We could all choose to make decisions that have a positive affect on our health, but this industry does make it easy to make unhealthy decisions.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Been great for me. My back hurts far less often than working construction. I eat healthy and have not seen any weight gain. Although I have a high metabolism, rarely eat truck stop food and eat small amounts every couple hours.
Also, I'm very active when outside the truck and hustle when changing trailers and doing work. Far less hazardous than other industries I've been in, in many ways.
The choice is yours as far as being healthy in trucking or any other profession. I want to keep driving so I know I have to maintain good health . I don’t want to fail a DOT exam. So I’ve gone from 228 in September to 203 right now. Blood pressure great, energy level much better, etc. and I’m 69 years old. So I can say that being motivated to keep driving has influenced me to keep finding ways to improve my health in many ways.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
I feel better after a year of trucking.
I feel better after a year of trucking.
Tom's actually gotten healthier, and LOST weight, on his intrastate/local gig.
Mama cooks, and packs lunches, LoL...! Including a healthy breakfast before departure.
The OTR days.... sheesh. So many reasons to grab fast food...I can't even recall nor count. I packed then; didn't work!
Best to y'all....
~ Anne ~
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Intrastate:
The act of purchasers and sellers transacting business while keeping all transactions in a single state, without crossing state lines to do so.
I drove for 44 years both local and OTR. I am 72, 6'1", 205lbs., need to wear glasses and have hearing aids. Caused by trucking I would say no but maybe it helped to contribute to the glasses and hearing aids. When I started driving back in 1969 few trucks had A/C so the windows and vent wing windows would be wide open in summer and everything came in and hit you in the face and ears. A lot of trucks had straight exhaust so the noise level was very high which didn't help either. Driving mostly nights put a big strain on the eyes and could have contributed to wearing glasses. I always ate truck stop food while on the road but usually maintained a regimen of exercise and avoided a lot of snacks.
I feel that your genes and family history might play a lot in what happens later in life just as much as driving does. Any working career has it's downfalls on your health like sitting at a desk, computer work, construction or working outside in all kinds of weather. I still do not have the best diet, get doctor visits every 6 months, eye exams yearly and hearing tests annually. Everything you do is a "crap shoot" but trying to take care of your health is a way to be the best you can.
My wife and I have been married 42 years, we both weigh the same as we did in high school, travel in our 5th wheel RV, walk twice daily, swim whenever the weather allows, watch the junk food and are aging gracefully. The 6 month doctor check-ups show the lab results all in the normal range which can be luck or just good genes. Bottom line is trucking does not make you unhealthy unless you have some underlying conditions that contribute to a problem.
PS-I also smoked for over 30 years, quit cold turkey and have been a non-smoker for over 25 years and do not regret it either.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Writing a press release for a health magazine and I’m looking for stories on how trucking has effected your health, wellness and your life.