Long Term Physical Effects?

What are the long term health hazards of trucking? how hard is it on the body? How hard is it on the mind in the sense your alone for long periods?

What are the long term health hazards of trucking? how hard is it on the body? How hard is it on the mind in the sense your alone for long periods?

I think the mental effects would depend largely on your personality type. If you're an extrovert, the long periods of solitude would be a lot more difficult to deal with than for an introvert. Introverts tend to thrive on alone time, so being by themselves for hours at a stretch would probably actually be beneficial.

As for physical effects, that's going to depend almost entirely on personal choices. Are you going to stop every few hours to stretch and walk around? Are you going to park on the far side of the parking lot to give yourself more distance to walk to and from the truck stop? Are you going to make healthy eating choices? Are you going to try and get some kind of exercise while on the road? Or are you going to be the guy who eats 4 plates of fried chicken at the buffet every night, parks as close to the building as possible (even when that means inventing a parking spot alongside the scale when the lot is practically empty), never lifts anything more strenuous than a fork, and only gets out of his truck when he absolutely has to?

What are the long term health hazards of trucking? how hard is it on the body? How hard is it on the mind in the sense your alone for long periods?

I think the mental effects would depend largely on your personality type. If you're an extrovert, the long periods of solitude would be a lot more difficult to deal with than for an introvert. Introverts tend to thrive on alone time, so being by themselves for hours at a stretch would probably actually be beneficial.

As for physical effects, that's going to depend almost entirely on personal choices. Are you going to stop every few hours to stretch and walk around? Are you going to park on the far side of the parking lot to give yourself more distance to walk to and from the truck stop? Are you going to make healthy eating choices? Are you going to try and get some kind of exercise while on the road? Or are you going to be the guy who eats 4 plates of fried chicken at the buffet every night, parks as close to the building as possible (even when that means inventing a parking spot alongside the scale when the lot is practically empty), never lifts anything more strenuous than a fork, and only gets out of his truck when he absolutely has to?

hahaha next to the pay scale.. I plan on finding time to workout everyday, Its not in me to be lazy.. I guess I am asking things like do lifers usually get back problems or hemorrhoids for example.. Like what are they health effects most people cant avoid.. I personally am an introvert so I am not worried about alone time, I guess I am wondering do you meet a lot of people on the road who uhmm lose it somewhat from being solitary..

The biggest hazard is going to be lack of safety - on the part of drivers, mechanics, other drivers, everything around them that may cause an accident both in and around the tractor trailer, both moving and not moving.

I don't know a lot about OTR but I think it will also depend on a lot of factors: whether or not you're working with hazmats all the time, possibly being exposed to chemicals day-in and day-out. For instance, I believe sand haulers have to wear super-duper protective masks and ppe from head-to-toe, when loading and unloading their dry pneumatic tankers. If one were not so diligent, over time this could be very hazardous to lungs, skin, etc. That would be an example of a systemic effects.

I don't have a bad back (thank God) but I plan on never having one, either. I think there are a ton of things you can do to minimize some of the long-term effects of wear on the body. Proper safety precautions would help prevent accidents that would wear your body down. You could remember to always be diligent about getting in and out of the tractor, taking care to use 3 points of contact, rather than hopping down off the last step, every single time, year after year. One time, those types of actions might not seem like a big deal, but hundreds and hundreds of times, added up over the years would wear down your joints.

I sometimes wonder if clutching will eventually wear down my left knee but I've noticed that as I get better and better at it, I'm barely pressing down on it, as I get better at finding the "sweet spot" in rpms.

While I have these really strong (but feminine) hands, I refuse to allow them to get worn, gnarled, calloused. I wear driving gloves almost every time. I wear sunscreen every day, lalala

One of the biggest concerns for a trucker might be the lack of circulation in one's legs after long hours of driving. This might be a concern for many reasons. This type of job is tough on veins for those prone to developing varicose veins and pronounced edema (swelling) in the legs and water retention. Swelling will be even more pronounced when driving up, then down from mountains, in high altitude. Some of it's genetics but the only way I see to combat this is to drink tons of water, get in and out of the truck as often as feasible, get as much exercise as possible, every single day, prop those feet up when not in the driver's seat, wear support hose (oh THAT'll go over well around here) and when it's really bad, soak your ankles in magnesium sulfate (epsom salts) and water for 10 minutes, a couple of times a day, say, on the weekends. The problem with swelling and lack of circulation in the legs is that it can make a body more prone to blood clots and phlebitis. With blood clots, if particles dislodge, they travel through the bloodstream but then get stuck in dangerous places like the brain (a life threat), the heart (coronary embolus, life threat) and the lungs (pulmonary embolus, a life threat).

The other big hazards I can think of would be lack of exercise, poor diet, cigarettes, lack of sufficient sleep (which can kill you or others ...kind of a big hazard) and believe it or not - dental care. If people skip all the usual aspects of caring for their teeth and gums because they're on the road, it might catch up to them in the form of a heart infection - Subacute Bacterial Endocarditis. Bacteria gets lodged in unhealthy gums and then when someone gets their teeth cleaned or finally decides to catch up with their flossing, that bacteria gets dislodged in to the blood stream and infects the heart ...very, very dangerous. The lifestyle on the road may tend to promote a slight decline in one's usual dental care that we take for granted at home. I'm not judging. I know there are plenty of very clean, very professional drivers around here. It's just that the lifestyle certainly doesn't encourage, rather it makes these things more of a challenge. Therefore, you have to be super cognizant of how well you're caring for yourself. After all, it's your body and mind that are driving that truck, so without your health, you can't work.

I had an instructor at CDL school who was 82, lean and mean. He had 6 million miles of safe road in his driving history and obviously found ways to preserve his health.

I'm sure there are many more hazards to the job than we can all think of and write about, but in my view, it sure beats a desk - which could pose many of the same hazards anyway.

I think the key is going to be vigilance in this job - lots of respect for one's health and safety, coupled with self-preservation.

-mountain girl