Truck Driving & Health – 1
“Shorter Lifespan for Truckers”
“Sitting is the New Smoking”
“The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling”
In a culture driven by sound bites, headlines and hearsay, it can be difficult to uncover the truth about any subject. Stand in line at your local farm equipment or feed store, coffee shop or truck stop, and you will get as many opinions as there are patrons regarding just about any given subject. The obvious solution seems to be to go with the “experts”. But, even the experts disagree – sometimes vehemently.
What is the truth when it comes to the health of the long-haul and short-haul trucking population?
More importantly, what can truckers do to be healthy and enjoy the best quality of life both on and off the road?
The trucking industry is often villainized. Here are some of the factors traditionally cited as making truck driving – an “unhealthy” profession:
• Isolation/loneliness
• Sedentary working environment
• Poor air quality
• High stress
• Limited accessibility to healthy food choices
• Fatigue
The number of specialties or other help regularly accessed by humans is a testament to the spectrum of difficulties assailing us. I did a quick search of my local hospital and discovered an alphabet soup of services (multiple services starting with every letter except J, K, Y and Z).
Does the OTR and short-haul driver need to access these services more than the average person? My research has not unearthed any studies directed towards answering that specific question, but there have been many studies which look at various aspects of the health of truckers and opinions abound.
Over the next few blogs we will take a look at the results of some of this vast body of information and the relevance of it to truck drivers and their employers, as well as their families, and associated industries.
While there is overlap between them, for the ease of discussion, let’s divide the subject matter into the following categories:
• Physical – Internal/Metabolic – Musculoskeletal
• Psychological
• Social
• Spiritual
Truck Driving & Health Part Two
Blog 2 in this series, Truck Driving & Health, will commence by taking a look at the topic of physical health ramifications of trucking to the truck driver – specifically internal or metabolic issues.
Biagi Bros is a full service, B-to-B logistics company based in Napa Valley, California with branches throughout the United States and South-East Asia.
If you would like information regarding freight forwarding or warehousing, or if you are interested in working for a company that cares about the environment, people and a job well done in every area of life, contact Biagi Bros.
