Truck drivers play a pivotal role in the freight industry. These are the workers who take the hard job of hauling freight from one place to another. They deliver a wide range of day-to-day necessities, from food and clothing to medical equipment and farming supplies. Without truck drivers, we would be living in a much smaller world. However, with these long hauls come challenges for the driver’s health and well-being.
The CDC shows that some of the biggest challenges for truck drivers are mental health, diet and exercise, smoking, and safety. If unaddressed, these issues can cause severe and long-lasting problems such as heart disease, depression, lung cancer, diabetes, sleep disorders, and much more. That’s why, for this article, we’re here to talk about ten things you can do to help keep your health in good shape. That way, we can try to live the best and healthiest life that we can!
1. Sleep
Sleep is one of the most fundamental pillars of healthy living, with about a third of our lives spent sleeping on average. It helps heal and improve brain functions and physical health, ensuring that both cognition and body are healthy. Poor sleep, meanwhile, has been linked to some with higher risks of diseases and issues like high blood pressure, obesity, and stroke. You may also acquire sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia, which makes sleeping even harder and hinders your ability to get quality sleep.
These sleep issues not only hinder your ability to sleep but also to stay awake and avoid fatigue! Fatigue is a major factor in crashes, with the CDC reporting that most drowsy driving accidents and near misses occur between 4 – 6 AM, 12 – 2 AM, and 2 – 4 PM. That’s why the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) mandates that drivers have a 10-hour uninterrupted rest period by law, so that fewer accidents and injuries occur for truck drivers and everyone else on the road.
A big way to help with sleep is to maintain a regular sleep rhythm. This is one of the most challenging tasks as truck drivers’ schedules change frequently. Drivers may do day shifts one week and night shifts the next, which harms our circadian rhythm. Thus, this can be challenging to sleep well and regularly, but we want to try to establish a good rhythm.
Try taking schedules that best match your sleep schedule. If you have a shift that will be different from your sleep schedule, try to ease your sleep schedule for the shift, as you would to prevent jet lag if you were flying somewhere. Before going to sleep, make sure not to use any stimulants, whether that’s caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol, as they can hinder your brain from getting proper rest.
Keep your bedding simple and as comfortable as possible, and consider using blackout shades for your windows so that little to no light disturbs you. You can also use an eye mask that blocks out light, as well as earplugs, a white-noise machine, or a fan to help with outside noise. If you have any sleep disorders like chronic insomnia or sleep apnea, talk to your doctor about how you can get better rest, as there are machines and medications available to help you stay rested. Good rest means better cognition and better acuity to drive; without it, truck driving just wouldn’t be safe!
2. Healthy Eating
Healthy eating is also considered a significant pillar of healthy living. The saying is quite true: you are what you eat! It’s especially important to consider when you’re driving up to 11 hours a day and up to 60-70 hours a week! That’s a whole lot of work and movement getting done. But so much of that time you won’t be moving; instead, you’ll be driving the truck most of the time, leaving little time to move, stretch, and make healthy food, if any.
Being mobile means limited options for what you can eat. A national survey found that 69% of long-haul truck drivers were obese, and honestly, it’s understandable to see how this happens. Healthy options are hard to find on the road, so many people go for quick and easy options when they have so little time. These poorer-quality foods tend to be high in calories, salt, and sugar and low in nutrients and variety, leaning toward meats, breads, and dairy, with fewer options for fruits and veggies. A poor diet can lead to excess weight, hypertension, diabetes, and more diseases and conditions.
This isn’t to say that you should never eat out; instead, it’s good to build healthy habits that you can reliably stick to and keep convenient for your day-to-day life. These days, many trucks have the capacity to carry a small fridge suitable for storing perishables. Another option is portable coolers that can be easily carried and stored away for the day. Keeping healthy nonperishables on hand, like protein bars, low-sodium soups, and dried fruits and nuts, is also good to have around and readily available. This way, you can surround yourself with healthy options so that you’re discouraged from eating out too much.
It’s also good to allow yourself to have treats here and there. Trying to change habits dramatically won’t help you in the long run. Instead, it should be a gradual transition to better eating habits over time. Trying to change your diet radically can lead to frustration and going back to what’s more comfortable. So, unless ordered by a doctor or dietitian, try to give yourself some grace and set small, achievable, and measurable goals over time, with the overall goal being healthier eating. Slow and steady really does win the race!
3. Physical Activity
Spending so many hours behind the wheel means less time to move around. Many studies show that sitting for long periods can harm cardiovascular and musculoskeletal health. Issues that commonly occur are deep vein thrombosis, osteoporosis, heart disease, and other illnesses. Trying to prevent these ailments means moving as much as possible.
You may have up to a 14-hour window for work, with an 11-hour limit on driving. That means taking time to move as much as your schedule allows, even if only for a few minutes. If you go to use the restroom or get some water, walk around, and really stretch out your body. Staying in one position for an extended period also tends to stiffen your muscles, which can cause fatigue to set in more quickly and make it more hazardous to drive. Stretching and moving get your mood up, make you more alert, and help alleviate body aches and pains.
But that’s just for in-between time, what about exercise? The CDC recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, along with 2 sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week. This may seem like a lot of time to complete in a week, especially when you have little time between the end of your shift and bedtime. However, when broken down, it amounts to 30 minutes of moderate exercise for 5 days a week or 25 minutes of vigorous exercise for 3 days a week.
All kinds of moderate and vigorous exercises can be done, from brisk walking and rollerblading to running and stair climbing. For muscle-strengthening activities, there’s not a specific amount of time, per se, of how much to do. Instead, you want to do enough reps that properly exercise the muscles that you target, whether it’s an all-around body workout or targeting specific areas like core, upper body, or lower body. There are many activities for muscle strengthening, such as lifting weights or practicing yoga.
However, it doesn’t matter what kind of exercise you do, but rather to do something that you know you will stick to. This means taking small steps, building up your workout routines, and incorporating them into your life as habits you naturally develop. Gyms can be helpful, and there are many places you can work out. Schneider even made a great blog talking about how to approach working out as a trucker. But even simple exercises that you can do anywhere work just as well when starting.
That could mean starting with a 10-minute walk or 20 minutes of tai chi. Whatever gets you started and builds movement into your life is essential. As long as you’re exercising safely and healthily, that’s what matters in the long term!
4. Mental Health and Support
Physical health is an essential factor for a healthy life. Getting quality sleep, eating a balanced diet, and being physically active help keep us strong and alert. But mental health is the linchpin that holds it all together. With mental health struggles comes a higher risk of developing unhealthy coping mechanisms, such as a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. With how truck driving operates, it’s easy to see how unhealthy patterns arise.
With extended hours and days alone and stationary, it can cause a person to feel lonely. According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), 28% of truckers report loneliness, with 27% suffering from depression, 21% with anxiety, and 13% with other emotional problems. Interrupted sleep can harm mental health, and mental health issues can cause sleep to be more difficult. This creates a negative cycle that worsens quality of life, leading to more fatigue and stress.
More stress and fatigue mean more coping needs, which causes people to gravitate towards short-term reliefs like sugary foods and drinks, smoking, and alcohol to give them relief. These unhealthy habits cause people to stay sedentary and lead to a higher risk of diseases like COPD, lung cancer, fatty liver disease, and more. It causes people to feel trapped in their habits and potentially even develop addictions.
Mental health is a vast subject with many paths people take, so it can feel pretty daunting to know where to start. But truck drivers do have options. First, talk to your company to see what they offer for mental health care. Most health insurance plans provide telehealth services for free or at a discount for both physical and mental health care. Many companies also offer Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) that give a few free counseling sessions to their employees.
Many truckers also struggle with things like smoking, where they hope to get short-term relief, but in the long run, it keeps people using more and more just to feel normal, drains their money faster, and leaves many being sick and far worse off. All states in the U.S. offer some help to quit smoking for free, like providing free nicotine gum and patches or providing counseling. There is also the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which offers resources and help for anyone in need.
As for immediate help, there is also the national 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7 for anyone struggling or in crisis with their mental health or substance abuse. If you or someone you know is struggling, please do not hesitate to reach out to 988 and get the help you deserve.
It’s also important to try to stay connected as much as possible. That becomes a tough task when driving alone for hours on end for multiple days at a time. That’s why it’s good to use different technologies and strategies to stay connected. Creating a schedule to talk to family and friends helps keep you in touch and connected with those who are important in your life. Many companies also allow truckers to keep a pet with them for the drive, as many studies show that pets improve people’s mental health. Keeping good routines and habits also helps keep mood up, but without quality mental health, it’s much harder to keep up quality physical health.
There are also many other resources available to truckers, such as the American Trucking Association Wellness Hub, FindTreatment.gov, The St. Christopher Truckers Fund, Healthy Trucking of America, and Mental Health America, among many others. What matters is getting the help and support you deserve, no matter your situation. Everyone deserves to live a happy and fulfilling life, and sometimes it’s just about talking to the people that matter most to help you through it, whether that’s a friend, partner, family member, therapist, or whoever you trust.
Truck Driving is a tough job, and there will definitely be days that are harder than others, but taking care of our health is vital. Truly, the best wealth in life is our health. Without it, our lives would be more difficult and painful. By taking care of ourselves and what we need, we not only help ourselves but also the people in our lives who depend on us, whether it’s freight, our families, or our communities!
