How Truckers Can Stay Healthy in the Trucking Industry

Right now we are relying on truckers to deliver much-needed supplies all around the country. As essential employees in the transportation industry, we understand the need for drivers to be safe and healthy on the road. From avoiding spread of the COVID-19 virus to maintaining personal health, Pulltarps and Safe Fleet have created a guide for what you can do to stay safe on the road and at home.

COVID-19 and the Trucking Industry

The current COVID-19 pandemic has many truckers working as essential employees. This means you touch more surfaces and meet other people during the day. A few easy recommendations include washing your hands and face frequently, using hand sanitizer before you eat anything and using sanitary wipes or disinfectant products on anything you touch. Be sure to watch for touch points like handles on equipment, your steering wheel and in-cab buttons, and use a disinfectant regularly. The EPA has a list of disinfectants that you can use to kill the virus, which includes Lysol Bleach Mold and Mildew Remover, Clorox Multi Surface Cleaner + Bleach, and Super Sani-Cloth Germicidal Disposable Wipes.

Personal Health and Routines

We also know how important it is to establish healthy habits. Truckers spend a lot of time sitting, and it is proven that sitting for prolonged periods of time is not good for you. Your metabolism slows down 90 percent after 30 minutes of sitting, which means calorie-burning plummets. The enzymes that move the bad fat away from your arteries and into your muscles, where they are burned, slow down. But standing or walking for five minutes gets your body working again. You can reduce your chances of cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and back pain, all with one simple lifestyle change: reduce the time you spend sitting.

You may not be able to control your schedule and the amount of time you sit, but one thing you can control is what you eat. By establishing good eating habits, you can ensure your body receives the nutrients it needs to function at its peak. The American Heart Association recommends you eat 5 servings of vegetables each day, 4 servings of fruit each day, 3-6 servings of whole grains, and 1-2 servings of protein each day. It is also important to wash your hands before eating any meal to kill any germs.

Find Time in Your Day to Exercise Your Mind and Your Body

Many people are figuring out ways to do workouts without the use of gyms and group sports. It’s important to find a way to work out your strength and cardiovascular system that works best for you. Whether you enjoy hiking, jogging, skating, swimming or biking, there are ways to sweat alone and on the road. Sites like Rolling Strong offer truckers online coaching, competitions, and incentives to stay healthy on the road.

Regular exercise has been proven to reduce stress, ward off anxiety and depression, boost self-esteem, and improve sleep. You could employ the help of an online personal trainer, use a weightlifting app or find a workout video you like on youtube. There are websites and apps you can use to find a hiking trail on your route or in your neighborhood, like Alltrails. There are also apps, like My Fitness Pal, which help you track and stay accountable for your nutritional and fitness goals.

Just like your body needs to move, your mind also needs to be stretched. Though you may spend time driving, there are ways to exercise your mind. There are TEDTalks and The Knowledge Project podcasts, which involve some of the world’s greatest thinkers digging into powerful and current ideas. NPR also releases informative podcasts, like How I Built This, which interviews entrepreneurs and innovators in various industries. Overdrive Online is also a great resource for all things current in the trucking industry.

#thankatrucker

Finally, Pulltarps and Safe Fleet would like to thank everyone in the trucking and transportation industry who is working throughout this crisis. As essential workers, many truckers are hauling important medical materials, transporting essential goods and getting rid of waste throughout America. We hope everyone stays safe and healthy while going through this pandemic.

See our guide to safe hauling in construction work sites here.