As a truck driver you are well aware of the long hours, in the seated position, while watching the road pass by. Here are some helpful tips to keep your body limber, even while on the road.

Take Advantage of What’s Around

The easiest form of exercise is walking. Depending on weather and location, walking can be the most convenient option for physical activity. Checking out the local parks or walking around the parking lot of a truck stop can be an easy way to keep yourself moving.

A simple, daily 15-30 minute walk can greatly improve your overall health. Walking is great for your heart, increases your metabolic rate, helps tone your muscles, and can help protect your joints, especially in your knees and hips.

If the weather is unfavorable, you may consider purchasing a gym membership. Nowadays, several gyms have 24 hour access and with locations across the county. The 24 hour access is not only for exercise equipment, but most gyms have amenities such as showers and massage chairs to help relax your muscles. These amenities are excellent for a body that is often in a seated position. 

Stretching

Driving long distances means longer sitting times, which can lead to pain in your neck and back. Stretching your body before, during, and after a long drive can help decrease your chances of having any injury to your neck or back. 

Stretching can greatly improve your physical performance because it helps your joints move through their full range of motion, increasing your overall flexibility. Starting the day out with stretching will help enable your muscles to work effectively and decrease muscle stiffness. The more flexible your muscles and joints are the less risk of injury there is,  which means a smoother drive for you!

Consider keeping simple exercise equipment in your truck, such as a yoga mat or weights, so you can stretch and exercise your muscles while on the road.

Keep Healthy Snacks On Hand

Keeping active and exercising as a truck driver is very important, but we all know that exercise and diet go hand in hand. It can seem hard to eat right while on the road, especially if you have limited time to stop and eat. This is why keeping healthy, easy to grab snacks readily available can be a great benefit to help you maintain your overall health! Some examples of healthy on-the-go snacks would be:

• Trail Mix
• Jerky
• Popcorn
• Dried Fruit

Choosing nutritious and filling snacks may help avoid any hunger attacks while on the road and can play a large role in your overall health.

Truck driving can be hard on your body, but the journey to better health is all about developing good habits. Try implementing some of these recommendations to your daily routine and help guide your body back to good health!

We all experience it sometimes, stiffness is the bane of the human experience after long spells of sleeping, sitting, or driving. Without constant motion our joints decide that they want to stay in the same position, and this can be an uncomfortable situation. The good news is that even for people in careers that require long spans of stationary work, such as truck drivers, stiffness is still avoidable.

Stretch Like Armstrong

While you won’t always be able to stop and walk around once you feel stiffness coming on, there are plenty of stretches you can do at pick-up and drop-off locations, as well as stops along the way to keep yourself limber for the long drive ahead.. To get the greatest benefit, you must be consistent. Stretching every now and then may be helpful, but the real benefit comes from stretching regularly.

Stretching is something everyone does naturally. Concentrated stretches to loosen up your body include toe touches, swinging your arms in large circles and then small circles, twisting your upper body back and forth, and performing a downward dog and seal stretch if you are able to lay on the ground. There are more stretches online that you can find with a quick google search for all fitness levels and time constraints. 

Exercising isn’t just for Bodybuilders

In addition to promoting your overall health and reducing your risk of injury, exercising regularly can also help you stay flexible. Isaac Newton’s First Law of Motion says that “an object in motion stays in motion.” This is a fact that is applicable far beyond the reach of high school physics classes. Even though driving requires you to stay seated for long periods of time, moving as much as you can during stops and time off is important to maintaining your wellbeing and flexibility, which will translate to more comfortable drives. 

There are many exercise options, for those of all fitness levels, to build their health. Taking a run or walk around the block may be the most viable choice for some, while going to the gym or practicing calisthenics may be beneficial for others. Try different workouts to keep your body and mind engaged and prevent burnout from repeating the same thing constantly.

Fit and Free

Growing older means that you will inevitably become stiffer, but even this age-related stiffening of the joints and muscles can be combated through purposeful motion. The more you move the fewer injuries, pain, and stiffness you will face as you continue enjoying your chosen career. Maintaining a routine of stretching and exercising, whenever possible, will help you stay safer and freer from worry for much longer than simply letting time run its course. 

The most important thing to remember while combating stiffness is that stretching and exercising must be a consistent part of your routine to see any real improvements in your flexibility. The more you move and stretch, the more your body will feel stronger, limber, and ready to tackle anything life throws your way. It’s as simple as taking a walk at your next stop and adding in a few toe touches every day. Then building up to more difficult stretches and workouts as you go. 

Driver burnout is a real problem that many drivers don’t want to admit experiencing.  The long hours, loneliness,  stress,  traffic, all of it can get to a driver and make him want to leave a job that he once enjoyed.

Causes of Driver Burnout

Usually, it’s not the job itself that leads to driver burnout but rather, specific aspects of it.  

Lack of Real Downtime.  Instead of being able to do something relaxing during downtime at home, time off is usually spent in the cab of the truck or in truckstops.  A day off on the road is not the same as a day off at home.  

Drivers Are Overworked.  Because drivers are paid by the mile, they need to be constantly moving to make money.  Even with HOS restrictions, drivers spend long hours without breaks to meet strict deadlines.

Lack of Sleep.  Sleeping on the road can be tough.  Truck stops can be noisy and sleep schedules irregular.  Often a driver’s sleep habits are just sleeping whenever they can.  Not getting a full 8 hours a night can lead to problems with both mental and physical health.

Signs of Driver Burnout

Signs of driver burnout may be brushed off as being tired and needing a vacation but it can be more serious than that.  Some signs include irritability, insomnia, getting sick frequently, exhaustion, obesity, and signs of depression.  One of the most obvious signs of driver burnout is not wanting to drive anymore.  A burnt-out driver may dread getting behind the wheel of their truck, a job they used to love.  Once they do get in the truck, they may take frequent breaks or spend lots of time at truck stops, not for rest but as a way of avoiding the job.  The next step is quitting altogether.  

How To Get Over It

Driving a truck is not an easy lifestyle.  If there was a time that the job made you happy and you’d like to get that feeling back, you may be able to overcome your burnout and enjoy driving again.

Take regular days off each week.  This may not be easy but if you can swing it, having regular days off at home will give you something to look forward to each week and your mind and body will get used to the routine.

While on the road, take breaks.  Again, it may not always be easy, but it’s important for your mind and body to relax during a hectic day.

Try a regular route.  Having a regular route with regular stops can help your body get into a regular pattern of sleep.  

Take time off.  A vacation, even if it’s spent at home can recharge your batteries and give you something to look forward to.   It’s better than being forced to take time off because you’ve burned out and made yourself sick.

Make time for exercise.  Regular exercise will help fight obesity, depression, and a whole bunch of other health problems.

Eat healthy foods.  A healthy diet goes hand-in-hand with exercise to make your mind and body strong and healthy.  

Get a hobby.  Nourishing your interests will give you something to think about instead of only the job.  If it’s one that can be done in your truck, even better!  

Occupy your mind.  Listen to something stimulating like audiobooks or podcasts.  They’ll pass the time while entertaining you or teaching you something.    

Get help.  A therapist can help you work through your issues that may be causing your burnout and help you find the right path forward.

Driver burnout can ruin your driving career.  By taking a proactive approach and keeping some of the usual causes of driver burnout in check, you may be able to have a long and rewarding driving career without burnout.  

Direct Freight Services is a web-based load board that has many helpful features like full credit reports, load filtering, payment expectations, and broker authority information.  Whether accessed online or now through our easy-to-use Direct Freight Driver app, Direct Freight helps you find the right loads. Go to DirectFreight.com and start searching for loads.  We’re always here to bring you the high-quality loads you need!

Cell phones and other mobile devices have quickly become one of the most helpful tools for truck drivers across the country.  There are apps that help drivers save money on fuel, food, and tolls; apps that save time with alternative routes to avoid traffic or bad weather; ones for communicating with loved ones or other drivers, entertainment, and better health.  Maps, chats, planning, and everything under the sun.  As they say, There’s an app for that!  

Here are just a few of the helpful apps available:

Driver Health Apps

Lose It―This free calorie-counter allows drivers to take control and eat healthier.  It allows users to set a goal and track their food intake so they can lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.  It has a database of thousands of foods, including fast-food restaurants.

Rolling Strong―This is a paid subscription app that is aimed at better health for drivers.  It focuses on nutrition, fitness, and sleep to help drivers in the program achieve better overall health. 

Entertainment and Communication

Skype―Being able to see your loved ones when you talk to them out on the road is much better than a phone call.  Skype allows you and your loved ones to easily connect with one person or your entire family to make life on the road feel less lonely.

Audiobooks.com―This app allows you to search their database of 150,000+ titles for audiobooks to listen to while you drive.  More than 8,000 are free and the app also lets you access more than 700,000 popular podcasts.

Time and Money Savers

Weigh My Truck―This app saves time by allowing you to weigh and pay while on the scale using your smartphone.  

Sygic Truck GPS Navigation & Maps―This popular navigation app is designed for drivers of large vehicles.  It has 3D offline maps, custom routing, traffic information, and more.

NOAA Radar―Real-time radar weather app with severe weather warnings so drivers can try to avoid bad weather that can slow them down. 

Gas Buddy―Developed in 2000, Gas Buddy was one of the first gas apps that relies on users to post gas prices around the country.  It allows users to filter by gas type so truck drivers can find the cheapest diesel near them.  

Direct Freight―Direct Freight’s load board app lets drivers search the extensive load database and filter loads that they wouldn’t want.  The easy-to-navigate app also allows drivers to post their truck.  It’s much more than a load board app and includes credit reports, reviews, and days-to-pay so drivers know exactly who they’re dealing with.  It also allows drivers to set alerts and has mapping and routing features as well as freight broker information.  

 Direct Freight is one of America’s leading load board services and now finding loads has never been easier than with their app.  To find out how Direct Freight can help you find the right loads and keep your trailer loaded go to DirectFreight.com today.   

Sources:  

https://www.loseit.com

https://rollingstrong.com

https://www.skype.com/en/

https://www.audiobooks.com/

https://catscale.com/cat-scale-apps/

https://www.sygic.com/truck

https://www.weather.gov/wrn/mobile-phone

https://www.gasbuddy.com

https://www.directfreight.com/home/#

In our hectic lives, fitting in time to exercise is increasingly difficult. Who wants to get up early and go for a run or stop by the gym after a long day at work? It can be particularly true for truck drivers. Deadlines are tight, the hours are long, and sitting behind the wheel all day is mentally and physically exhausting. Because their jobs require so much sitting, drivers are often overweight and deal with an abundance of health-related problems. In fact, a study appearing in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine found that 69% of drivers were obese, compared to 31% of the rest of the working population. With a little work, drivers can change this statistic. Working out on the road may be difficult but it’s not impossible. With some effort and a little planning, you can get in shape and improve your overall health.

Hit the Gym

Some truck stops have been adding gyms to their list of amenities for truck drivers.  Truck Stop Centers of America (TA), for example, have been installing indoor fitness facilities along with outdoor installations that include basketball hoops, bowling, horseshoes, and walking trails for health-conscious visitors to use.

Look Around You

What opportunities for exercise along your route do you see? Walking paths? Hiking trails? Parks? Stop for a brisk walk or run. Is there a gym in the truck stop where you’re fueling up? They’re popping up at truck stops all over the country so it’s easy and convenient to stop in for a quick workout.

Bring Equipment With You

Space in the cab of your truck is limited but a couple of kettlebells or resistance bands take up little room. If you have room for a bike, in your cab or strapped to the back of the truck, you’ll not only be able to exercise but you can do some exploring too. It can give you a little freedom from the restrictions of driving a big truck around.

Set a Daily Goal

Tell yourself that you’re going to work out for half an hour a day. Split it to 15 minutes in the morning and 15 in the evening if that works better for you. Whatever you choose, walking, push-ups and crunches, or a gym workout, hold yourself to that goal.  Half an hour every day. No excuses.

A healthy diet is an important component to getting in shape.  After all, why would you want to undo all that work you’ve done exercising to get in shape by eating unhealthy fast food?  It is possible to eat healthier on the road. Get a mini-fridge for your truck so you can keep some fresh snacks like fruits and veggies.  Before you go out on the road, pick up some nuts, dried fruit, granola bars, and jerky in individual packets. They may be a little more expensive this way but it makes it easier to control your portions.  Hummus, cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and Greek yogurt are good protein-packed choices for the fridge.

Being a truck driver doesn’t have to be an unhealthy occupation.  Taking the time to exercise and eat better will improve your health, your mood, and your relationships.  A healthy driver is a happy driver!

At Direct Freight Services, we make happy drivers by posting up-to-date loads on our site.  We provide a thorough, easy-to-use and up-to-date load board for shippers to post loads and for drivers to find them. Sign up today at Directfreight.com and see if Direct Freight can work for you!

Sources:

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/ajim.22293

https://www.ymca.net

https://www.planetfitness.com