This Is What The Industry Needs!!!

Im speaking on here having little experience. I love truck driving and I'm a good driver. I have a long ways to go. Safety on the road is always number one. If I get tired I'll pull into a pilot and drink 32oz of coffee. I've never had one moving violation, ticket or accident since I was 16. Fitness and maintaining a healthy style are extremely important to me. I love the outdoors and I go the gym often, run, hike in the mountains of NH, bike, play golf, fish, and relax.

What I am about to say may **** off some older drivers. This industry needs for intelligent (book smart) complainers who hold safety and there health as number one priorities. The truck driver click showing typical causian250 to 300 pound country man with southern accent eating 5 hamburgers bragging about a truck stop strip bar had to go. You see these guys on TV shows putting chrome all over their "big rigs". They love spending months on the road and run themselves to near death. Now as a result they have to get doctors to lie about there blood pressure and diabetes for a medical test. They run run run, and don't give a damp about there health.

What I would like to see I'd more intelligent young guys that go the gym and want to be home one every other week. They want to be able to exercise at home and see there girlfriends yet do something they love driving. These guys also want to work out at truck stops and complain on YouTube videos regarding the fact that barely any truck stops have them. I want to see a new breed of drivers screaming for change. I'm not saying the older men can't do it. Many are trying to not be morbid obese.

Recently I decided not to go with a job offer that required me to sign a 52 page contract and your out 6 weeks at a time. I worked for a regional company in Cincinnati and had to leave for personal reasons regarding my fathers car accident. He is OK now. I'm living in NH and there are nI trucking jobs. I know that with I n a few months I will be OTR for at least 4 weeks at a time.

I see a lot of great opportunities in driving. OTR driving doesn't have to be "life over the road" unless you want it too. It's a damp job but a fun one. Under no circumstances should an industry or career make so you will gain weight, lose wives, become diabetic and sleep deprived. Companies should give more home time which can explain the burnout and turnover in the industry. Does anyone care about truck drivers health? Where are the fitness centers and healthy food choices off highways? Why not have deals where you pay $8.00 to use the gym and get a free shower? On a side note showers are probably so expensive because drivers spend 30 minutes in them!

Well to begin with there is no shortage of jobs that get people home every weekend or even every night. OTR is only one option among many.

As far as maintaining your physical health I don't feel it's much more difficult for truckers than it is for anyone else. And from looking around it's apparent that truckers, like most in our society, apparently aren't too worried about it. It's not difficult to find some healthy foods to eat, count calories to maintain weight, and squeeze in a little exercise if you're so inclined. Most people just aren't too inclined these days.

Under no circumstances should an industry or career make so you will gain weight, lose wives, become diabetic and sleep deprived

Trucking is a tough job and it's certainly going to leave you exhausted at the end of a long, hard day but with electronic logs and much tighter scrutiny nowadays they've certainly tried to make sure people stay within the legal driving limits. Seventy hours every eight days is a long time to be on duty but it's not so much that you shouldn't be able to get the sleep you need.

And trucking isn't to blame for the rest of that list. Those are a matter of poor decision making.

I don't eat the greatest but certainly not the worst either. I'm 44, 6'4" and stay right around 210#. Am I Ahhhnuld, preparing for Mr. Olympia? Not even close but I'm not overweight either. I know my body and I know what exercises work to keep me fit, so those are the ones I stick to. As far as the divorce rate among truck drivers, it's higher for military members and the key to making it work as a driver is communication.

We get it, you have a deep disdain for fat people. With your two and a half months of expertise I'm surprised you haven't solved the obesity epidemic already, along with every other issue in trucking.

We get it, you have a deep disdain for fat people. With your two and a half months of expertise I'm surprised you haven't solved the obesity epidemic already, along with every other issue in trucking.

I find the insomniac lengthy ramblings of our friend, prognosticating and pontificating on a topic he has no real experience with, to be comical at times, but mostly, sad.

Though I too, often look at many drivers and wonder how they pass the mandatory DOT Med Physical. I get the feeling as the physical requirements and testing become even more rigidly enforced, many of these guys/gals are going to find themselves forced from the industry - resulting in even more driver shortages.

As far was what we "wish was different" about the industry - such as long periods not being home, lack of gym facilities, paying for showers, etc. - this is just the way the industry is. It's well documented here, and on other sites all over the internet - for anyone that does their "due diligence". So if these things come as a surprise to someone new in the industry - they've been living in a cave, or have a tendency to "leap without looking".

I dunno why I read and comment on these posts sometimes.

Rick

We get it, you have a deep disdain for fat people. With your two and a half months of expertise I'm surprised you haven't solved the obesity epidemic already, along with every other issue in trucking.

I find the insomniac lengthy ramblings of our friend, prognosticating and pontificating on a topic he has no real experience with, to be comical at times, but mostly, sad.

Though I too, often look at many drivers and wonder how they pass the mandatory DOT Med Physical. I get the feeling as the physical requirements and testing become even more rigidly enforced, many of these guys/gals are going to find themselves forced from the industry - resulting in even more driver shortages.

As far was what we "wish was different" about the industry - such as long periods not being home, lack of gym facilities, paying for showers, etc. - this is just the way the industry is. It's well documented here, and on other sites all over the internet - for anyone that does their "due diligence". So if these things come as a surprise to someone new in the industry - they've been living in a cave, or have a tendency to "leap without looking".

I dunno why I read and comment on these posts sometimes.

Rick

This is one of those times I wish there was a like button.

We get it, you have a deep disdain for fat people. With your two and a half months of expertise I'm surprised you haven't solved the obesity epidemic already, along with every other issue in trucking.

Song- "Online"

Question- Who is the real Originator of this post?... Mr A or Mr B?

Mr A

I still live with my mom and dad, I'm 5'3 and overweight, When you got my kinda stats, it's hard to get a date, Let alone a real girlfriend, But I grow another foot, And I lose a bunch of weight everytime I log in

Mr B

Online I'm out in Hollywood, I'm 6'5 and I look damn good, I'm so much cooler online, So much cooler online

Brad Paisley- What a great song!

I meant to say thread...

Question- Who is the real Originator of this thread?... Mr A or Mr B?

Charles,

I think you missed your calling. From your recent posts I believe you were destined to be a personal trainer, not a truck driver. You are pursuing the wrong career.

I'm new to trucking. I'm actually in week five with driver trainer. I eat fruit and healthy granola bars basically for breakfast and lunch. I eat whatever I feel like for dinner sometimes a cheeseburger or a steak . I don't worry about how healthy my dinner is cause I know I ate healthier items the rest of the day. To my surprise when I got home for my break I actually lost wieght. 7 pounds to be exact which in 4 weeks I thought was pretty good. I also usually park as far from the building as possible to get more walking in and those spots are usually less challenging in to get into so it's a win win. I'm just saying it possible to have a healthy lifestyle on the road. It's all a matter of personal delicious making. I wouldn't necessarily blame the industry for guys being overweight.