Trucking Magazine Helps Drivers Battle Obesity

Stress, time constraints and the ready availability of unhealthy food leave many Americans frustrated in their desire to lead fit, healthy lives. Nowhere is that frustration more prevalent than among over-the-road truck drivers, who can work up to 14 hours per day, drive more than 100,000 miles per year and face limited food choices combined with little opportunity for exercise. Recognizing the challenges its trucker readers face, Truckers News magazine launched Fit for the Road, a year-long program designed to help them take steps to lead healthier lives. More than 350 applicants completed a health form and wrote an essay about why they wanted to lose weight and adopt a healthier lifestyle. The essays highlighted long years of struggling with diet and exercise and the fear of losing their commercial driver's licenses because of high blood pressure or insulin-requiring diabetes.