There are plenty of studies out there that give us debatable information, like those that say obese truck drivers are more dangerous behind the wheel. But that’s a story for another time. For now, nearly every health professional and industry advocate agree: the trucking industry is being over run with chronic health conditions like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and more. And the FMCSA is listening to this and they’re creating new rules regarding healthy habits in truckers. And it might not be good news for you.
Why is this being looked into? The simple fact is that proper health care is more expensive than ever, and few carriers want to offer it to drivers who don’t take their health seriously.
For example, HTAA submits that more than 80% of truck drivers have poor eating habits. This results in about 73% of truckers being overweight, 35% having type 2 diabetes, and 66% having high blood pressure. These figures are alarming, and if you let yourself become susceptible to these conditions because of unhealthy driving habits, you could find that your career is negatively affected for good.
Dangers of Obesity for Truck Drivers
Anyone who lives a sedentary lifestyle is in danger of becoming overweight and eventually obese. Obesity has several potential health consequences, including:
• Sleep apnea
• Diabetes
• Cancer
• Heart disease
• Asthma
Avoiding Low CSA Scores for Health
The goal of enforcing CSA compliance is to reduce the number of trucks involved in accidents and thus avoid injuries and fatalities on the road. Driver Fitness is one of the BASICs categories of CSA compliance. . Part of this category is determining a driver’s medical qualifications. If drivers don’t exercise healthy driving habits, they may be deemed unfit to operate a big rig. At the very least, unhealthy trucking habits will contribute to poor CSA scores.
What’s a great way to keep your CSA scores higher on the health scale? Taking the time to plan a diet, and taking accessories on the road for better cooking. When you cook for yourself, you can better control portions, salt and fat and cholesterol intake, and lower overall costs. It might not look like it at first, but taking your own food on the road can save hundreds of dollars over the year. There are also plenty of mobile apps that can help you with your diet choices and caloric intake that keep things simple.
Maintaining a good score is important if want to keep insurance premiums low, qualify for Pre-Pass, and continue to get jobs transporting goods from a variety of manufacturers. Improving your healthy driving habits is sure to improve your CSA scores and prevent the dangers of obesity from affecting you.