Effects of Trucking
on The Body

The effects of trucking on the body and your health may not always be so obvious at first. But after years of sitting for hours, and inconsistent amounts of continuous sleep along with a poor diet you may find yourself with declining health.

But relax, we'll talk about how to be healthy later.  I've driven 20 years and my health is fine.

Common Health Issues

• Back Problems
  
• Sleep Apnea
  
• Depression
• Loneliness 
  
• High Blood Pressure
• High Cholesterol
• Obesity 
• Type 2 Diabetes

Get Out of the Seat Every 3 hours Minimum!

How Trucking Causes Health Issues

Folks, if you haven't already figured out, these issues are not caused directly by trucking.  They are caused by poor choices to a great degree. 

I will admit that trucking life makes it easier to make poor choices.  Nonetheless, choices are the culprit not trucking. 

For all drivers who will take responsibility and be accountable for their choices they will be empowered to not deal with most of the health concerns that people claim trucking causes.

Prolonged sitting and Sleep deprivation are the only ones that you don't have total control over, and you can do something about that in most cases.

• High Blood Pressure
• Obesity
• High Cholesterol 

Can all be controlled by healthier diet and getting exercise.

Sleep apnea can be a result of enlarged tonsils or hormonal changes but most often comes from obesity.

Again obesity can be avoided!  Lower sugar and simple carb intake and get exercise.

Lung cancer usually comes from smoking.                                         Can be avoided by not smoking!

• Heart disease
• Strokes

Most often comes from plaque restricting blood flow due to cholesterol buildup because it's trying to fix oxidized arteries damaged by excess prolonged sugar consumption and/or smoking.

Be mindful of your diet, stop smoking and get exercise.

• Back Pain

Can often be avoided by building abdomen and back muscles and be intentional about getting out of the seat a few minutes every few hours.

• Depression
• Loneliness
• Sleep Deprivation

You can address these by improving your mental health.  What you focus on and what you feed your mind.  Improve stress coping skills.

Folks.....trucking is not as bad on your health as everyone makes it out to be.  OUR own choices is the biggest problem.

The Fixes!   Here's how to

• Lose weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Get exercise on the road
• Improve mental health
• Fight Loneliness
• Deal with stress
• Get better sleep

<a href="https://www.lifeasatrucker.com/achieving-better-health-as-a-trucker.html">Better Health Trucking Tips</a><br>

Back Problems in Trucking

Too much sitting combined with weak abdomen muscles and lack of exercise can  = lower back pain.  

If you strengthen your core muscles and be intentional about getting some physical activity EVERY DAY, and keep your weight down I don't think you will have back problems. 

However, I'm not a doctor.

• Poor posture - (Practice good posture when driving)
  
• Weak core muscles (Strengthen your abdomen and obliques)
  
• Prolonged sitting (Get UP!)
  
• improper lifting (Learn to squat not stretch when lifting.  Can cause muscle strain.  Relax, it will go away.)
  
• Herniated discs (Help avoid by strengthening core muscles and avoiding accidents)
  

Don't be so quick to get meds or an operation for lower back pain.  Get second and 3rd opinions and visit a chiropractic before major surgery for lower back pain. 

More attention has been given to the health of truckers recently.  One study of 1,670 long distance drivers in the 48 contiguous states by survey revealed these stats. The Study

• 69% were obese - (Ways to beat obesity in trucking)
  
• 51% were current smokers (Beat the urge to smoke)
  
• 61% had 2 or more of the risk factors of high blood pressure, obesity, high cholesterol, no physical activity, 6 or fewer hours of sleep per 24hr period. (Personal development helps you take responsibility to make better choices)
  

Prolonged Sitting

By the nature of our jobs, we sit for hours at a time.  This is not good for your veins, muscles or your overall health.  I read a book called GET UP! Why Your Chair is Killing You and What You Can Do About it. 

I never knew that prolonged sitting has such a significant negative effect on the body and it is because we were not designed to sit still for extended periods of time.

To summarize it all, I will put it this way.  Prolonged sitting shortens your life span because it increases your chances of death from the same diseases we mentioned associated with trucking plus heart disease.

So make yourself stop every 2 or 3 hours to stand up and walk for a few steps and you at least take away some of that sedentary lifestyle from trucking. (It's one of my biggest challenges now that my dog has died.

Adequate Sleep

Get the sleep required for your body.  Most people need between 6-9 hours.  ELD should have solved a lot of the sleep deprivation due to manipulation from dispatchers.  With time management or switching dispatcher/jobs if necessary if you are still having problems you should be able to address them.

However, some drivers don't get rest because they stay up playing games, watching TV or surfing the web.  That's not trucking's fault.

Go to bed driver!

I have noticed some knee discomfort from time to time in the past but it never lasted. It came and went and was tolerable not debilitating or painful.

I always wondered about the long term effects that I can expect from this though.

(Update:  I wrote this about 2009.  I stopped driving in 2011.  No knee or back problem then or now.  It is Jan 2017.

2nd Update:  I am driving part-time February.  No knee or back pain.

3rd Update:  It's June 2018.  In March 2017 I started trucking OTR full time again and to this date no adverse health conditions from trucking.

I have asked doctors about the effects of trucking on the body and they always say they don't know of any except for the back problem in a few drivers.

Of course trucking is blamed for gaining weight.  I talk about that weight gaining myth here.

The Constant Vibration

I have seen proof of the power of this vibration over and over. Things that I had stored away thinking they were safe have been worned dramatically by some other object it was touching.  The vibration from driving will ruin it.

If cds are stacked against each other they will be ruin. The boxes in the back of the trailer all have a fine dust on them by the time I reach my destination from the vibration. I figured that this must have some type of effect on the body.

If you have watched any of my videos where the camera is pointed straight ahead through the front window you probably can tell how much continuous vibration is experienced over damaged roadway.  (That can be seen in the older videos.  I started in 2008.  In more recent videos, there is no vibration due to technology.  Also, I had an older truck as an owner operator.)

The joints, connecting tissues, blood circulation, etc. (I have always wondered about the impact of the vibration on the organs in the body) But . . .I have asked doctors about the effects of this vibration on the body and they act like its a ridiculous notion and not to worry about it. (which I don't) Seems illogical to me though that the body wouldn't suffer some deterioration.

(Update:  Good news. 2018 Checkup 2 months ago and not issues at doctor.

Update 2017:  I am happy to say, no issue with organs, lol.  More than 20 years from when I started driving.  However, keep in mind that I did what I could to stay in decent shape and also I took breaks from driving. (not 20 years consecutive driving.  Maybe 15 with some time off in between)

Constant Exposure to Diesel Fuel Exhaust

DO NOT drive a truck that has exhaust leak coming into the cab.  Make them have it fixed.  APU can also have exhaust coming into the cab.  Don't tolerate it.  I have had both of these problems.  The APU was on a company truck and the exhaust leak was on my own truck.

There has been a recent Harvard University study done of 54,000 teamsters members that shows drivers had a 49% increase in heart disease related deaths and a 10% increase in lung cancer deaths.Dock workers had a 32% increase in heart diseases related death and a 10% increase in lung cancer related death.

The teamsters members were compared to the US Population of the same age group. The individual activities and habits were not taken into account.Also the overall death rate of the same group which means death by any reason was actually lower than the general population of the same age group.

So you get what you can out of that or check out the study yourself. It will open in a new window. 

Update:  While not related directly to trucking.  Studies have been done on schools near the highway.  They show that the children suffer a very high occurrence of asthma due to the pollution from traffic.  To me that is also an indication of what a person who drives for a living might experience.  Except if you run A/C  and/or air purifier in the cab, it could help.  I don't know.  Keep your ears open for related information to seek it out.

There is also a lot of research being done on COPD in trucking

How Do You Beat The Effects Of Trucking On the Body

The best way to combat injury and sickness of the body from any cause is to be in optimum health and fitness. (Or as close to it as you can)

Develop good eating habits and a sustainable exercise routine so that you are helping your body to naturally fight diseases and the effects of wear and tear from work. (And the abuses we put our body through which includes play)

Get Proper Rest

Take a good multivitamin, I recommend the GNC powder, and try to eat a sensible and balanced diet for truckers.

Good Healthy Diet For Truckers

Disadvantages of Trucking Jobs

Advantages of Trucking Jobs

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