Say What?

Question: How can a driver stay healthy while on the road?

Steve Dean, 55, White Cloud, MI 
Professional driving experience: 27 years  
“How do I stay healthy on the road? Unfortunately, I don’t. I’m trying to change my ways, but it’s like trying to teach an old dog new tricks. It’s not easy. Drivers face a lot of challenges staying healthy. I’ve been eating on the run for years. Now it’s even worse because the restaurants at the truck stops are gone, so you have nothing but fast food out there. My health has gone kaput.”

Gary Close, 43, Windsor, Ontario, Canada 
Professional driving experience: 24 years 
“I’m bad. To tell you the truth, I don’t do anything, really. I should be doing more things like walking, watching what I eat, but I don’t. The only thing I have been doing is checking my blood pressure at the drug store and places like that where you can get it done for free.”

Ken Haag, 52, Slippery Rock, PA
Professional driving experience: 25 years    
“It’s pretty tough because the food out there is not the best, especially the places where we can park. However, if you watch what you eat, you can eat healthy. It just takes more effort. The past year I’ve been trying to get healthier by paying attention to what I eat, getting a little more exercise, getting more rest when I can. Just taking better care of myself.”

Charles Hieleman, 56, Somerset, OH  
Professional driving experience: 35 years 
“I’ve never worried about doing that, and I’ve been out here a long time. Fortunately, I’ve been fairly healthy. I find that if you worry about things like that all the time, it can put even more stress on you.” 

Kevin Fletcher, 50, Mount Vernon, KY  
Professional riving experience: 3 years 
“I think it would help if the truck stops could have mini fitness centers. A few months ago, I got a YMCA membership. Before that, I hadn’t worked out in years. The membership is good anywhere, so I look to stop at places where I can use it. The problem is getting the truck to the ‘Y’. Time is also a factor. If truck stops could have even just a treadmill, that would make a big difference. If nothing else, I would use it for stress relief.”