Up Front

Take responsibility for your health

We’ve devoted this column and other related editorial in Pro Trucker and Over the Road in recent months to the subject of drivers’ health because, as the saying goes, “nothing is more important than your health.” Most of that editorial has focused on what the trucking industry can do to improve drivers’ health. After all, a healthy driving force is in everyone’s best interests—most of all, the drivers themselves.
     We’ve written about carriers who are jumping on the health bandwagon by building gyms and hiring fitness experts at their respective headquarters. We’ve covered the efforts of the pharmaceutical company Novartis that launched a program called “DownShift,” aimed at helping drivers lower their blood pressure. We’ve featured Dr. John McElligott, the founder of the Professional Drivers Medical Depot, who is working to establish health clinics at Petro travel centers across the country. We’ve announced our own sponsorship of Healthy Trucking kiosks, where drivers can test their blood pressure and pick up health information, all for free, at trucks stops nationwide.
     The ultimate responsibility for one’s health, however, belongs to each and every one of us as individuals. Your company or your doctor can advise you to stop smoking, to lose weight, etc., etc., but there’s only one person who can actually do what’s in your best interest: you.