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Show Your Drivers You Care! Put a Healthy Trucking Kiosk in Your Terminal

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

– John Quincy Adams

Trucking’s Biggest Winners

By Jack Kelsh

You might recall that on the second weekend in January there was a major ice storm that hit the Northeast again. Unfortunately for me, my path of travel coincided with its path of travel. I remember it was 22 degrees and raining before it finally turned to snow. I was headed west on I-80 across Pennsylvania. As with any such storm, I fully expected to find that a number of trucks had slid off the roadway, but as it turned out, I did not see a single big rig accident in the state.

First of all, the storm was predicted. The highway crews pre-treated the roads with calcium chloride to prevent the ice from forming, even though the front of my truck was full of ice to the point where it plugged my grill so as to block the airflow to the radiator. I had to chop it off so I didn’t overheat.

The point here is: A little pre-planning and preventive action WILL result in a safer situation for everyone.

There is another storm predicted, a different kind of storm, that could and will put thousands of drivers out of their seats and into the cold if preventive action is not taken now. Federal regulators are beginning to seriously deal with issues of driver health. One way the FMCSA is addressing health issues is to require that medical certifications be on file in the state that issues each driver his/her CDL. The goal is to be able to identify medically unqualified drivers and prevent them from operating on the nation’s highways. Drivers who cannot obtain a clean medical certificate face losing their CDL.

States have until Jan. 30, 2012 to get their systems up and running to comply with the ruling.
More rules are being proposed such as creating a national registry of DOT-certified medical examiners to conduct DOT physicals in compliance with a standardized, uniform test. The medical examiners would be held accountable by the DOT in the same way, I suppose, that a bartender is held accountable for serving a client too many drinks. They will be watched!

According to at least one estimate I read, 30 percent of drivers who are now on the road will be suddenly disqualified. The companies that start to focus on driver health now will be the ones that survive this storm. They will be the only ones who have the manpower to get the job done. These are the ones we call “Trucking’s Biggest Winners.”

We are looking for some participants to take part in a wellness program called Safety thru Wellness. I lost 180 pounds and got into shape and back to health with this program. That is why I wrote a book about wellness and started a business. I want to share it with others and let everyone know that while losing, we will all be big winners.

Briefly, this program is motivating, educational and effective. There are no pills, powders or magic formulas to buy. I have written about an exercise routine I do from behind the wheel, a muscle-building, resistance-training regimen that one can do even while driving. The book is also a nutrition guide, explaining how different foods work together to maximize the nutrition potential and spike the metabolism and energy level in the body.

There is also the 19th wheel, an ab roller exercise wheel that is quick and effective. It is an upper body workout that builds muscle, decompresses the spine and boosts the metabolism. It is lightweight, durable and compact so it fits in a duffle bag. I use it in the shower rooms at truck stops, on the ground by my truck when parked at loading docks or truck stops and at home, too.

I hope your company would begin a contest within your own walls to promote health among your drivers. Set a timeframe – a year, for example. Monitor all the vitals like blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, weight and body mass index (BMI), one of the critical things the medical examiners will be required to record. If it is too high, the driver will not drive.

Give away a grand prize and some secondary prizes to your drivers. I guarantee, everyone who participates will be a winner. Your insurance company may contribute as well. This will save you significant money on your rates.

We need to get involved with the drivers. This is a little different than dispatching them on a load and expecting them to do the rest. I personally will be involved with you to guide and help motivate the participants. My book will be a guide to each driver, as well as my on-going articles in Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines.

I will include a BMI chart so you have the statistics on what we are looking to accomplish. I will also include a DVD about the program. I will help in any other way I can, but we need to push a bit to get your drivers going on this. It is important.

Take a look at the video on my Web site (www.safetythruwellness.com) and read about the program. Contact me and ask for a book. I will send you one free of charge. When you realize how well it works, order 25, 50, 75 or however many you need for all of your drivers.

With all that is happening around the country, we have to focus on our “biggest winners” to remain safe and competitive.

Jack Kelsh is a professional over-the-road driver, sports nutritionist, author and regular contributor to Over the Road and Pro Trucker magazines.

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