For millions of drivers, the most significant step you could take to help them improve their quality of life is to help them improve their overall health and wellness. In this first installment of “Improving Your Drivers’ QOL,” we’ll identify four keys to improving most drivers’ overall health and well-being: 1) good nutrition, 2) fitness, 3) managing stress and 4) quitting smoking. Making smart choices in these areas can have a major positive impact on a driver’s health and quality of life.

Over the next few months we will discuss ways in which drivers can make smart choices in regard to all four keys. This month, we’ll discuss the first of the four keys – good nutrition.

Eating right is one step a driver can take to improve his or her health and their lower high blood pressure. Given the realities of life on the road, you may ask, “How can a driver eat better?” The answer is, “By easing into new eating habits slowly.” You don’t have to encourage your drivers to go on “a diet.” Small changes in eating habits can make a big difference. Here are six small steps drivers can take for better nutrition:

1. Don’t add extra salt to food. Take the saltshaker off the table.
2. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Grab an apple, banana, peach or some grapes to eat on the road. Add a side salad to any meal.
3. Switch to low-fat dairy products. If a driver uses cream in his coffee, he or she can switch to 1% or non-fat milk.
4. Avoid salty snacks. Instead of snacking on potato chips, try the low-salt version or grab a box of raisins or a bag of trail mix instead.
5. Cut back on extras like ketchup, mustard and soy sauce. They are loaded with salt.
6. Avoid butter and margarine when possible. At home, try drizzling bread with olive oil instead of spreading on the butter.

There are some very easy changes your drivers can make to help start applying these six basic rules to how they eat at home and how they eat on the road. We’ll begin discussing some of these easy changes in our the next installment, and we will continue to discuss better nutrition and show you some ways that drivers can eat better at home and on the road, including ways to cook healthier meals and how to cut back on fat without cutting back on taste. You can also find valuable information on helping your drivers get healthy and lower their blood pressure at DriversHealth.com

In the meantime, remember that one great way to improve your drivers’ quality of life and reduce their stress level is by taking advantage of the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Fleet Program. Through this unparalleled promotion, you can outfit your entire fleet with SIRIUS Satellite radios and enjoy the tremendous safety, recruitment and retention benefits that come from having happy drivers who thank you for helping them to enjoy a better quality of life.

For more information about the SIRIUS Satellite Radio Fleet Program, click on the SIRIUS Satellite Radio logo, or contact Wendell Adcock, SIRIUS Satellite Radio Director of Truck Fleets, at 423-821-6248 or 423-364-0580, or by e-mail.


Note: It is with great pride that Inside Trucking Online (ITO) and RAMP Media Group introduce our readers to one of the key sponsors of our coast-to-coast Healthy Trucking Initiative, SIRIUS Satellite Radio and their SIRIUS Fleet Program. SIRIUS Satellite Radio offers fleets an innovative service for retention and for recruiting drivers and owner operators, which provides a very nice quality of life for the many long hours of service over the road in the cabs of their trucks. SIRIUS has an incredible variety of original channels, legendary DJs, the latest bands, exclusive live performances, and more...all 100% commercial free! Many drivers will be interested in the following SIRIUS programs and benefits:
* Road Dog Trucking Radio for Truckers
* NASCAR – exclusive races, news and interviews; only at SIRIUS!
* News, weather and traffic to keep drivers safe and informed
* Sports package – NFL, NBA, over 350 college teams and interviews with sports legends
* Exclusive celebrity entertainment such as Howard Stern, Jeff Foxworthy, Larry the Cable Guy and more
* Pure digital sound
* SIRIUS – No. 1 in programming content
As a company that faithfully serves the trucking industry, SIRIUS has made a company-wide commitment to helping improve the health and the quality of life of our nation’s over-the-road professionals. As part of this commitment, SIRIUS will be exclusively sponsoring this, our newest regular ITO column.
In each issue, this column will provide innovative ways that fleet management can take an active role in improving the lives of over-the-road professionals. In addition to the fact that healthy and happy drivers make better and safer employees, keeping your drivers healthy and happy also increases retention rates and lowers turnover costs. This bimonthly column sponsored by SIRIUS Satellite Radio will be of great benefit to drivers, fleet owners, safety directors and recruitment and retention personnel.