PAUL CHAPLIN, The Patriot-NewsTruck driver Steve Stouffer, 53, of West Pennsboro Twp., has lost 90 pounds since he started eating healthier and doing laps around the warehouses while his trailer is unloaded. The efforts have helped him eliminate his sleep apnea and reduce his blood pressure medicine.
A truck driver all his life, Steve Stouffer loves his job, but the trucker lifestyle caught up to him last year and threatened to end his career.
I failed my physical and I was pulled off the road, said the 53-year-old West Pennsboro Twp. resident. I had diabetes, and I had no clue I had it. I felt fine.
Since last May, Stouffer has lost 90 pounds and made some dramatic changes in his routine such as giving up fried foods, soda and candy bars; stocking his trucks refrigerator with healthy snacks and meals his wife makes for him; and doing laps around the warehouses while his goods are unloaded.
When youre told that you can lose everything youve worked for and everything you love, you will change your habits, said Stouffer, a driver with Carlisle Carrier Corp. in Hampden Twp.
A bonus to his efforts came with the news that he no longer suffers from sleep apnea, another common problem that overweight truckers face.
I do have high blood pressure, but my doctor has cut that medicine in half now, Stouffer said. Im looking forward to getting off all my medication eventually. My goal is to get below 200 pounds.
Stouffer knows that just by virtue of his job title, his life expectancy age 61 is shorter than the average American by 16 years.
But those are odds he aims to beat. I am not planning on keeling over in seven years. Ive got three wonderful grandchildren I want to watch grow up, he said.
Statistics from the National Institutes of Health give some clues as to why truck driver life expectancy is lower: 54 percent of male truck drivers smoke cigarettes, 92 percent dont exercise regularly, 50 percent are overweight and 66 percent are unaware they have high blood pressure.
This has been a concern of our industry for a number of years, said Jim Runk, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Motor Truck Association, based in Lower Allen Twp. Obviously nobody wants unhealthy people on the road.
Some carriers have begun wellness programs or at least broached the topic of healthy lifestyle habits, but its hard to change long-held habits, Runk said.
Some of the truck stops have put in salad bars now, but there are those guys who grew up on mashed potatoes and gravy, and after theyve been driving for six hours and theyre hungry, whats more appealing? Meat and potatoes, or salad? he said. Stouffer, who now encourages fellow drivers to strive for healthier habits, said its hard to find a nonfast-food restaurant that accommodates or even allows tractor-trailers in its parking lot.
Poor accessibility to healthy food choices is just one of several reasons why truck drivers can have poor health, said Dr. Beth Roach, medical director for occupational health at Holy Spirit Hospital in East Pennsboro Twp.
Prolonged exposure to noise, diesel exhaust, extended work hours, time away from home and hazards of a sedentary lifestyle, such as poor posture and whole-body vibration, can lead to other health problems, she said.
Whenever you have prolonged periods of decreased activity, you eventually get adverse effects to just about every system in your body, she said.
These problems include lung disease, hearing loss, cardiovascular disease, muscular-skeletal problems and gastrointestinal issues, she said.
Mental stress is another hazard, she said. Drivers face long work days with strange hours, a lot of time away from family and they are sometimes treated disrespectfully.
The good news is that many of the health problems that drivers face are preventable, and studies show that truckers will implement healthier lifestyle habits once they are made aware of the risks, Roach said.
There is a movement in the commercial trucking world to focus on driver health, said Nancy Wilkes, communications director for the Pennsylvania Motor Trucking Association, which addressed the topic at its annual management conference earlier this month.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is encouraging companies to begin wellness programs. It can result in a huge reduction in health care claims and workmans comp and a big increase in driver happiness, she said.
Federal law requires that drivers pass a complete physical every two years. Last year, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration initiated a new way to measure and address commercial motor vehicle safety that will focus more on interventions, Wilkes said.
Rising health care claims at Carlisle Carrier Corp. spurred the company to begin a wellness program for drivers a year ago, said Jennifer Paynter, a log compliance manager who heads up the wellness program.
We do free health screenings and weekly health tips, she said. Were doing a six-month wellness challenge that runs through July.
About 5 percent of the companys 200 drivers are participating in the challenge to lose weight and improve their body-mass index, Paynter said. More are doing the health screenings.
The company also uses a program offered by Harrisburg-based Occupational Athletics Inc. called the Road Athlete System. While on the road, drivers listen to audio CDs that talk about topics such as nutrition, exercise, mental fitness and sleep management, Paynter said.
We try to share practical tips with drivers things like doing 32 laps around a rig equals one mile, Paynter said.
YRC and Con-way Freight, which have locations in central Pennsylvania, contract with Wellness Coaches USA for health education and wellness coaches who work one-on-one with drivers.
Drivers certainly face different challenges with a sedentary job, said Matt Pearson, operations manager for Wellness Coaches USA, based in Blue Bell, Montgomery County. A lot of it is health education and injury prevention.
The coaches take blood pressure readings, check hydration levels and test body fat percentage, Pearson said. Hopefully our educational pieces on things like the dangers of smoking will spur them to want to quit, he said.
Of the 4,000 Con-way employees who met with a wellness coach over a one-year period, 172 quit smoking and more than 2,600 lost weight a total of more than 6,000 pounds collectively, company officials said.
Nationally, drivers can get medical screenings through the Medical Resource Vehicle, sponsored by the St. Christopher Driver Development and Relief Fund, which provides help to drivers in financial hardship due to medical problems. Stopping at truck stops across the country since it began a year ago, the staff of the van sees 25 to 75 drivers daily. (For a schedule of where the van is, .)
We have had an overwhelming following by drivers nationwide, said Greg McDermand, one of the vans founders. We do see people that we have checked out and we either send them to the ER in an ambulance or make them see their family doctor when they get home.
Ultimately, for drivers like Stouffer who love the open road, the lifestyle hazards are just part of the job.
It doesnt matter that it almost kills you, youll go back to it because you love it, he said. Ill continue to do this as long as my health lets me.
Driving healthy: Here are some tips for truck drivers
Source: Dr. Beth Roach, Holy Spirit Hospital
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