Regardless of whether you drive on interstates, highways or surface streets, you likely encounter a number of 18-wheelers. The long haul truckers who drive them spend a lot of time behind the wheel. They spend a significant amount of time sitting, eating bad food and trying to stay awake.
Not surprisingly, these working conditions often lead to health issues. Truck drivers may be able to combat some health issues, but it would take more time and dedication than their schedules often allow. Some drivers manage to take care of themselves despite being on the road, but even they probably have times when it’s easier to grab a cheeseburger and fries then it is to try to find a healthy meal. Another obstacle is finding a place to park a big rig near a gym or health food store.
What kinds of health issues to truckers often suffer from?
The most common health problems that truck drivers face include the following:
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Musculoskeletal injuries
- Back and neck pain
- Fatigue
- Sleep apnea
- Depression
- Lack of exercise
- Issues from smoking
Due to the long hours and boredom of driving for hours a day, many truck drivers also take stimulants to stay awake. The isolation leads to loneliness as well. Under these conditions, it’s not hard to understand why many truck drivers leave the industry. Those who remain rarely suffer from just one of the above health issues since one tends to lead to another and so on.
Even when truck drivers want to correct these issues, the fact that they are on the road makes it difficult to get adequate medical care when needed. Finding a quiet place to sleep may also present a challenge. Depending on the circumstances, getting exercise and keeping healthy snacks on hand may not be as easy as it sounds.
What does this have to do with you?
Why should you care about the health of a truck driver? An unhealthy truck driver could slam into your vehicle. If that happens, you could suffer serious injuries that could require a significant amount of time from which to recover. When you file a personal injury claim in pursuit of compensation for your monetary and non-monetary losses, you may be able to point to the truck driver’s ill health as a factor in your crash.