Editor's note: The following is the second of a three-part series on truck driver wellness. The series is based largely on a survey CCJ conducted earlier this year of company drivers and leased owner-operators. The first part in this special report focuses on stress. The second part in this special report focuses on mental health.
The sedentary nature of driving a truck, along with restricted opportunities for physical activity, limited access to nutritious food, and irregular sleep schedules, have significantly impacted truck driver health, according to CCJ's 2024 What Drivers Want study, a survey of more than 500 company drivers and leased owner-operators conducted in partnership with video safety and video telematics provider Lytx.
Trucking has the highest rate of obesity and diabetes among all U.S. occupations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cardiovascular health risks and obesity have been observed among commercial drivers who were exposed to poor psychosocial work conditions, research by BMC Public Health observed. Long driving hours, job strain and exhaustion are often associated with increased likelihood of ischemic heart disease, hypertension and myocardial infarction.
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Among CCJ survey respondents, 19% ranked physical health as their top concern, coming up second to paying monthly bills (29%), and while the majority of respondents (44%) noted they suffer from no stress-related illnesses, 42% claimed they suffer from hypertension/high blood pressure, followed by 22% who suffer from obesity, and 13% who suffer from insomnia.
"All these chronic diseases are all coming from excess sugars, grains, and toxic oils, which drives insulin resistance," said Dr. Graham Simpson, an internal medicine specialist and co-medical director at telehealth platform Opt Health. "All of these diseases are being driven by what they put in their mouth."
Seventy-three percent of the food on grocery store shelves in the U.S. is ultra-processed, according to research findings.
"You have to realize food is information. Every bite of food you have, either turns on your longevity genes or the food turns on your killer genes," Dr. Simpson said. "Truck drivers are at an extreme risk."
Dr. Simpson, who is also the author of 4 Week Diabesity Cure, recommends maintaining a high fat, low carb diet to help the metabolic function, along with sleep, exercise, exposure to sunlight and alcohol moderation. "The most important thing is to educate themselves."
You are what you eat... unfortunately
A study by Crespo et al. (2024) saw that an emergent theme for maintaining a nutritious diet among long-haul truck drivers included having access to a refrigerator and microwave in their truck, enabling storing meals prepared at home that can be consumed when drivers are on the road.
Amy Thompson-Bernard, a 63-year-old company driver in Wyoming, noted the ability to cook in the truck and have access to healthy foods was among the top truck/equipment features most important. "A microwave and refrigerator along with food storage is a must," she said.
The study also noted social support as an important contributor to a healthy lifestyle, like participants being able to consistently prepare meals with partners at home. It also noted that partners/spouses are integral in building discipline at home by modeling healthy and practical food preparation strategies.
It indicated too that environmental factors are an important determinant of health, including truck stops, truck plazas, trucking terminals, warehouses, truck cabs, rest areas and other highway facilities.
Due to their mobility and multiple work locations, truck drivers are dependent on and vulnerable to the environmental exposures of these settings, yet many drivers say the modern truck stop has sacrificed one important thing for the sake of speed: a good meal. "Can't find real food anymore," said 57-year-old Illinois-based leased driver Kevin Drake.
According to research firm IBIS World, the number of fast food restaurants in the U.S. has grown 1.5% per year on average over the last five years. Pennsylvania-based driver Bill Caulfield, a 57-year-old retired firefighter turned career truck driver who said he suffers from hypertension and stress-induced weight gain, sees that reflected in his on-road meal options.
"[There's been] less diners with homestyle meals and more crappy truck stops with fast food," he said. "Less decent restaurants and more crap truck stops with fast unhealthy food."
Georgia-based company driver Mike Paluszewski, 58, expressed the same grievance.
"It's extremely difficult to eat healthy food while trucking," he said. "No more real restaurants. Only fast food."
Truck parking, a major stressor for drivers according to our survey and the No. 2 concern for drivers industry-wide according to the American Transportation Research Institute, also plays a role in limiting food options as drivers often have to choose a place to eat based on whether there is space for their truck and trailer.
"Horrible food options and little parking at truck stops, or junk food anywhere I can safely pull off the road without being ticketed," said Greg Updike, a 36-year-old company driver from Florida.
Getting the right tools
Lindsey Bryan, health and wellness manager of the St. Christopher Truckers Relief Fund, said it's important to promote healthy lifestyles tailored to the challenges of commercial drivers.
The SCF offers nationwide free programs to help OTR drivers stay healthy, including a tobacco cessation program, a self-paced 12-week virtual diabetes prevention program, at-home preventative cancer screenings, vaccine voucher program for those uninsured, and a healthy habits program to help truck drivers manage chronic conditions.
"I'm not going to tell them to eat a bland, boring cardboard diet," Bryan said. "It's about learning to do it in moderation, and so I think finding that healthy balance that is realistic for them is what helps it to be successful."
Meanwhile, Mark Manera, CEO and founder of digital health and wellness provider Offshift, said the key is to build a relationship with truck drivers to help improve their health.
"Many in this industry don't have anyone in their corner that is helping them from a health perspective, who understands their struggles," he said.
The telehealth platform is focused on preventing and managing obesity-related chronic diseases, with its popular programs consisting of stretching routines, circuit training and resistance training they can do in the back of their truck. Offshift pairs drivers with a concierge health coach who is cognizant of a truck driver's lifestyle and offers a custom health plan based on their goals and preferences. Among members, 50% of them lost weight, 40% improved medication adherence, 17% had better blood glucose levels and 45% had fewer mobility issues.
Self-discipline can drive an effective result, too. After a 200-pound weight loss journey, owner-operator Garrett Steenblik launched Trucker's Body Shop, a specialty pharmacy and telehealth company specifically designed for long-haul drivers.
"For me, I think the biggest barrier to my weight loss journey was that I didn't have access to information all in one place that was designed for my lifestyle to help me navigate. What should I eat at a restaurant? What should I be getting from a truck stop? What if I don't have a fridge or do have a fridge?" Steenblik said. "We built something that allows truckers to make sense of all of that and choose what works for them."
The platform offers telehealth physician support and access to medications to address common issues Steenblik saw firsthand in his trucking career, such as obesity, sexual wellness issues and hair loss. Users can also track, meal plan and monitor their progress, while the platform's AI technology offers suggestions based on trends or what key nutrients are missing to support a sustainable weight loss journey.
Sometimes, however, it's hard to fight genetics.
"Consider family health history before doing this for a living," advised Charles Walker, a company driver and industry veteran of more than 20 years.