Up Front

Time to take our medicine

If you’ve been reading this column and other related editorial in Over the Road and our sister publication, Pro Trucker, in recent months, you might think we’re on a health kick. Well, we are, and we’re proud of it. The fact is, nothing is more important than your health, and we’re determined to do everything we can to improve the collective health of the nation’s over-the-road professionals.
     Putting our money where our mouth is, we sponsor Healthy Trucking kiosks at truck stops around the country. The kiosks offer drivers an opportunity to check their blood pressure and pick up health information, all for free. We’re also devoting a considerable amount of editorial space in our publications to health issues as they relate to drivers (see “Consider This,” page 36). We arranged for Dr John McElligott, founder of the Professional Drivers Medical Depot (www.pd-md.com), to join us at the Mid-America Trucking Show and personally speak with hundreds of drivers. We’re also encouraging others, particularly carriers, to join us in this healthy endeavor.
     As we recently noted in Inside Trucking Online, a newsletter created for trucking officials, the issue of drivers’ health has been flying under the trucking industry’s radar for too long, and it’s time to elevate it to first-class status. The economic well-being of the industry depends on it, and the well-being of the drivers demand and deserve it.