Letters to the editors

Make Time for Exercise
I’m an owner-operator with Erb out of New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada. I’ve been a professional driver for approximately 30 years. As most drivers will attest, over time this job will take its toll on your health.

I’m almost 55 years of age and have been plagued with a severe form of arthritis for more than 15 years. To maintain mobility and the ability to keep on working, I fight my disease by exercise, swimming and a reasonably healthy diet.

I’ve decided to contribute my own outlook and program on reasons how and why I stay fit. I am not trying to diminish the opinions and helpful advice given by various medical and dietary professionals solicited for healthful tip/lifestyle articles, but until you’ve experienced the realities of life on the road, it’s all too easy to dismiss their advisements.

I’m on the road 9 to 14 days at a stretch. When it comes to proper diet, I too am at the mercy of whatever truckstop I’m parked at. Even with a small fridge/freezer, you can only take a limited amount of fresh/frozen good food with you. A microwave is definitely an asset because there are now many excellent precooked, packaged products available to us in many large local grocery stores.

I bought my condo Coronado Freightliner because it would afford me the necessary space to conduct a thorough workout, especially during inclement winter months.

I use the upper bunk for various calisthenics, Pilates and the Mackenzie method of back exercises. I reserve the living space below to set up my step-master and do additional stretches, resistance training using rubber resistance tubing as well as some dumbbell routines. Weather permitting, you’ll see me outside on mats performing more complex stretches and weight routines with a full curl bar and dead weights. I’ve also purchased a new style of roller skate, multiterrain.

Now drivers are always asking me where I find the time in our busy schedule to exercise. Truth is, most often, I don’t have the time. But I make the time!

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I make the time for my family. I make the time for recreation. I make the time for friends, social activities and church. And I especially make the time for myself!

Every driver out there has to develop their own diet and workout routine, aside from the basic fundamentals of exercising and nutrition. They have to do what works best for them. And the bonus is the natural high or feeling of euphoria you’ll get from the pleasure hormone serotonin that your body produces.

I’m just hoping this will motivate some of my fellow comrades into a more active and healthful lifestyle. Thanks for your endeavors and good work on keeping us informed.
Alfy R.E. Meyer
New Hamburg, Ontario, Canada


No More ‘Feel-Good’ Solutions
I am a 62-years-young OTR truck driver. Regarding “Going Gray” (March 2007):
I have driven OTR with many companies as a company driver. The high driver turnover rate has nothing to do with a pay deficiency! But, naturally, when drivers are not satisfied with the way most companies disregard them as being anything more than a unit number (to be exploited for all it’s worth), they will quit and go to another company, which (supposedly) offers more pay.

But throwing money at the problem (or situation) in the area of drivers’ pay is a feel-good Band-Aid idea – to, again, not have to deal with the real, harder-to-deal-with reality of the industry’s lack of values and priorities, where they count!

We are a drug-oriented society, in which everyone wants to feel good rather than face the reality of a situation. We want only feel-good solutions.
Max Sauberman
El Paso, Texas


Write us
Send your letters to Randy Grider, Truckers News, 3200 Rice Mine Road N.E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35406, by fax to (205) 750-8070 or by e-mail to [email protected].

Letters must include your name, address and phone number for verification and must be no longer than 500 words.

Letters are subject to editing.

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