Caring for your body is like caring for your truck in that both involve assessing products and services. The informed consumer knows how to get the best value.
Yet in the realm of health care and even the long-term maintenance of your body itself, finding those values isn’t always akin to answering an obvious question.
Spend health dollars wisely over the short haul
Shop around. Ask different offices how much they charge for similar medical or dental services. While the cheapest may not always be the best, three or four contacts should give you a good estimate. ConsumersUnion.org reports that stores in the same city often have widely different prices for the same medications. Call and ask. You also can buy your medicines online.
Buy generic. By law, U.S.-made generic medicines are required to meet the same standards as their brand-name inspirations, but they’re far cheaper.
Review all medical bills. You’ve probably asked questions about line items when reviewing a truck purchase statement. The same policy applies to medical bills.
Even a simple visit to the doctor can produce multiple charges from a lab or X-ray technician, and an emergency room visit or surgery can produce a stream of bills for months.
Carefully review any medical bill before paying it. This especially is important if you don’t have an insurance company to vet charges on your behalf. If items are listed as “miscellaneous” or coded, ask for details. Scrutinize statements from your insurer just as carefully.
Negotiate rates. Negotiation may work for people without insurance in getting medical expenses reduced before the service is rendered. It never hurts to ask.
Get a second opinion. If your doctor or dentist suggests a major operation or procedure, get another opinion. Some insurance policies require a second opinion for major procedures, so you could be liable for a big bill if you fail to do so.
Appeal insurance rejections. Most insurance companies have an appeals process if a billed procedure or medical expense is denied. Most insurance companies allow for three appeals on a single issue.
Avoid emergency rooms. If you’re suffering a heart attack or serious injury, use a hospital emergency room. Otherwise, they’re too expensive and often have long waits. Many communities have walk-in clinics that treat common problems such as colds, flu and cuts.
Use telemedicine services. Although the concept of “telemedicine” originated 40 years ago, it’s now becoming a reality. The appeal to truckers is twofold: low cost, easy access.
Sites such as MDLive.com offer physician “visits” for around $50, sometime less. MDLive also offers behavioral services, with immediate access to therapists and mental health professionals. The National Association of Independent Truckers also offers a telemedicine service catered to its leased owner-operator members. While these services shouldn’t be used for your overall health care, it’s nice to know you can get a quick consultation without having to shut down somewhere accessible to a doctor’s office.
Finding a pharmacy may be another hurdle, but at least you could arrange for medications at a convenient exit.
Keep up with tax-deductible expenses. Many medical-related items are tax-deductible, including doctor and dentist fees, false teeth, prescription eyeglasses, laser eye surgery, hearing aids and crutches. Such expenditures are deductible only in excess of 10% of the taxpayer’s adjusted gross income.
Unless you have a lot of expenses, it is difficult to gain a real advantage in medical expense deductions. And don’t create headaches for your tax preparer by mixing in receipts for drugs or medical services for which you’ve already been reimbursed through your insurer. Check with your tax preparer for details, or visit www.irs.gov/taxtopics and go to topic 502 for more details.
[Related: Health insurance for owner-operators: Covering personal risks is a cost of doing business]
Build the business base and core routines for the long haul
Wrestling with that central tension of the reality of trucking, the pressure to run miles versus the need to lead a fulfilling, healthy life, can be very difficult for a new owner-operator. The best recognize early in their careers the need for work/life balance to benefit not only their own health and long-term stability, but that of their families back home.
Many longtime owners note that a focus on home life doesn’t have to be the enemy of trucking life OTR. A past Overdrive Small Fleet Champ-winning owner noted he routinely found that truck operators employed at his company who have solid relationships at home tend to be the best among his core group. Others point out that home and the road can be powerful allies if you do the hard work to “own your backyard” as a small business owner-operator. Improve home time prospects by putting in effort to secure direct freight out of your region. It will keep you from doomscrolling, so to speak, all those brokered-load posts of cheap freight, too.
When it comes to basic health, then, the more you keep your body in shape, too, the less downtime you’ll experience, and the less you’ll spend getting yourself fixed.
These best practices will, over time, help prevent you from spinning your wheels in the doctor’s waiting room instead of keeping them turning on the road.
Get regular exercise. You can do some things in your cab, such as sit-ups, jumping jacks and stretches. Walk -- or jog, if you can -- around the truck stop lot. You also can carry workout equipment in the cab with you, such as a mini stepper or other equipment.
Eat healthy as much as possible. Stay away from the fast food and grease common in truck stop diners and on fast-food menus. While an occasional moderate indulgence is OK, try to mix in more low-fat meals – heavy on salads, vegetables and fruits.
Drink more water. Too many people reach for a Mountain Dew when they become dehydrated. But soft drinks, as well as beer and other alcoholic beverages, can dehydrate you further. Instead, reach for a large glass of water.
Shun tobacco products. They’re life-threatening.
The sooner you quit, the better.
Don’t be a substance abuser. Trucking is a hard job, but if you’re relying on heavy drinking to “unwind,” you’re kidding yourself. The same goes for using illegal drugs or abusing prescription medication.
Get an annual physical. Your U.S. Department of Transportation-mandated physical is not the equivalent of an annual physical from a doctor. It’s critical to be checked out thoroughly every year.
You should be screened for sleep apnea, eye disease, excess cholesterol, high blood pressure and colorectal, prostate or skin cancers.
[Related: 2025 Overdrive Trucker of the Year's prescription for taking care of yourself with diet, exercise, building in-cab workouts]
Ensure your records are accessible. If you get sick on the road, call your family physician or dentist to have medical files and X-rays forwarded to an on-the-road clinic. Several companies offer services that store your medical information on USB jump drives or scrolls that can be carried on a keychain.
MedicAlert and American Medical ID offer medical jewelry to be worn as a necklace or bracelet for those with severe conditions, such as an allergy to penicillin.
Protect yourself from the sun. Truck drivers are susceptible to harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun on the left side of the body due to rays coming in through the window. Use sunscreen on exposed skin while driving to help reduce this risk.
Avoid paying by credit card. Unless you’re paying off your entire balance every month and know that you can do the same with additional medical costs, stay away from credit. If your account charges 18% to 20%, even a $2,000 bill that takes months to pay could cost hundreds of dollars more before you’re done. Pay in cash, use savings, or set up a payment plan with the provider’s office.
Don’t forget your teeth. Brush and floss regularly. Lay off artificial sweeteners and sodas. Small dental problems can grow into major health problems in time.
Know your body’s limits. Don’t hurt yourself with a pulled muscle, joint or other injury by lifting or reaching for an item that is out of your range. This rule applies not only to securing a flatbed load or wrestling cargo out of your van but also to home projects such as climbing ladders.
Know your medical history. If one side of the family has heart problems, pay careful attention to the way you treat your heart. Also attend to family histories of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, allergies, and other ailments.
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