It is always good when a given activity benefits you in multiple ways. We know, as a general rule, truck drivers don’t get enough exercise because they spend many hours behind the wheel. Lack of exercise can lead to many problems, including weak muscle tone, bad knees, diabetes, heart attacks, etc...

Seemingly unrelated is that there are a lot of nails, bolt seals, and other debris lying around at shipping and receiving facilities that can easily puncture a tire.  A punctured tire causes unnecessary delays, increased costs, and can stop a driver’s revenue-making opportunities rather abruptly, not to mention, truck tires are expensive!

But there is a single solution to both! 

I do something that I call the perfect exercise for truckers, and I have dubbed it for this very reason, “Truckercise”. During the time spent at a shipping and receiving facility or even a travel center, I like to get out and walk, which is good for circulation in my legs after a long drive.  While walking around, I bend over and pick up bolt seals, nails, boards with nails and other debris which could very easily damage or destroy a semi-truck tire or one of the tires on my trailer or anyone else’s.

Benefits to the Driver are:

  • Exercise from walking
  • Stretching from bending over to pick up debris
  • The flat tire they save might be their own

Benefits to the Customer are:

  • A cleaner yard. After all, they are most likely not the ones who left the debris on the ground to begin with.

This activity can be contagious and I have often had other drivers join me as I walk around the yard picking up tire hazards, which has proven to be a good social time. So join me and engage in  “Truckercise.” It is good for the body and good for your truck as well as others.

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Henry Albert

Henry Albert is the owner of Albert Transport, Inc., based in Statesville, NC. Before participating in the "Slice of Life" program, Albert drove a 2001 Freightliner Century Class S/Tâ„¢, and will use his Cascadia for general freight and a dry van trailer. Albert, who has been a trucker since 1983, was recognized by Overdrive as its 2007 Trucker of the Year.

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