The field of transportation has changed drastically in just the past few decades. The ability to transport items from one country to another is easier now than it has ever been before. Interestingly, when it comes to transporting materials by land, although the tools used have changed, many of the methods remain the same.
For decades, over the road truckers have been the heart of the over the road transportation field. They are the ones who carry food, supplies, and livestock from one part of the country to another. If all of the truckers in the United States went on strike, the country as it is currently known would basically stop. Truckers are literally the lifeblood of the United States.
When people think about the work that truckers do, they may be surprised to learn that it can take a heavy toll on the trucker’s body. One could think that sitting all day is just relaxing. They could think that sitting all day does not do anything negative to the body. However, just the opposite is true.
The human body was not necessarily designed to sit for extended periods of time. As a result, sitting for eight or nine hours a day can have a detrimental effect on a person’s spine. Additionally, the inactivity associated with trucking can cause a person to put on extra weight, which in turn leads to a whole host of health problems.
This is one of the reasons why the Department of Transportation is keenly interested in helping truckers stay as healthy as possible. Doctors who have earned the DOT medical examiner’s certificate are tasked with the job of periodically reviewing the health of over the road truckers. The goal is to keep them healthy, while at the same time keeping the roads safe.
One does not even want to imagine the impact that a driver of an 18 wheeler driving asleep behind the wheel could have. One does not want to imagine what would take place if one of these drivers suffered a stroke or heart attack and lost control of their vehicle. For this reason, the DOT is taking positive steps to see to it that truckers are safe, materials are transported in a safe way, and as a result, the public as a whole is safe.
