Could this work?

leannamarie · Dec 31, 2008

healthadvocate said: ↑

I do find it interesting (and invite opinions of why you think this may be the case), but when interviewing truckers in person, I get an entirely different response than I received via this forum on line. Most truckers I spoke with (face to face) felt that if there was such an amenity available (at a low cost) they would be inclined to take advantage of it...
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People are more inclined to answer in a way that makes them appear better or more positive when it is a face to face interview. An anonymous interview is far more likely to provide you with honest answers.

RickG · Dec 31, 2008

healthadvocate said: ↑

Good morning truckers,

I am the wife of an OTR trucker and I have watched for several years as my husband's health has deteriorated due to lack of exercise, tobacco addiction and poor diet. He is on the road sometimes months at a time. I am a bit of a fitness junkie and each time he comes home, I work with him teaching him exercises he could perform inside or around his truck, how to use tension bands and some fairly light hand weights. I talk to him about diet but it seems that options for him given the limited parking, etc., are very slim and what is available is a choice between not very healthy and really unhealthy. I cook meals that can be frozen but generally he can only carry about a week's supply. He has a problem with motivation and would rather go to the TV room and be entertained, or sit at the counter and talk to other drivers.

I am going to participate in a health care forum at the end of the month. At this forum we will discuss health care issues to present to the new Obama administration. It is a grass roots attempt to brainstorm and offer suggestions. I want to present some ideas I have about trucker fitness. I have a proposal in mind, based on my limited knowledge of what it is like on the road and I wanted to bounce it off the people it would effect most; truckers, if any of my idea were to be adopted, and see if you think it is something that truckers would use or, or if it is not a reasonable amenity that they would be inclined to take advantage of, were it available.

My proposal would involve tax credits and/or expense deductions for usage of small fitness rooms located at truck stops around the country. Also, tax incentives for offering more choices of healthy foods. The salad bar is ok, but it is full of deceptively unhealthy food items. I'd like to see a more focused effort to offer more choices.

For the driver - (1) a tax credit (the biggest bang for the buck) for every dollar spent in a low cost fitness room (low cost i.e. $2.00 a day). (2) A deduction off of reported income for measurable weight loss from one DOT physical to the next. (3) some kind of financial incentive for smoking cessation. I'd have to figure out how to measure that.

For the truck stop - (1) grants from the government to furnish fitness rooms with a treadmill or two, an eliptical, maybe an exercise bike, a weight machine. (2) income generated from fitness rooms would be tax free. Truck stops would have to provide the room to house the equipment and the maintenance of the equipment. A provision of this benefit would be that admission to the fitness room would HAVE to be low cost. (3) a tax break for offering some healthy (truly healthy) options on their menus.

For the trucking companies (1) some type of tax benefit for successful encouragement (measured by reported driver participation. i.e., driver might submit copies of receipts for fitness room usage that the companies could use to compile data) of use of fitness facilities at truck stops. This might be in the form of periodic bonus checks (some companies offer small bonuses for sustained safety records. Something along those lines). (2) same as above for successfully encouraging smoking cessation or measureable weight loss. Maybe a point system of all of these goals as achieved. Higher points would result in bigger tax incentives.

For the government (i.e. the nation as a whole) -(1) lower health care cost associated with improved health of a segment of the population. (2) safer highways resulting from drivers who are in better health. (3) retainage of more experienced drivers who previously were forced off the highway by progressively deteriorating health.

I would really like some feedback from you. If you think I am barking up the wrong tree, please tell me. If you think it is something you would take advantage of, I would love to hear your thoughts on it. We meet on the 29th, and it is by invitation of the Obama team, and they DO have a massive stimulus package they are going to unveil, so I think this might be a window of opportunity that might otherwise have been a pipe dream.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.
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You might find this interesting . http://www.usbusiness-review.com/content/view/834/81/ . I doubt truckstops would have space available for franchises but interested drivers could inquire whether any franchises had nearby truck parking available .

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