
The trucking industry is the lifeblood of America’s economy. In fact, nearly every good consumed in the U.S. is put on a truck at some point. We’ve compiled some trucking stats and facts on the infographic below.





Industry Voice - The Trucking Fitness Company <em>Trucker Path gets up close with The Trucking Fitness Company, whose mission is to help truck drivers exercise consistently while on the road so they stay behind the wheel longer and retire on their own terms. We're honored to talk to their Founder, Mark Manera and discuss what The Trucking Fitness Company is all about.</em>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-3.jpg" alt=""]
<h3><strong>TP: Tell us a short story about you.</strong></h3>
I was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and have been passionate about health and wellness my whole life. I grew up playing baseball and started doing Crossfit once my baseball career ended. Crossfit really ignited my passion for health and wellness. Which also inspired me to go to Physical Therapy school.
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A little trivia: my favorite TV shows are Shark Tank, The Bachelor, and Survivor.
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<h3><strong>TP: What made you decide to get into health/fitness and specifically for the trucking industry?
</strong></h3>
In my 5th year of Physical Therapy school, I had a clinical rotation in a small town in southern Missouri. Through that experience, I worked with a lot of truck drivers in the clinic. I saw the good and the bad of the trucking industry. And a lot of the bad aspects of the industry came from the reason why they were in the clinic in the first place, their health. After experiencing that and having a lot of long conversations with those patients who were truck drivers, I was inspired to start The Trucking Fitness Company. I wanted to give drivers everywhere a chance to fight back. Give them a chance to live a healthier life on the road.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/mark-manera-truckinfit2.png" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: Ever tried driving a truck? </strong></h3>
I have not driven a truck before and I don’t have my CDL, but I’ve spent plenty of time in a truck. I’m very open to the fact that I’m not a truck driver, but I think there are a lot of advantages to that. I have spent countless hours talking to drivers. I’ve listened to their stories, their struggles, and have asked them for a lot of feedback on our program and how we can make it easier for them to do while on the road. I have taken all of that information and combined it with my background of physical therapy/health and wellness to create something really special for the trucking industry.
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<h3><strong>TP: What are the common habits that a truck driver should change?</strong></h3>
I think there’s a mindset problem for a lot of truck drivers. And I don’t think it’s their fault
for having this mindset, but moreso a cultural problem within the trucking industry. A lot
of drivers don’t make their health a priority because they think it’s impossible to live a
healthy life on the road. It’s become so much of a norm in the truck industry that poor
health seems to be a part of the job description. And I’m here to change that.
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Truck drivers need to do two things:
<li> Take action. Just find a way to get started. You don’t have to have a perfect
plan, you just need to take the first couple of steps in the right direction. You’ll
figure out the rest of the plan as time goes on.</li>
<li>They need a support system. Life on the road is lonely at times. And when
you’re on your own, you need to find ways to create accountability in your life.
One example of this is having a deep conversation with a close friend or
significant other about your struggles and the reasons why you want to make a
change in your life. Then they can help you stick with those changes and stay
consistent during the tough times!</li>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-2.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: Tell us something about The Trucking Fitness Company. How did it start?
</strong></h3>
The Trucking Fitness Company was born out of the experiences I had while working with truck drivers in a physical therapy clinic. I saw the struggles they go through and the lack of support they have with their health while on the road. So, I decided to do something about it. We are the best health and wellness solution out there for truck drivers. And we take a lot of pride in the fact that our program was built for truck drivers. No one else.
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Our goal is to meet you, a truck driver, where you’re at and give you the easiest starting point possible. We want to take away as many barriers that have stopped you from starting in the past as we can. We’re going to make it easy for you to lose that 30lbs, get more energy to play with your kids, and fight back so you can retire on your own terms. We do that through our easy to use app directly on your phone that gives you a daily 20-30 minute workout that you can do in or just outside of your truck with no gym or fancy workout equipment needed. We give all our members a free resistance band and that’s the only piece of equipment you’ll need! Also through our app, we help drivers build healthier lifestyle and nutrition habits while helping you stay consistent with daily messages, 24/7 access to a coach, and putting you into accountability groups with other like minded drivers.
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<h3><strong>TP: What do you think are the obstacles/barriers of truckers into getting a proper fitness routine?
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There are a ton of obstacles that drivers face while on the road:
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<li>Being behind the wheel 8-11 hours a day</li>
<li>Limited food options</li>
<li>Lack of a community</li>
<li>Poor sleep while in their truck</li>
<li>No access to a gym or help on how to get started</li>
<li>The stigma within the trucking industry that truck drivers can’t be healthy</li>
<li>Lack of confidence in their health</li>
<li>Feel down/depressed about where their health and wellness is currently at</li>
<li>Feeling like they can’t do anything about it</li>
<li>Anxious about the future and how long they are able to work for/how long their career will be</li>
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Medical/health problems
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<li>Life expectancy of truck drivers is 16 years less than the average population</li>
<li>85% are overweight</li>
<li>48% are obese</li>
<li>2x higher risk of becoming obese compared to the average adults</li>
<li>1 in every 7 has Type 2 Diabetes</li>
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<h3><strong>TP: What are the benefits of your program for truck drivers? Is there an age limit?</strong></h3>
Our program gives truck drivers the chance to take back control of their health. We have a wide variety of drivers in our program from new truckers who don’t want their health to go down the same path they see other’s at the truck stops have gone down to 40 year vets who want to retire on their own terms. There’s no age limit to our program. We have a program for all fitness levels and want to help!
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/202103-BLOG-TP-IndustryVoice-TheTruckingFitnessCompany-4.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: What are some notable breakthroughs or improvements from Truckers that subscribed to
your program?
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We have had some awesome transformations throughout our time working with drivers. My favorite stories are the ones where I can tell they’re in it for the long haul. The most recent story I can think of is one of our drivers, who for a while was struggling to make it stick and dealing with some family/job problems. She made the commitment to make a
change in her life, started doing our workouts daily and lost 9lbs in the first two weeks. I’m not sure how much weight she has lost in total by now, but I can tell you that I see her posting her workout almost everyday. Something has clicked for her and this is going to be a lifelong change!
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<h3><strong>TP: What are some quick fitness tips that you would like to share for truckers?</strong></h3>
There’s no perfect plan. Instead of spending so much time planning up this perfect routine, put your shoes on and get moving. Just like driving, you don’t get very far with your health and fitness goals without actually moving. So, if you feel like you’re at a loss with exactly what to do, find a coach or program like ours that you can follow. If you
have an activity that you enjoy and can consistently do while on the road, like go for a walk, do that!
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2021/03/mark-manera-truckinfit.png" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>TP: How can truckers subscribe to your fitness program?
</strong></h3>
Our goal is to make it as easy for truck drivers to start exercising as possible! You can get set up and start your first workout in less than 5 minutes by visiting this <a href="https://truckinfit.com/ourprogram/">LINK.</a>
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And because we love all the people at Trucker Path so much, if you use the code <strong>“TRUCKERPATH”</strong> at the checkout, we will give you 20% off your first month!
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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Misconceptions of Truck Drivers
[p]The misconceptions you hear from 4-wheelers [a href="https://app.appsflyer.com/com.sixdays.truckerpath?pid=Social Facebook"]about truck drivers[/a] can be laughable and frankly, absurd. At Trucker Path, we like to refer to these misconceptions of truck drivers as “Tales of an Uninformed 4-Wheeler”. Some are so crazy that all you can do is laugh at them.[/p]
[h2]Tales of an Uninformed 4-Wheeler – Volume 1[/h2]
[p]Sometimes 4-wheelers just don't understand what it's like being a truck driver. Trucking requires learning an all new set of laws, regulations and the skill to drive an enormous big rig in some of the tightest spaces. It's unlike any other career.[/p]
[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/01/McD-Pay-me.jpg" alt=""]
[p][b]Why do trucks pass each other on the highway?[/b][/p]
[p]You hear this all the time. A 4-wheeler gets stuck behind a truck for a few seconds while the truck driver passes another big rig. There are several factors that play into this. It's partly because some trucks are governed at a certain speed (some 60 mph) and some are governed at a higher mph or not at all. Also, some trucks carry much heavier loads than others. An incline in the road can also factor into this occurrence as some trucks hauling cargo uphill struggle to even go 50 mph. Due to this, some truck drivers have no choice but to pass a slower or heavier truck but at times, can only go a certain speed to pass.[/p]
[p]Now the Department of Transportation has proposed a speed limiter for all commercial trucks weighing over 26,000 pounds. If the proposed truck speed limiters mandate passes, you will see a dramatic increase in this “inconvenient truck passing”.[/p]
[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/01/Speed-limiters-traffic.jpg" alt=""]
[p]Then there are some 4-wheelers who think trucks are an inconvenience on the road altogether. Not only do truck drivers deliver 80 percent of all cargo in America, but they are used for disaster relief and various other tasks to make life easier for 4-wheelers.[/p]
[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/01/snow-plow-2.jpg" alt=""]
[p]Or the ones who think driving a truck is a simple job because all truck drivers have to do is sit in a chair.[/p]
[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/01/I-have-skills-TAKEN.jpg" alt=""]
[p]Did we forget to mention that [a href="https://truckerpath.com/blog/trucks-delivering-cargo-in-the-usa/"]driving a truck is the deadliest job in America[/a]. In 2015, there were 745 truck driver fatalities, more than any other.[/p]
[p]<iframe style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/video.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FTruckerPath%2Fvideos%2F1045972602215688%2F&show_text=1&width=560" width="560" height="463" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>[/p]
[p]It's time we debunk the myths about truck drivers. Don't like trucks? Better rethink that one. Without truck drivers, shelves would be full of dust within a few days.[/p]
[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2017/01/Thank-a-Trucker-hotdogs.jpg" alt=""]
Trucker Spotlight - Chris Lee <em>The Trucker Spotlight series explores the lives of truckers and their journey to make a difference in their industry. We interview different truck drivers to understand some life lessons that make them who they are today. We also learn more about their motivations, and the problems that they encounter on the job. We also tackle how Trucker Path's solutions helped them with what they do. The information that they provide helps inform other people who are looking to delve into the trucking world.</em>
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-chris_lee-blog-1.jpg" alt=""]
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Today we are putting the spotlight on <strong>Chris Lee</strong>, who's been driving for around 3 years now. He's originally from Michigan, but has been in Texas for so long that he considers himself a Texan already. He's been married for two years and has a 10 year-old son. He decided to live his life on a vegan/plant-based diet due to trucking. Let's get to more about Chris and how trucking changed his life.
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to be a trucker?</strong></h3>
I became a trucker because it had been something I had wanted to do years before I took the leap. I had been deterred and so I started a moving company. After doing that for a couple of years my wife then girlfriend at the time brought it up and I couldn't say no to the opportunity a second time.
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<h3><strong>In the years that you have been driving, what are the significant changes that you've
noticed in the trucking industry?</strong></h3>
In the short amount of time that I have been in the trucking industry, I've seen electronic logs come and paper logs go, I have also seen two major changes to the hours of service.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-chris_lee-blog-2.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>What made you decide to put up your Youtube channel?</strong></h3>
I had also wanted to make Youtube videos for a while. I would make content about moving and I just wasn't confident enough nor did I understand how to upload videos onto the internet. When I got into trucking I wanted to put out information that I didn't have that I thought would help others looking to get into the industry.
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<h3><strong>Any times when you get lonely while driving? How do you deal with it?</strong></h3>
When I drove OTR, it definitely got lonely so having people to talk to back at home really helped out a lot. Being able to have a support group via Youtube also keeps me from feeling like I'm out here by myself.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-chris_lee-blog-3.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>As a trucker, what are the current struggles in this COVID19 pandemic?</strong></h3>
The pandemic hasn't really affected my day to day operations. Shippers now require a covid form to be filled out for drivers entering their facility and may also take out temperature but that is about it.
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<h3><strong>What are your usual routes? Favorite scenic truck route?</strong></h3>
I'm currently on a flatbed dedicated route so my sights are pretty routine, but when I was OTR my favorite places to drive were Nevada and Utah.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-chris_lee-blog-5.jpg" alt=""]
<h3><strong>What was your weirdest or most unusual haul?</strong></h3>
Once I was hauling a load of livers and was asked at the receiver if I ate them. I told her no and she then asked why would I have them in my truck then.
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<h3><strong>How often do you use rest stops / truck stops? What are the things that you look for in a truck stop? Favorite truck stop meal?</strong></h3>
I use rest stops and truck stops 99 percent of the time unless I can stay at a shipper or receiver overnight. When looking for a truck stop, I often check how many spots they may have, if they have showers, and the type of food they serve. I normally bring my own food from home to eat in the truck, but if I had to choose, I would say Indian food. I've been to a couple truck stops that serve that type of food while driving OTR.
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<h3><strong>What are the common troubles or problems you encounter while trucking?</strong></h3>
The most common troubles or problems I encounter out on the road are other drivers, mostly the smaller vehicles cutting in front of big trucks.
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<h3><strong>What are your pet peeves while driving/trucking?</strong></h3>
My biggest pet peeve about trucking is not having a shower or restroom in the truck. That would save me lots of time.
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[img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/10/ts-chris_lee-blog-4.jpg" alt=""]
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<h3><strong>We're glad that you use the Trucker Path app on your day to day trucking. What features do you enjoy the most?</strong></h3>
My favorite features to use on <a href="http://www.truckerpath.com">Trucker Path</a> are the fuel price feature, knowing how far each rest stop/truck stop are from my location, knowing if weigh stations are open or closed, being able to route my trip in the app. Honestly there are so many things to like about the app because it's catered to truckers and I definitely appreciate that.
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<h3><strong>What are some tips that you would like to share for aspiring truckers?</strong></h3>
Always do your pre-trip before getting on the road is tip number one! Another tip I would share is to learn how to save and invest your money so that your future self can appreciate your hard work.
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<h3><strong>Where can people watch your videos on Youtube?</strong></h3>
They can view my videos on my <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTuG9to9JYyvOc789furUKw">Youtube Channel, ChrisLeeTV</a>.
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sgi5-ZiBpB8" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Hope you guys enjoy!
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<h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
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