
Love’s travel stop in Florida won’t allow truck parking during bike week.
The Love’s travel stop in Ormond Beach of I-95 will not allow trucks to park from March 10–19 due to the increased traffic resulting from Bike Week. In the past, local law enforcement officials say there have been up to three miles of backups on I-1 and 1-95 near the Love’s location because of the event. Trucks will still be allowed to fuel up at the location.
There are over 7,000 locations for parking in the Trucker Path app. Be sure to plan ahead to find locations with available truck parking nearby. Search for TA & Petro, Pilot & Flying J, independent truck stops and Walmarts that allow overnight truck parking.

“In the past when we attempted to impose 30-minute parking limits for trucks, it was difficult to enforce. The increased traffic volumes for truckers waiting to fuel – combined with the significant influx of cars, trucks and bikes during that week – caused traffic jams to the point that State Police had to close the exit. Love’s wants to provide the necessary fueling for our professional truck driver Customers, but to ensure that is still available, we need to keep the trucks moving in and out at that exit.”
Love’s Location: 1657 US Hwy 1, Ormond Beach, FL 32174.




Industry Update - May 19, 2020 <h4>By Aldous Aldwin</h4>
<h3></h3>
<h3></h3>
<img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/05/b1.jpeg" alt="Truck Stops" />
<h3><strong>Truck Stops to Remain Open</strong></h3>
As the nation endures the Covid-19 pandemic, <a href="https://www.ttnews.com/articles/truck-stops-remain-open-pandemic-despite-hit-bottom-line">truck stops have been working to ensure that drivers have a helping hand</a>. Some truck stops like Iowa 80 have enforced measures to limit the Covid-19 spread while keeping the showers and restrooms open. Loves installed plexiglass at all its stores, restaurants, and truck registers. Petro has remained open and has packaged their convenience store foods in a way that prioritizes customer safety.
<h2></h2>
<img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/05/b2.jpeg" alt="FMCSA" />
<h3><strong>FMCSA HOS Rule Updates</strong></h3>
The <a href="https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/regulations/hours-service/hours-service-drivers-final-rule">Final Rule</a> features four key changes to existing Hours of Service requirements.
<ul>
<li>The Agency will increase safety and flexibility for the 30-minute break rule by requiring a break after 8 hours of consecutive driving and allowing the break to be satisfied by a driver using on-duty, not driving status, rather than off-duty status.</li>
<li>The Agency will modify the sleeper-berth exception to allow drivers to split their required 10 hours off duty into two periods: an 8/2 split, or a 7/3 split—with neither period counting against the driver’s 14‑hour driving window.</li>
<li>The Agency will modify the adverse driving conditions exception by extending by two hours the maximum window during which driving is permitted.</li>
<li>The Agency will change the short-haul exception available to certain commercial drivers by lengthening the drivers’ maximum on‑duty period from 12 to 14 hours and extending the distance limit within which the driver may operate from 100 air miles to 150 air miles.</li>
</ul>
<h3></h3>
<img src="https://truckerpath.com/uploads/2020/05/b3.jpeg" alt="Jobs" />
<h3><strong>More than 80,000 Jobs Lost Last April</strong></h3>
According to the<a href="https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.t17.htm"> Bureau of Labor Statistics</a>, 88,300 jobs were lost in the trucking industry, a 6.2% year-over-year decline, as the entire economy continues to suffer due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is estimated that around 60% of the jobs mentioned are drivers.
Truck Driver Weight Loss
[p]Being a truck driver can make weight loss difficult. Sitting in a truck all day and night is not conducive to an active lifestyle. But there is hope that truck driver weight loss can be obtained. Just ask the Dancing Trucker.[/p]
[h2]Truck Driver's Weight Loss Journey[/h2]
[p]We reach for that second piece of pie staring back at us in all its sweet glory. It's a regrettable decision almost immediately. That feeling of overeating strikes and we are reduced to a food-induced coma. Fear not, there are ways you can stay active to improve your overall health and fitness lke the dancing truck driver “Big” John Drury.[/p]
[p]Towering at 6 feet 7 inches tall, “[a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW0wnyHMIwmM-frmCjAvQw"]Big John[/a]” has spent 14 years as a truck driver and is probably the last person you would expect to be a dance instructor.[/p]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/91fEJqgdsnu4E" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[p]You heard that correctly, a larger than life truck driver with a passion for dance that aided in his weight loss as a truck driver.[/p]
[p]In 2007, John weighed 386 pounds and was not pleased with his overall health and fitness. John's decision to lose weight came after his cousin lost his battle with cancer at 37, the same age as John.[/p]
[p]“We all love food but we can't keep carrying extra weight especially with our lifestyle, sitting in a truck all day,” John said. “My cousin passing away was the first time I got serious about losing weight and seeing his young children at his funeral really hit home and was such a sad thing to see.”[/p]
[h2]Reality Check Sparks Truck Drivers Weight Loss[/h2]
[p]Motivated by the tragedy, John began his journey to a slimmer frame by walking on a treadmill daily to drop the extra weight he held. His hard work caused him to lose 50 pounds but soon, he gained it all back.[/p]
[p]Four years passed and [a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuW0wnyHMIwmM-frmCjAvQw"]Big John[/a] was determined to get back in shape. He discovered dancing as a way to lose weight in 2011.[/p]
[p]“I found Zumba dance fitness at a local gym and it really worked for me,” John said. “I love music, I grew up with it and I'm a big fan of dance. It's just a big part of who I am regardless of my gender or being a truck driver. I grew up in poverty and dancing kept me out of trouble.”[/p]
[p]Truck drivers often receive negative stereotypes for being overly tough and unfriendly but with Big John, that couldn't be more incorrect.[/p]
[p]“The only downfall at first was that Zumba classes were 100 percent women, I was the only guy and not just any guy, but a tall, intimidating guy," John said. "It took a lot for me to stay in that Zumba room but in the long run it all worked out.”[/p]
[p]Did it ever. After a year, Big John transcended to a modest-sized John, losing nearly 100 pounds and reaching his goal of weighing under 300 pounds thanks to his newfound love for Zumba dance fitness.[/p]
[quote]“The motto that I live by is, start to feel comfortable being uncomfortable,” John said. “That is when we grow as individuals when we push ourselves and that is part of what I do to help others now.”[/quote]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/GoOk4HOs21CbC" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[h2]Tragedy Strikes Again[/h2]
[p]Just as things seemed to fall into place, disaster struck John's family yet again. In April 2015, John's dear mother Sandy lost her life because of a reckless drunk driver. The shock and loss of his mother weighed heavy on John, causing him to slip back into an unhealthy state.[/p]
[p]“It rocked my world, I guess God just wanted her home with him,” said John about his mother. “She was always in Weight Watchers and at the time of her death she was committed to losing weight and walking every day.”[/p]
[p]It wasn't long before he was back to the [a href="https://twitter.com/BigJohnsTruckin"]Big John[/a] of the past, gaining most of the 100 pounds he lost just a few years prior.[/p]
[p]Time went on and John was able to refocus his efforts on weight loss and used dance to propel him. He started Big John's Dance Fitness, sharing his dance routines with others in the hope of inspiring them to change their unhealthy ways.[/p]
[p]“In the long run we are empowered by the weight loss, empowered by believing in ourselves again and the weight loss can go a long way because it affects your whole life,” John said.[/p]
[h2]Family is Everything for a Truck Driver[/h2]
[p]Currently, Big John is halfway to his goal of getting back under 300 pounds and continues to help enable others to be more active and make their health and fitness a priority.[/p]
[p]“The most important thing is those around us; my wife and my two kids, they participate in some of my dance fitness classes and if I love myself I'm going to love those around me that much more,” said Big John.[/p]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/s6yGJEnadD5sc" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[p]John wants his fellow [a href="http://fb.me/truckerpath"]drivers[/a] to know that the best way to start losing weight is to take baby steps.[/p]
[p]“We have to get the excuses out of our head that we don't have the time or are too busy as truck drivers on the road. I know better now," John said. “There’s nothing more empowering than losing weight.”[/p]
7 Tips on Healthy Eating For Truck Drivers [h2] Healthy Eating for Truck Drivers [/h2]
[p]It's never too late to rediscover healthy eating habits especially healthy eating for truck drivers. Here are seven tips to help promote better nutrition and healthy eating for truck drivers.[/p]
[p]Sure, it's easy to swing by a [a href="https://app.appsflyer.com/com.sixdays.truckerpath?pid=Social Facebook"]truck stop near you[/a] and grab a few cheese-smothered chili dogs, but that offers no nutritional benefits to healthy eating for truck drivers. The goal should be to create healthy habits and make it a lifestyle. These habits should be deeper than just what you eat, but also when you eat and how your shop for your food.[/p]
[h2]1. How Often Should I Eat?[/h2]
[p]Before we talk about shopping and cooking we should talk about something extremely important: eating. Our society and the trucking industry has been organized around the idea that people should only eat about 3 times a day. For healthy eating for truck drivers, this is not necessarily the best choice. [/p]
[p]While this might be more efficient in terms of consuming maximum calories in minimum time and getting back on the road, it is not always the best plan for your health. Instead, aim for around five smaller meals each day. This might seem crazy but it is necessary to metabolize food more efficiently.[/p]
[h2]2. How Our Body Processes Food[/h2]
[p]Your body is designed to absorb calories, use them for energy and then burn them off. In order for your body to make use of the food, what you eat has to be broken down into a form of sugar called glucose. This is a natural process and for most, the human body does this quite well. You have probably heard people talking about their “blood sugar level”, and what they are referring to is the amount of glucose in their blood.[/p]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/kVVEP6SmfEXvy" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[h2]3. Why Should I Care About My Blood Sugar Levels?[/h2]
[p]Your body has a normal range for the amount of [a href="https://thehungryhauler.com/"]glucose in your blood[/a] (between 4.0 and 11.0) and it has a beautiful system for managing that level. Hormones like insulin keep your blood sugar from getting too high and becoming toxic, and another awesome compound, glucagon keeps your sugar from getting too low and making you pass out. It is something like a highway with really good guard rails that keep a truck from running off the road.[/p]
[p]The only problem is that it is possible to overwhelm this excellent system and cause a wreck. Actually, many people are overwhelming it every day and causing small “fender benders” that lead to a total cataclysm later in life called diabetes.[/p]
[p]So why does this make eating only three times per day (or fewer) a bad idea? Because you can end up constantly overwhelming the system with extreme blood sugar highs and lows. If you wait to eat until you are extremely hungry and have very low blood sugar, your body will send the signal that you are starving, and when you do eat it is often much easier to overeat unhealthy and convenient food. Healthy eating for truck drivers requires you to eat when you're hungry and avoid a severe dip in blood sugar.[/p]
[h2]4. How Much Should I Be Eating?[/h2]
[p]Some people conclude that the solution is to simply eat drastically less overall and there is a grain of truth to this. While dramatically reducing your caloric intake does cause the body to burn stored fat to stay alive, it can signal your body to store everything you do eat, which results in rebound weight gain when you do return to a more normal diet. Starving yourself is not the answer.[/p]
[p]Thankfully there is a much better way. Simply, eat a reasonable amount of food more often. Eating five or six smaller and healthier meals per day is like steering down the middle of your lane instead of bouncing your truck off the guard rails all day. This practice will help you feel more content and stop your body from deciding to store fat for hibernation. Of course, if you eat more often and end up eating more food overall you will still have trouble being healthy. The objective is to eat an appropriate amount of food, in a more sustainable way. Typically, 2,000–2,500 daily calories are suggested; however, consulting a healthcare professional is the best way to understand what an appropriate daily caloric intake means for your individual health needs.[/p]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/xtgZt3jZelFqU" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[h2]5. What Are the Benefits to Eating More Often?[/h2]
[p]There is also an enormous safety benefit to eating more often and avoiding the blood sugar spikes: you are less likely to feel drowsy at the wheel. Most people have experienced the after dinner slump that makes it all but impossible to keep your eyes open after a big meal. That might be fine after Christmas dinner when you are lounging on the couch at home, but at work, behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound-plus rig, it can be a disaster.[/p]
[h2]6. How Do I Plan My Meals?[/h2]
[p]You might be wondering: how on earth is it possible to eat five or more meals per day? Who has the time to stop for food that often? There is a way to make your diet much simpler, more healthy, easier to sustain over the long term, and much less expensive! The key is to learn to shop for your own food and cook for yourself on the road. It is much easier than it may sound, and the rewards for your health and happiness are amazing! It will even allow you to have more freedom to implement your doctor's specific recommendations.[/p]
[h2]7. Eat What You Want. Sort of[/h2]
[p]Anyone who has dealt with eating healthier has heard the term portion control. Controlling what, how much, how often you eat and making sensible, sustainable choices is the path to solving many of the health risks of the trucking lifestyle. To eat healthier you don't have to give up all of your favorite foods and consume a spinach and carrot based diet like a rabbit. Instead of going to the extreme, eating a balanced diet will keep you “between the lines” and on the road to better health. Extremes are by nature quite unsustainable and will not help you. Just like over-steering on the highway to avoid a crash can actually end up killing you, bouncing from one diet extreme to another, like chili-dogs to rabbit food, will just leave your lifestyle in a bewildering wreck.[/p]
[giphy]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/n2v0V9cSmTQnS" width="480" height="269" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe>[/giphy]
[p]The cornerstone of a healthy life is healthy eating for truck drivers. Eating healthy is difficult for truck drivers who are on the road for weeks at a time. Most trucks aren’t designed with a fully equipped kitchen or proper food storage. Even if you can manage to find space for some cooking gear, it is often difficult to consistently find time in a busy schedule to prepare a good meal. We all want to be around long enough to enjoy time with our families and loved ones. The best way to ensure this is to focus on eating healthier as a truck driver.[/p]
[p]By: [a href="https://thehungryhauler.com/"]John Heslop[/a][/p]