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Once again, occupational issues relating to health have been discussed in the media recently. What, if any, are the issues for professional drivers and transport contract jobs? A fallacy If you read today’s newspapers or watch the TV, you could be forgiven for thinking that the link between lifestyle and health was only discovered in the late twentieth century. That, of course, is rubbish. You only have to look at those grainy old black and white newsreels of the 1930s showing mass fields of people exercising with hula-hoops and Indian clubs to realise that exercise and a healthy lifestyle were recognised to be important long ago. In fact, you can go back to the ancient world of 2500 years ago and see examples of people stressing the need for exercise in the maintenance of good health. Yet it is true to say that it is only in the latter part of the last century, that medical science started to make very firm assertions about certain exercise regimes, or the lack of them, and certain specific categories of illness. By the standards of some medical advice of the early years of the 21st century, drivers carrying out transport contract jobs should be eating little or nothing but strawberries and celery and stopping to do 30 minutes exercise for every hour they are on the road! Things change Over recent years, however, there appears to be a noticeable change in the emphasis of some of the advice being given. To take one obvious example, eggs (that were once virtually written-off as being lethal in fat terms) are now being highlighted as actually offering beneficial, as opposed to detrimental, cholesterol. Similar changes have occurred in the domain of exercise. Prior to the 1970s, a huge degree of importance was placed on good, lengthy and brisk strolls. Then medical advice switched to emphasise the need for rather more prolonged and demanding exercise, leading to the mass promulgation of ideas such as jogging and gym frequenting. Then, medical science appeared to have another change of mind and things such as jogging were written off as being of little use, because what apparently was required were sharp bursts of intense physical activity for short durations. However, a number of recent high-profile celebrity illnesses and medical problems, that appear to be linked to such strenuous if short activities, are now calling into question whether or not a return to the older views of the middle decades of the twentieth century might not be a better approach. So, back to the original question - what does this all mean for drivers involved in transport contract jobs? Being sensible To be clear, neither this nor any other article should be interpreted as qualified medical advice relevant to your individual situation. To get advice that is directly relevant to you, you should speak to your GP. Having said that, a few common sense ideas continue to carry some weight and have done so over time. You should stop regularly as an aid to your driving concentration. When you do so, try to stretch your legs and get some minutes of gentle exercise rather than simply moving from your driving seat into the nearest available chair. Eat modestly and based upon a balanced food regime. Avoid eating high-saturated fat foodstuffs – and control your weight. When you're not actually working, allocate some time to getting some realistic exercise commensurate with your age and overall physical condition. In other words, don’t be a couch potato. Inevitably, driving for transport contract jobs may involve extended periods of relative inactivity and might, depending upon your specific job, be something of a sedentary activity overall. So, remember to try and compensate for that, as far as is realistically possible, during your free time. Norman Dulwich is a Correspondent for Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services for matching transport contract jobs and to buy and sell road transport and haulage work in the domestic and international markets.
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