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November 16, 1999 9:40 AM, EST

When drivers are on the road and away from their families for weeks at a time, they may not spend a lot of time thinking about health issues.

But drivers polled by the National Private Truck Council said issues such as lack of exercise, fatigue, stress, and poor diet topped their health concerns.

In an effort to make more drivers aware of health issues, Sue Roberts, president of Sue Roberts Health Concepts, in Des Moines, Iowa, was hired by NPTC to implement a wellness program for drivers called Gettin’ in Gear. It is designed to improve drivers’ health and safety, reduce the turnover that has plagued the industry and cut losses due to work-related injuries and illness.

At American Trucking Associations’ Human Resources Forum Nov. 8 and 9 in Alexandria, Va., Roberts shared information from a study that found a direct correlation between accident involvement and overweight drivers. Why there is a correlation, however, was not determined.

For the full story, see the Nov. 15 print edition of Transport Topics. .