Best Benefit Ever: An Association of Healthier Truckers

What’s the benefit? Members of the American Association of Owner Operators (AAOO) will get a big suite of new health benefits  (opens in a new tab) through Rolling Strong  (opens in a new tab), a provider of driver-wellness programs. Perks include monthly biometric screenings, a nutritional guide for more than 3,000 restaurants, a health and fitness handbook, and access to more than 3,500 health-check stations across the country, where truckers can have their blood pressure, heart rate, and other critical health indicators evaluated.

Why it works for members: Long hours behind the wheel and a lack of readily available healthy food options on the road present a problem for the nation’s more than 3 million truck drivers  (opens in a new tab). Recent statistics from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health  (opens in a new tab) revealed that “U.S. long-haul truck drivers were twice as likely to be obese compared to the adult working population, as well as more likely to smoke and suffer from other risk factors for chronic disease.” So any program that can help truckers maintain healthy habits and be more aware of their well-being while on the road is a boon for drivers and their employers.

Other benefits: AAOO members also receive  (opens in a new tab) a discount on the Open Road Drivers Plan, a program that pairs truckers with attorneys who will help them fight tickets; a MultiService Fuel Card, which grants rebates and is accepted at 4,000-plus truck stops nationwide, and 40 percent off enrollment in Roadside Masters, a commercial-vehicle emergency roadside assistance program.

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