Category: trucker appreciation

6 Podcasts to Listen to While on the Road

Podcasts are all the rage these days. As a downloadable way to stay up to date on news, listen to intriguing stories, or learn more about any subject, they have made staticky radio shows a thing of the past and allow you to stay more engaged while on the road. The most interesting podcasts vary by what you find intriguing, but no matter where you look for podcasts, you are sure to find something interesting!

Choosing A Podcast

Listening to podcasts on the road is a great way to keep yourself awake and keep your brain active without sacrificing your level of concentration. The best thing about podcasts is that you can download them and have them automatically play for uninterrupted streaming! There are many different apps you can use to locate podcasts. The most popular apps are Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google Podcasts. All these podcast platforms are free but, there are in-app purchases for Spotify to eliminate ads from your listening.

The best podcast for you may not be the best for someone else. That is the great thing about podcasts, there is something for everyone. If you’re unsure about a specific podcast, download an episode or two and give them a listen while on your next journey. The best way to find good podcasts is by searching for a keyword that interests you like “News,” “Sports,” “History,” or any number of subjects!

The Lineup

These podcasts are on different subjects, so you can do more exploring by looking at similar podcasts but, as a starting guide here is the lineup:

  • Truck Driving: TalkCDL is a podcast from drivers to drivers about the ins and outs of the trucking industry. This podcast has industry news, facts, statistics, and discussions on nearly all parts of driving!
  • News: What a Day is a podcast covering the general news of the day with stories you may have missed and important happenings in the world. This podcast mixes in a little humor with the news to lighten the mood.
  • History: Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History is a podcast that goes through time and reexamines seemingly ordinary occurrences and brings new light to them. Perfect for someone who wants to dive deeper into history!
  • Sports: Pardon My Take is a sports podcast filled with information and stats along with athlete interviews and a good measure of comedy!
  • Technology: Back To Work is a podcast that aims to connect technological changes in industry back to the people who are impacted by them. It makes technology even more relevant to the modern audience. 
  • True Crime: True Crime podcasts are very popular now. They go through spooky real stories that are intriguing and sometimes a little scary. Serial is one of the most popular true crime podcasts. It allows aspiring detectives a look into the investigative world!

Final Thoughts

Podcasts are made for everyone. There is certainly something you can find to suit your interests, whether it’s for learning or entertainment. If you need a way to stay engaged safely while on the road, listening to podcasts can make those long drives seem shorter and prevent you from getting restless and sleepy. If you didn’t see a podcast that interested you in our list, search online or within the podcast platforms to find your interests!

Fresh and Fit: Tips for Eating Healthy on the Road

You hear all about it in the news, “eat healthy and be active for a long life,” and you for sure want a long life, but sometimes it’s hard to follow those two directives as a driver whether you’re in it for the long-haul or local transport. 

Healthy Lifestyle

Driving can make having a healthy lifestyle difficult, especially when loads are so frequent and time is so short. Finding time to exercise and plan out meals can become difficult to manage in between journeys. This can add stress to an already stressful day, week, or month. This is problematic because health is so important; it makes you feel better, thus making you a better driver, and it prevents the risk of health conditions associated with being a driver such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, and diabetes. 

Some drivers may be struggling with these health conditions and are trying to become healthier. It is extremely important to form healthy habits over bad ones and create a lifestyle around these healthier habits. Whether you are already healthy and trying to remain so, or you are on the journey to becoming healthier, setting goals, planning routes, and learning how to eat to best benefit your body are all important steps to take to form healthy habits and eventually a healthy lifestyle!

Goals, Planning, and Healthy Food

Setting specific goals is important to your success. If you just set the goal of “I want to be healthy,” it is not likely that you will achieve it. However, if you follow this set of three S’s (Specific, Scheduled, and Sustainable) you can achieve your goals: Specific (make your goal specific, “I will lose 30 lbs.”), Scheduled (set a time frame for your goal, “I will lose 30 lbs. in 6 months), and Sustainable (make your goal attainable and explain how you will accomplish it, “I will choose healthy food over unhealthy food at least twice a day and exercise 3 days per week”). 

Reaching your goals can be difficult without a plan. While you are thinking about your route, do a search for healthy restaurants on your route, or even find healthy options at fast food restaurants. These may not be nearly as tasty, but the benefits will be evident as you do this consistently and become healthier. Finding healthy food may be difficult, but it is always a good idea to use the internet to assist you. Doing a quick search for healthy restaurants or healthy options at a restaurant can give you some guidance. Also, a talk with your doctor about creating a plan for healthy eating is a great start to creating a very healthy lifestyle!

Can I Habit?

Humans are creatures of habit. We even form routines subconsciously. This is especially true of our eating and sleeping habits. Sometimes our bodies do not know what is best for us, so we begin having strange sleep schedules to stay up and watch the Late Late Show or eat high sugar, high fat, high sodium meals at all hours of the day because it satisfies cravings. People don’t usually form these habits on purpose, but when unhealthy meals are so readily available it makes forming healthy eating habits extremely difficult.

Therefore, forming healthy habits on purpose is important. Rather than breaking old habits, which is nearly impossible, form new ones and the old ones will eventually fade away as your brain pays attention to these new healthy ones. So, how do you do that? The best way to form a habit is repetition, and to remember to repeat the action, you may have to write it down or set a reminder on your phone. Sometimes it may be hard to choose that grilled chicken and veggie plate over a burger and fries, but remember your goal and your reason for choosing health and it will become easier. 

Final Thoughts

Your health is incredibly important and it will help you to live a long life with less risk of developing major medical conditions. If you are unsure where to start or how to set your goals, have a conversation with your doctor and do some research to figure out how to create the best healthy lifestyle for yourself!

Appreciating the American Trucker

appreciating-the-american-trucker

The United States is a huge country, there are literally millions of miles of roadways all totaled, and around 50,000 of those miles are interstates. This land of highways and byways is navigated constantly by commuters, families, and the unmistakable American icons, Big Rigs.

We live in a highly commercial nation that requires goods to be shipped from sea to shining sea, up North, and Down south. This is an incredibly large job with a complex infrastructure that is maintained by silent heroes who put in long hours to keep the United States up and running.

Logistical Logic

The United States is filled with innovators and makers who produce everything from agricultural to electronic products. Each of these sources needs a means of delivering to their customers, and the most effective way to do that on a large scale is by truck. With an increase in transit services needed, trucking is an in-demand career with over 3.5 million truckers employed in the United States according to Census data.

Almost half of America’s truckers work over 40 hours per week when driving all over the nation. This is an incredible time investment, and it is completely necessary for the United States to continue functioning and growing.

America’s Most Important People

Everything commercially produced that we buy at stores was on a truck at some point before it reached the shelves. It is impossible to go anywhere in the United States without seeing the effects of trucking.

Truckers are a diverse group of men and women representing all ages and races- these people are the true nurturers of the American economy. Without truckers, it would be impossible to accomplish the feats of economic success that the United States has been able to lavish in.

America’s most important people are not celebrities, politicians, or pop stars- they are not the people that work hard every day to keep the store shelves full, the companies supplied, and ensure that Americans are able to access what they need. Truckers are most certainly some of America’s most important people, and they deserve to be recognized as such.

Why Truckers Deserve Recognition

Next time you pick up a box of cereal at the grocery store; call someone on your phone; or put your clothes on, think about the complex steps taken for you to be able to do that. Truckers are the bridge from production to consumption, and it is their hard work that allows you to be clothed, fed, and entertained.

It is a great thing to live in America, the land of the free and the home of the brave, so make sure you remember to show your appreciation for those who make your life better. Truckers are brave to face the harsh driving conditions and long hours required to do the job right, in addition to this around 10% of truckers are veterans who protected our freedom!

Final Thoughts

Truckers deserve our thanks and appreciation as they are true champions of the American dream. They provide us with an incredible service every day, working hard so that we can rest easy knowing we can access the things we need. With this, we want to say thank you to all the American truckers, we appreciate what you do for us!