A Truckers Health

As a driver I personally had let my health take the back burner to my driving career. When I started driving I teamed with a family friend, we ran a weekly route from North Carolina to the West Coast and back. Running team with a veteran driver help me learn how to be a safer driver unlike many of these 3 week training programs. Me and Gurney teamed until 2002 when he had a heart attack. I then was joined by another good friend with whom I teamed with until 2004. Just in my teaming years I can recall alot of times
Me our my Co-Drivers health took the back burner to the load we was hauling. I can recall back in 2001 when me and my first co-driver was in the Bay Area of California when our alternator went out. Like any reefer hauler we tried to run our truck off the reefer to get the truck off the highway. While hooking up the wires my Co-Driver tripped off the cat walk after getting tangled in the air lines and came crashing onto the pavement head first. Once I realized what had happened I rushed to his side to find him bleeding really bad and in alot of pain. But like most of us he wiped of the blood and managed the best he could to get his job done. We got our truck fixed and came back to North Carolina only to find out for 2 days he was riding and driving around with a broken wrist and 2 broken ribs. Another time I recall was back in Nevada in 2003 when I had a abscessed tooth really flair up. The pain very intensive and the swelling seemed to grown more by the hour. I finished my 3 day trip and got home with my left eye swelled completely shut. These are just a few times I've seen either me or someone I knows health take a back burner to our career. What puzzles me is WHY, Why do we let our self fall behind all other. Why do drive for days in pain or sickness just to deliver a load? No one will ever know but it happens daily. This is the reason I for one support Newer and Harder Medical requirements in the trucking industry. I am currently off the road due to a lack of care for my health and well being. At the age of 31 I am already having major health problems from to much care for my job and the all mighty dollar and so little about my Health. So I would tell any driver in this world that Harsher Medical requirements are WONDERFUL because it will force you to give a damn about you self.