BusinessTN

Most truck stops across America are generally the same. Conway Twitty tapes, energy boosting drinks and junk food are the norm in such locations dotting the nation's interstates. Indeed, many of the products sold are intended to keep drivers alert and awake while on long road trips. According to a study sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier's Safety Administration and the American Trucking Association, nearly 1.1 million commercial truck drivers are affected by sleep apnea.

However, Roadside Medical Clinic + Lab, in partnership with Sleep Pointe LLC and a prominent Tennessee-based private company, is trying to change the ways truckers receive medical care and stay awake at the wheel on America's highways and bi-ways.

Through an exclusive agreement with Knoxville-based Pilot Travel Centers, Roadside Medical Clinic + Lab has found a pragmatic approach to providing health care to truck drivers across the U.S. Instead of forcing drivers to take time off from the road to arrange appointments at clinics, Roadside has built clinics adjacent to more than 80 strategically placed Pilot locations and linked them electronically through the use of trucker ID swipe cards.

"It's a new innovation of delivered health care," says Bob Perry, Roadside President and vice chair for the American Transportation Association Wellness Council. "We find them," Perry says, "because if the wheels aren't turning, these guys are losing money."

Perry, also known as "The Trucker Trainer," believes his current venture will drastically improve the over-all well being of America's truck drivers, while also saving trucking companies a bundle on health care costs.

Over the past couple of years, Roadside has discovered that a large percentage of truck drivers are in critical stages of obesity and have extremely high levels of blood pressure and cholesterol. After studying about 2,000 drivers, Roadside found that these conditions have a direct correlation to the amount of sleep--or lack thereof--that drivers get. Expanding its current operations at Pilot Travel Centers, Roadside has built large exam rooms where sleep studies can be conducted. The company also brought aboard Sleep Pointe, which has conducted over 100,000 sleep studies in its 10-year existence and will only increase that number now that it is in cooperation with America's largest travel plaza operator with more than 300 locations in 41 states and Canada. Pilot CEO Jimmy Haslam says the company stands behind any effort to protect the health and safety of professional truck drivers and the motoring public, saying, "we applaud this initiative to reduce highway accidents."

Along with the medical care and sleep testing that truckers get at Roadside clinics, Roadside is also promoting driver health through its tailored-to-truckers wellness programs, which encompass the use of supplements, food guides and workout products.

"We receive weekly testimonials from drivers who greatly value our service," Perry says. One such testimonial comes from a driver named Dan out of Las Vegas whom Perry likes to think of as Roadside's version of Subway’s Jarrod. According to Perry, after starting Roadside's program, Dan lost 20 pounds, lowered his blood sugar level and no longer needs a nap during the day.

In addition to adding 15 new locations by the end of the year, Roadside is in the midst of franchising its clinic model to further its mission to improve the health of the underserved trucking community.

It's definitely a mission worth driving toward.