To say this article was brought on after being inspired by the actions of one of my owner-operators in his quest for remaining healthy on the road would be spot-on! Arie Groenendyk, Jr., who has been an owner-operator for my fleet for nearly three years, shows great personal dedication to a healthier lifestyle to the point it is hard not to stand up and take notice! Some time ago he expressed his diet and lifestyle changes to me which would map out a course for him to become a healthier person for both himself and his family. On a recent call with him, I noticed he seemed a bit out of breath and one might have thought he was out running or walking vigorously, but I knew he was in his truck cab. It was in a follow-up text to that call when I discovered his next step in remaining healthy on the road and the reason why he was so winded.
In that follow-up text he explained he was exercising, but knowing he was in his truck, I couldn’t help but wonder how this was possible. Sure, I have used and blogged on the FIT (Freightliner In-Cab Training system) in the past. This type of resistance band workout would never have created the level of physical exertion I heard in his voice on that call though. Come to find out in a series of dialogue between him and me, he was actually exercising on his newly installed cross-trainer bike. I know what you’re thinking though, “Where in a truck would you fit a cross-trainer bike?” During his workouts, he is now “sitting shotgun” in his own truck!
Arie is a hard-working solo driver who tends to spend nights out on the road to maximize his round-trips to and from Las Vegas from SoCal. Being a solo driver, he found less and less need for the space taken up by his passenger seat and decided to better utilize the place to be able to work out in the privacy and comfort of his own truck cab. With the rise of caution to spreading germs in places like gyms and exercise areas indoors, what a great idea it was to transform the passenger seat area into his own private cycling studio! He was even able to utilize the factory seat hardware mounting holes to serve as an anchoring point for securement straps since a bike like this is not generally something you would want loose within your cab.
Since completing this custom install on his Freightliner Cascadia Evolution, he has turned quite a few heads. People who see it in the truck stops have asked numerous times to see it and inquired as to how he made it work so well. Where there is a will, there is a way and Arie has shown his will to stay committed to being healthier is strong! Though this may not be for everyone, it sure could work for a lot of people I know that have wondered how to stay healthy during these unprecedented times, and to me, there’s no better way than right in the comfort of your own safe, climate-controlled cab!
