For those who ride the road in an 18-wheeler, moving goods across America comes with a price paid.

“Truck drivers have a job that makes it hard to stay healthy,” said trucker Joe Martin, who created “Truckercise,” a regime of exercises developed specifically for truck drivers.

“Drivers spend a lot of time sitting. They make money only when they’re moving so they don’t take time out to go to a gym. When you add fast food to the mix, it’s a formula for disaster,” he said.

“‘Truckercise’ has 80,000 pounds of educational and instructional information condensed into a 12 - minute DVD that is just long enough to keep today’s truck drivers’ attention,” said Martin.

Martin’s production company, Boo Boo Cat Productions, conducted a survey to find the right person to demonstrate the techniques. They wanted a person who was friendly looking and nonthreatening to women. They chose Carrie Rush.

Rush demonstrates the full-body workout, and Martin recommends a certain number of repetitions. All exercises can be done in the cab of the driver’s truck, with the seat adjusted to the back position. Some of the exercises require free weights. The daily routine takes approximately 25 or 30 minutes.

“I’ve been in the trucking business for 47 years,” said Martin. “I know health insurance cost is a big deal for employers. The Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are doing a study as to why the death rate for truckers is 11 times higher than the general workforce.”

Martin said that common health problems for drivers include: lower-back pain, hypertension, heart attack, ulcers, cancers of the stomach, prostate, lungs and bladder problems.

“There are around 60,000 female truck drivers nationally,” said Martin. “They make up about 5 percent of the drivers. They are parts of husband and wife or boyfriend/girlfriend teams. So far, most of the DVDs have been purchased by females. They buy the videos for themselves or those they love. They don’t necessarily drive themselves, but they buy them for their husbands, hoping when they have a 10-hour wait to load, they will use the time to take care of themselves.”

The “Truckercise” video is available at various truck stops, but can be purchased online at truckercise.net for $15.95, plus postage and handling.

Martin will have a booth at the National Truck Driver’s Championship at the George R. Brown Convention Center Aug. 21 and 22. He can also be seen at the Great American Truck Show in Dallas Aug. 23. For more information visit truckercise.net.

Photos (top to bottom):

Carrie Rush demonstrates exercises truckers can do in the cab of their truck.

Joe Martin promotes his fitness DVD, offering male and female drivers a way to exercise while they wait to load, fill up or at the end of their day.