Lily Transportation, Author at Lily Transportation

How Lily Transportation is Revitalizing the Truck Driving Lifestyle

The truck driving lifestyle is as unique as they come. Whether you’re driving solo, in a team, locally, regionally, or in an OTR role, your time behind the wheel will look a bit different on a day-to-day basis. However, the trucking industry is changing and has been for quite some time.

With new technology, increased demand, and more new truck drivers than ever, the trucking lifestyle is transforming. While the pillars of this age-old industry remain firm—adventure on the open road, camaraderie amongst drivers, competitive pay, unique schedule, and much more—new trucking industry trends have begun to take root.

But with our decades of experience, Lily Transportation is no stranger to change. While the industry around us evolves, as a privately held, professionally managed organization, our principles remain unchanged. Since our inception in 1958, Lily has provided its drivers and customers with stability, industry expertise, and a fierce commitment to the job at hand.

If you’re interested in learning how to become a truck driver or are curious about what a career in truck driving looks like, then you’ve come to the right place. The truck driving lifestyle is unlike any other, and Lily Transportation is proud to contribute to its ongoing evolution in as many ways as we can.

Table of Contents:

A “Driver First” Mentality

Promoting Truck Driver Health and Wellness
Making Safety a Top Priority

Embracing Modern Trucking Industry Trends

Hiring Younger, More Diverse Drivers
Adopting Trucking Technology

How to Become a Truck Driver with Lily Transportation

A “Driver First” Mentality

Every company’s success is based on mutual trust. At Lily Transportation, our drivers aren’t only our greatest asset; they’re family. Promoting the continued health, wellness, and success of our driver is essential to the positive company culture we’ve built for ourselves.

Whether it’s the highest quality equipment, competitive pay, or a diverse range of employee benefits, Lily Transportation is committed to making sure the truck driving lifestyle is productive and satisfying. Here are just a couple of the ways we do that:

Promoting Truck Driver Health and Wellness

Truck drivers are one of the foundational pillars of our country. Without them, the ever-growing e-commerce industry could collapse, and the way-of-life online shoppers across the world rely on could be a thing of the past. This is why, among countless other reasons, promoting the health and wellness of our drivers is so crucial to Lily Transportation.

To ensure our drivers are the best they can be, whenever we take on new truck drivers, we have them take a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical. While the DOT requires drivers to undergo a physical as part of their CDL-certification, we want to ensure that our drivers are healthy from the very beginning of their time with us.

What To Expect inYour First Year of Over the Road Trucking at Lily

Health and wellness isn’t a one-and-done affair, though. It’s an ongoing process. Which is why we offer all our drivers plenty of benefits to keep them at peak health. Some of these benefits include:

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical and Dental Insurance
Paid Holiday and Vacation Time
Matching 401K
Safety Bonuses
Health and Wellness Program
Cell Phone Allowance
24 Hours Dispatch

Staying healthy while spending the day behind the wheel of a truck may sound difficult, but it doesn’t have to be! With the right truck driver accessories (like a seat cushion, dashcam, or a GPS), some healthy snacks (pre-washed fruits and veggies, nuts, greek yogurt), and a regular exercise routine, you can create a truck driving lifestyle that’s both productive and healthy.

Making Safety a Top Priority

When you spend most of your day on the road and behind the wheel of a big rig, there are few things more important than truck driver safety. Which is why Lily Transportation prioritizes safety in everything we do. Whether we’re hiring new truck drivers, acquiring or maintaining equipment, or educating our existing staff, Lily promotes and adheres to an extensive list of “safety-first” principles.

Here are just a few of the ways Lily emphasizes the safety of its drivers:

Requiring each driver to be fully CDL-certified
Driver physicals
Drug and alcohol testing (as required by the DOT)
Requiring drivers to pass a road test before hiring
Maintaining a fleet of brand new or late model trucks—including Kenworth, Volvo, and Freightliner
A Driver Safety Program that rewards drivers with bonuses for their safe operating practices
And much more!

There isn’t a single, one-size-fits-all approach to truck driver safety. But Lily Transportation has a detailed list of standards and regulations to help keep our drivers, and everyone they share the road with, safe. For example, part of the truck driving lifestyle we promote involves walking our truck fleet daily, training drivers to identify potential hazards, and prioritizing the repair of any hazards they find.

Embracing Modern Trucking Industry Trends

The trucking and logistics industry has been a staple in our country since gasoline-powered internal combustion engines first entered the scene in the early 1900s. It’s no understatement to say that the industry has grown a lot since then. With more demand than ever before, the transportation industry has become indispensable to the way modern business is conducted.

Statista reported that “796.7 billion U.S. dollars in revenue was generated by the U.S. freight trucking industry” in 2018. For an industry as lucrative and necessary as this one, it’s not surprising that jobs in the trucking industry have become more accessible (and needed) than ever.

Companies across the country are eager to work with new truck drivers who can bring new perspectives and skillsets behind the wheel. To accomplish this, carriers are making an active effort to adopt modern trucking industry trends and ideals. Here are two of the many trends companies like Lily Transportation are adopting:

Hiring Younger, More Diverse Drivers

With a large percentage of the truck driving population rapidly approaching retirement, the trucking and transportation industries are actively looking for and excited about opportunities to recruit new truck drivers. And like every industry, trucking is also in need of new and more diverse perspectives if it hopes to continue to grow and evolve alongside demand.

In the past, many trucking jobs were occupied by men. Thankfully, this stereotype is no longer as widespread as it used to be. As companies like Lily actively pursue women truckers, the needle is beginning to move toward progress. But there’s still work to be done, as Women in Trucking (WIT) reported in 2017 that “women comprise over seven percent of female over-the-road drivers and 23 percent of management.”

Those percentages are low, but in that same report from WIT, it’s explained how there’s “been a 19 percent improvement in those companies tracking the percentage of female drivers and managers. This means that more companies are actually monitoring these figures and can benchmark with other carriers in the industry.”

The trucking industry is paying attention and making great strides toward a fuller, more developed truck driving lifestyle. For example, truck stops are safer than they’ve ever been and manufacturers are designing trucks that can meet the needs of different kinds of drivers. As a result of the industry’s efforts, “more than 28,000 women have joined the trucking industry since 2014,” and that number continues to climb higher.

Additionally, Lily Transportation offers a unique training program for military veterans who are interested in a truck driving career. Unlike most companies, however, our Veteran’s Program will not deplete your GI Bill; it’s fully paid for by Lily. And if you have experience driving heavy vehicles, you may be eligible for a military CDL waiver. These are just a few of the ways Lily, and the industry as a whole, is reaching out to new demographics.

Adopting Trucking Technology

Technology in logistics and trucking is one of the most recent and fastest-growing trucking industry trends. According to Sandeep Kar—an expert in heavy truck systems and technologies—the trucks of the future will be “connected to the world outside, and the world outside will be connected” to our trucks. What does this look like, though? How will the technologies usually associated with smartphones apply to the trucking industry?

The better question to ask is, how will these technologies not apply to the trucking industry? Not only are today’s trucks more connected to the outside world than ever, but NPR says that many of the newer models “have automatic transmissions and the type of safety features you might expect on a new car: cameras and computers that watch lanes, look out for obstacles and even hit the brakes automatically.”

And since Lily Transportation only uses brand new or late model trucks, our fleet is always equipped with many of the latest and most exciting technological developments. Our drivers are the backbone of our success, which is why we’re committed to providing them with the best equipment, support, technology, and training they need to succeed on (and off) the job.

How to Become a Truck Driver with Lily Transportation

A career in truck driving can be an exciting and lucrative path for anyone looking to experience something new. There’s an inherent sense of adventure in the truck driving lifestyle, and as the industry continues to grow and adapt to the world around it, the benefits of getting on-board just keep growing.

When you drive with Lily Transportation, you’re not only joining a team of passionate professionals who love what they do; you’re joining a family. We’re always looking for new truck drivers, and even offer training programs for veterans who are looking for new challenges and experiences.

Lily Transportation has been a staple of the transportation industry since it was first founded in 1958. We’re committed to our drivers and are continually looking for new and dynamic ways to make the truck driving lifestyle as fulfilling and productive as possible.

If you’re interested in hearing more about how this lifestyle can work for you, then get in touch with us today! We would love to answer any questions you may have and help you kickstart your truck driving career on the right foot.

What Does a Female Truck Driver’s Salary Look Like?

There is tremendous opportunity in the truck driving industry for anyone looking for a new and lucrative career path. With plenty of benefits, equal pay, and companies looking to hire female truck drivers, there really hasn’t been a better time for women to enter the trucking industry.

Where many career paths are still held back by wage inequality, professional truck driving is not. “As a truck driver, you make the same amount of money as your male peers, because you either get paid by the mile or the load of the percentage,” Ellen Voie, the president of Women in Trucking (WIT) says. “So gender is not an issue in pay in the truck industry for drivers.”

But what does a female truck driver’s salary look like? What kind of factors can affect the truck driving salary?

What Does the Average Truck Driver Salary Look Like?

According to research from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, on average, a truck driver will make upwards of $40,000 annually. While each carrier is likely to offer a variety of truck driver salaries and benefits, AllTrucking.com says that “pay does gradually increase year by year, based on performance, safety, and experience.”

It’s also important to note that, on account of the industry needing lots of new drivers, trucking and transportation companies are more than willing to offer their drivers incentives. At Lily Transportation, salaries range from $50,000 – $95,000 annually. We not only provide paid holiday and vacation time, full benefits and cell phone allowances, but we also have Safety and Loyalty programs that allow our drivers to receive significant quarterly and annual bonuses.

Beyond the Female Truck Driver’s Salary

The trucking industry needs new, diverse, and younger truck drivers. As a large percentage of the current trucker population nears retirement, carriers across the country are ramping up their recruitment efforts. And this means actively pursuing female truck drivers.

While a female truck driver’s salary looks the same as a male truck driver’s salary, the industry isn’t stopping there. Instead, the entire trucking industry is making changes to accommodate its female truckers. According to CDL Career Now, this means improving truck stop safety with better lighting and visibility and outfitting the trucks themselves with closer pedals and better-positioned seatbelts.

And with over 20,000 female truck drivers having joined the industry since 2014, those developments seem to be paying off. Lily Transportation is always on the look-out for excited, passionate, and driven women to join our family of truck drivers. If you’ve ever been interested in the truck driving lifestyle, or want to learn more about the benefits of driving for Lily, please reach out to us today!

You don’t have to take our word for it either; just listen to what one of our female drivers had to say about driving for Lily: “I encourage a lot of women to come and work for Lily Transportation. It’s worth your while…its an awesome, awesome place to work.”

The 3 Things You Need to Become a Healthy Trucker

Any career where you spend most of the day sitting can feel counterintuitive to a healthy lifestyle. This is as true for truckers as it is for 9-to-5 office jobs. Just because you spend the majority of your day sitting behind the wheel of a truck doesn’t mean you can’t still be a healthy trucker.

When you’re a professional truck driver, you have a lot of miles to cover and a specific length of time within which you have to cover them. This can mean long days, but just because a day is long doesn’t mean you won’t have time to take care of yourself. Like Small Business says, OTR “Drivers may be on duty for up to 14 hours following 10 hours off duty, but they are limited to 11 hours of driving time.”

However, those ten hours of off-duty time have to include a full night’s sleep. This is true for local drivers as well. Even though they may not have as many miles to cover, they still spend most of the day behind the wheel and will benefit from some self-care routines. With these three healthy trucker lifestyle choices, you can strike a pitch-perfect balance between productivity, rest, exercise, and a balanced trucker food list.

1) A Well-Rounded Trucker Food List

Eating on the road is never easy. You’re often stuck with whatever restaurants are just off the highway or whatever offerings the nearest truck stop has. While there’s plenty of healthier options for eating on the road, eating out is never cheap and can place an unnecessary toll on the driver’s wallet.

There’s nothing wrong with eating out—it’s often a great way to experience the best of the local cuisine, after all—but it shouldn’t be the only option when it comes to available food for truckers. If you’re trying to find better, more nutritious meals to keep you going, then why not make them yourself?

Not only is cooking a productive and enjoyable pastime but thanks to the wealth of portable cooking appliances available to truckers, it’s easier than ever to prepare meals on-the-go. To help you build a better trucker food list for yourself, consider investing in some of the truck driver cooking equipment All Trucking outlines:

Portable Stoves
Microwave
Freezer/Refrigerator
Blender
Electric Skillets
Crockpot

“By cooking your own food on the road, you can control the ingredients that go into your meals,” Roadmaster.com says. Putting together your own meals entails an ever-rotating menu that’ll help you “cut down on salt, fat and other unhealthy additives.”

2) Truck Driver Exercises

Perhaps the most important part of being a healthy trucker is staying active. Staying active is easier said than done, though, especially when you spend most of the day behind the wheel of a truck. But thanks to recent initiatives like “truck stop gyms and in-cab workout systems,” staying active while on the road is easier than ever.

For example, Justin Boschee—a truck driver interviewed by Men’s Health in 2014—has learned to embrace a spontaneous approach to exercise while on the road. With an understandably limited amount of free time, Boshee makes sure to get a quick workout in whenever he’s not driving. And since he keeps a handful of fitness gear with him, he’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“‘The unpredictability of my job is an advantage,’” he says. “‘It keeps things fresh.’”

3) Embrace the Healthy Trucker Lifestyle

Living the lifestyle of a healthy trucker doesn’t have to be a challenge. With trucking companies doubling-down on trucker health and wellness, and new technologies improve the comfort of the trucks themselves, drivers have more resources to live healthier lives than ever.

If you want to learn more about the truck driving life and hear how Lily Transportation emphasizes the health and wellness of its drivers, then get in touch \with us today!

Why the Trucking Industry is Eager to Work with New Truck Drivers

The transportation industry plays a fundamental role in the way our country’s businesses function. Without truck driving careers, the rate of e-commerce would likely plummet and countless companies worldwide would find themselves unable to deliver products to their customers. As crucial as this industry is, however, it’s been facing a shortage of new truck drivers for several years.

With a large percentage of the current truck driver population nearing retirement, the trucking and transportation industries are eager to recruit young, new, and excited drivers. And with the industry constantly changing and adapting to new technologies, embracing a new generation of thinkers is more essential than ever.

A Growing Industry

In summer 2019, Statista reported that “retail e-commerce sales worldwide amounted to 3.53 trillion US dollars and e-retail revenues are projected to grow to 6.54 trillion US dollars in 2022.” And in the first quarter of 2019 alone, “desktop retail e-commerce sales amounted to 99 billion U.S. dollars.”

Those are significant numbers, and help to illustrate just how crucial the transportation industry is. Without truck drivers, not only would e-commerce sales decline dramatically, but paying customers would no longer be able to receive their products in the manner they’re used to.

There are millions of packages delivered across the country every day, and that number is sure to grow. If the trucking industry wants to continue to succeed, then it needs to pursue new truck drivers.

“From diagnostics to sensor technology to autonomous vehicles, the next 10–20 years will see a significant change in the technological landscape of our industry,” Trucking Info says. And with the millennial generation expected to overtake Boomers in population, millennials could hold the key to the trucking industry’s need for new truck drivers.

Pursuing New Perspectives

Like every industry, trucking needs new and diverse perspectives if it wants to continue to grow and meet demand. This is why Lily is so committed to providing its new drivers with the best benefits possible.

When you drive with Lily Transportation, you’ll not only become part of our family, but you’ll also be provided with a wealth of benefits, including:

Blue Cross Blue Shield Medical and Dental Insurance
Paid Holiday and Vacation Time
Matching 401K
Quarterly + Annual Safety Bonuses
Health and Wellness Programs
Meticulously Maintained Equipment
Safety Boots
Cool Branded Uniforms

A job in the trucking industry job also involves flexible schedules, competitive pay, and tremendous opportunity for travel. If you’re interested in learning more about the kind of jobs in the trucking industry, then reach out to Lily Transportation today! We would love to answer any questions you may have and help you on your way towards an exciting new career path.

How Lily Prioritizes Truck Maintenance and Safety

There are few things more important in the transportation industry than proper truck maintenance and safety programs. To ensure truck driver safety (and efficiency), carriers need to prioritize the continued maintenance of their truck equipment.

Here at Lily Transportation, safety is a top priority. Not only do we offer comprehensive safety programs, but we also equip our drivers with meticulously maintained truck equipment, so they always have the best tools at their disposal.

Our commitment to trucking safety doesn’t stop there. Here are just a few of the other ways Lily Transportation prioritizes truck maintenance and truck safety:

A “Safety First” Mentality

When it comes to hiring drivers, acquiring equipment, or educating staff, Lily Transportation operates off of a “safety first” mentality. For example, when we’re looking for a new driver to welcome into the Lily Family, we abide by “safe hiring” principles such as:

Driver physicals and drug and alcohol testing (as required by the D.O.T.)
CDL-certification
A required two-years of verifiable industry experience
Passing a driver road test before hiring

We also equip our drivers and their trucks with wireless, real-time vehicle locators, and electronic on-board records. By bridging the distance between drivers and dispatch, we always know how our drivers are doing, and our drivers always know help is only a call away.

Lily is also committed to the continued health and wellness of its drivers. Our drivers are the beating heart of our company. This is why we’re devoted to offering our drivers a wealth of benefits—such as safety bonuses, insurance, matching 401k, 24-hour dispatch, and more.

The Highest Quality Truck Fleet

Lily’s fleet of vehicles is made up of either brand new or late model trucks—you won’t find any outdated truck driving equipment here. Truck maintenance is of the utmost importance, which is why each of our truck models is continuously maintained for optimal levels of safety, efficiency, and driver comfort. Some of the models we use include:

Volvo VNL
Kenworth T680
Peterbilt Trucks
Freightliner Trucks

We also ensure our entire truck fleet is equipped with the tools and features it needs to guarantee the safety of our drivers (and the drivers they share the road with).

For example, our vehicles are equipped with truck safety aids like:

65mph limit for local and regional limits
Speed gauge reports
Mobil Eye lane departure and forward warning systems (so drivers can be better aware of their surroundings)
Regular reports from the Corporate Safety Department are sent directly to Lily’s President and CEO
Safety bonuses and incentives to proactively manage Lily’s Driver Safety Program

If you’re interested in learning more about how Lily Transportation works for and with its drivers to promote truck maintenance and truck driver safety, then check out our website today! And if you want to talk to a recruiter and learn about what a career with Lily looks like, then give us a call! We can’t wait to hear from you!

The Truck Driver Accessories Every Trucker Needs

Truck drivers spend most of their time on the job in the cab of their trucks. Whether they’re traveling cross-country or staying local, their cabs can become both a cockpit and an office of sorts. And as such, many truckers stock up on some truck driver accessories to keep themselves (and their trucks) in tip-top shape.

Truck Driver Comfort Items

With drivers spending so much time in their trucks, they should invest in a few truck driver accessories to help them stay comfortable and alert. With these truck driver comfort items, you can keep your mind and body relaxed and ready for every new day on the road.

Electric Blanket

Nights can get chilly on the open road. Regardless of whether you’re driving cross-country or not, keeping warm is essential. If you’re sleeping in your truck for the night on an OTR assignment, for example, then an electric blanket will keep you warm and comfy the whole night through.

Seat Cushion

Even the comfiest seats can start to feel stiff after enough time. Instead of settling for a less-than-comfortable seat, or buying an expensive replacement, treat yourself to a seat cushion. There are plenty of variations to choose from, so be picky and find a pillow that meets your needs and makes you as comfortable as possible.

Mini-Fridge

No matter where you’re driving, a mini-fridge is always going to be a worthwhile investment. Not only does it make it easy to bring leftovers from home, but it also allows you to keep your beverages cold in any weather.

Truck Driver Safety and Productivity Items

Professional truck drivers need to be alert and prepared for anything the open road can present them with. With these three trucker accessories, you can ensure that you’re always prioritizing your safety and productivity.

Cell Phone Mount

You should never be on your phone while behind the wheel, but if your phone is also used as your GPS, then you’ll need a way to keep it visible. There are many windshield mounts you can use for your phone, so take some time to find one that can keep your phone securely in your line of sight.

Semi-Truck Gauges

When you’re on the road for hours at a time, you must always be aware of how your truck is operating. Your truck gauges are the tools that allow you to do this. These high-tech tools mount under your dash and seamlessly track fuel economy, coolant temperatures, battery voltage, and more. They make it easy to maintain your truck when you’re on (and off) the road.

Dashcams

When you fix a dashcam to the front of your truck’s dashboard, you’ll be able to record your routes (which can be vital in the rare case of an accident) and keep track of everything you see on the road. Dashcams broaden your vision on the road and provide you with another tool to ensure your trip is as smooth and safe as possible.

Truck Driver Accessories For Every Situation

If you’re looking for a few more trucker accessories to add to your truck driver lifestyle, then be sure to pick up:

Sunglasses: An obvious, but essential, tool to keep you focused on the road in every kind of weather.
Gloves: You’ll be gripping the wheel for most of the day, so it’s important to keep your hands comfortable. A pair of gloves, especially leather gloves, will keep your hands dry and comfortable.
12-Volt USB Charger: Make sure all of your various devices are fully-charged with a portable USB charger. These usually come with a fuse as well, so you never have to worry about blowing a fuse.

With the right truck driver accessories by your side, you can maximize comfort, safety, and productivity on the road. This is why Lily Transportation makes sure every truck driver at Lily is equipped with well-maintained equipment and 24-hour dispatch so we can always stay in touch with our drivers, no matter where they are.

How to Avoid Common Rookie Truck Driver Mistakes

By the time a new truck driver gets behind the wheel, they’ve already gone through their CDL-certification, training safety courses, and are prepared for the open road. However, even the most prepared young truckers can succumb to some common rookie truck driver mistakes if they don’t know to anticipate them.

This is where Lily Transportation wants to help! Our decades of experience in the industry have equipped us with a thorough understanding of the truck driver lifestyle and the roadblocks young truckers may encounter. Here’s how you can avoid some of the most common rookie truck driver mistakes:

Ask For Help When You Need It

Far too often, a rookie truck driver will get behind the wheel of a truck with the belief that their training and education is over. While their CDL-certification and training courses have certainly prepared them with the tools they need to handle a truck successfully, there’s still more to learn.

The road is an often unpredictable place. Even the most practiced drivers will run into situations that require them to ask questions and brainstorm new ways of solving problems. Just like any new career path, trucking requires you to be ever-curious. If you encounter a unique situation while behind the wheel, then ask someone about it.

And remember to be patient with yourself! There isn’t a universal roadmap to success, and every new truck driver will have a process unique to them. So ask questions, ask for help when you need it, and take advantage of the tools you’ve been given. Lily’s drivers, for example, have access to 24-hour dispatch, meaning there’s always someone a call away if they need it.

Prioritize Your Health and Wellness

Spending your day behind the wheel of a truck is exciting, and can involve seeing the world (or your backyard) in ways you never would’ve otherwise. But sitting behind the wheel can make it challenging to take care of yourself. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways truckers from all walks of life can find ways to prioritize their health and wellness on the road.

Whether it’s choosing healthy snacks that “will keep you fuller longer, like string cheese, pretzels, popcorn, and fresh fruits and vegetables” or finding time to exercise while on the road, emphasizing truck driver health doesn’t have to be complicated. You can invest in some dumbbells, a jump rope, suspension cables, or even a foldable bike and use them to keep yourself active regardless of how long you spend on the road.

Build a Truck Driver Schedule

Truck driving is a lifestyle. You’ve probably heard this phrase a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s any less true. As a new truck driver, you have a unique opportunity to make a lucrative income while also exercising some flexibility in your daily truck driver schedule.

If you’re driving in an OTR capacity, then you may not have set starting hours. However, most drivers do get to “establish routines that provide some sense of stability” in their day-to-day activities. If you work better at night than in the morning, then you can plan your route so you drive overnight and sleep during the day.

While having a truck driving schedule is a great thing, be sure to leave some room for flexibility. Building a rigid daily routine is one of those rookie truck driver mistakes that will cause far more frustration than it’s worth. Instead, let your schedule be a roadmap for yourself. There’s a direction you’re heading in, but you have multiple paths to get there. This will empower you to stick to a productive schedule without trapping yourself in a box.

Lily Transportation is always excited to work with new truck drivers, so if you’re interested in learning more about the truck driving lifestyle, then we would love to hear from you!

Health and Wellness Tips for Truck Drivers

Prioritizing truck driver health and wellness is one of the most important things we do here at Lily Transportation. Our drivers are the backbone of our company, and ensuring their consistent health, wellness, and contentment is paramount to the positive company culture we’ve built for ourselves.

Here are a few of Lily’s tips for truck drivers to help the time you spend on the road be as healthy and productive as possible:

Lily Transportation’s Health Tips for Truck Drivers

Since our inception in 1958, Lily Transportation has been devoted to the continued support of everyone in our company. It’s the people Lily employs that enable us to maintain our position in the industry year after year, and we want to help make sure those people are as healthy and content as can be.

Stock Up on the Right Kinds of Snacks

There are plenty of snacks to stock up on for your time on the road. Gas stations across the country offer a litany of chips, candy, and carbonated beverages that can provide you with a sometimes necessary jolt of energy. However, these aren’t the kinds of snacks to keep you feeling your best.

Unlike any other job, trucking requires you to be extremely alert and energized at all times. You can’t be 100% on your game if you’re tired, hungry or not feeling well. Often times a snack can be a great pick-me-up if chosen wisely. However, the empty calories and excessive sugar found in most “traditional” snack foods are tragically incapable of promoting truck driver health and giving you the energy you need. Instead, try some of these healthy snacks for truck drivers:

Pre-washed fruits and vegetables
Mixed nuts
Greek yogurt
Protein shakes
Grilled meat

These healthy snacks for truck drivers will keep your energy levels high and avoid the “crash” that sugars and carbs can cause.

Don’t Skimp on Sleep

Regardless of the hours you work, driving a truck (like any job) can be tiring. Whether you’re driving in an OTR or local capacity, you’re going to want to develop and stick to a routine sleeping schedule.

“You need to get as much sleep as possible,” The Balance Careers says. “To do that, your sleeping conditions must be as comfortable and as quiet as possible.” This might mean utilizing earplugs while you sleep, or maybe playing some restful background noise to help you fall asleep and stay asleep for longer.

Getting a good night’s sleep is easily one of the most common health and wellness tips for truck drivers you’re likely to encounter. Take some time to figure out what you need to get the best sleep you can and then implement a plan to make sure you follow through.

Start Exercising

When it comes to improving health and wellness, there are few tips for truck drivers more effective than exercise. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways a truck driver can keep themselves active and healthy even while on the road.

You can keep some weights or a resistance band in the truck with you and use them at truck stops or gas stations. You can invest in a good pair of running shoes and do a few laps around a parking lot (or even your truck!). Or you can get a gym membership and use it before or after you start your days. Whatever you can do to keep yourself active will go a long way toward promoting a healthier truck driver lifestyle for yourself.

The Importance of Well-Maintained Truck Driving Equipment

Truck drivers across the country rely on their equipment to get them from Point-A to Point-B. Without properly maintained truck driving equipment, drivers wouldn’t be able to trust their trucks (and the tools that make them run) to perform at the highest levels of safety and efficiency.

Trucking equipment is a crucial, but sometimes unseen, pillar of the truck driving lifestyle and we must maintain and prioritize it accordingly. Commercial truck drivers are undoubtedly familiar with the importance of vehicle maintenance, but that doesn’t mean reiterating that importance is unnecessary.

Prioritizing Maintenance = Prioritizing Safety

When you prioritize the continued maintenance of your vehicle, you’re also prioritizing the safety of yourself and everyone you share the road with.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), drivers should “complete a daily written post-trip inspection report at the end of each driving day.” This strategy not only helps each driver become familiar with the ins-and-outs of their vehicle but also ensures they preemptively identify and resolve issues “which could affect the safety of operation of the vehicle or result in a mechanical breakdown.”

The FMCSA also has an “Annual Vehicle Inspection Report” that provides a thorough outline of all the various pieces of truck driving equipment that need to be maintained at least once a year. This truck maintenance checklist covers things like:

Brake Systems
Coupling Devices
The Exhaust System
Fuel System
All Lighting Devices
Safe Loading
The Steering Mechanism
Suspension
Frame
Tires
Wheels and Rims
Windshield Wipers

Additionally, each of the above areas listed has several sub-sections that require check-ups and maintenance as well. For example, the FMCSA says that brake system maintenance also involves checking on the brake drums, rotors, air compressors, vacuum systems, warning devices, and more.

What Does Comprehensive Truck Maintenance Look Like?

Here at Lily Transportation, we prioritize safety in everything we do. Our fleet is exclusively comprised of brand new or late model trucks—including Kenworth, Volvo, and Freightliner trucks—that we continuously maintain and service to guarantee the safety, efficiency, and comfort of our drivers on the road. We’re proud of our equipment and we value the lives of our drivers.

We also provide our drivers with a Driver Safety Program to help ensure we’re always operating in the safest manner possible. Our program rewards drivers with Quarterly and Annual bonuses and incentives for safe operating practices and equips them with onboard safety equipment in their vehicles.

There’s no single way to prioritize the maintenance and upkeep of your truck. But there are standards and regulations in place to help keep you and everyone else on the road safe. At Lily, we walk our fleet daily and train our drivers to look for potential safety hazards which they can quickly escalate to their manager or the corporate office for repair.

If you’re a truck driver, you’ll want to drive with a company that prioritizes the maintenance of your truck equipment—it could mean the difference between life and death. With a carrier like Lily Transportation, you can be confident in your truck’s ability to get you where you need to go in a safe and timely manner.

How Lily Transportation Prioritizes Driver Wellness

One of the most prominent trends in the trucking industry right now centers on driver wellness. As the industry continues to grow and recruit new drivers, carriers across the country are making strides toward a better, healthier trucker culture.

Here at Lily Transportation, our drivers are family, and we take care of our family. Here are some of the most crucial ways that our company prioritizes driver wellness:

Communication is Key

Employee wellness programs are built around trust and communication. You want your drivers to know how valuable they are, and one of the many ways to show them is to provide a variety of wellness programs.

“While there is no single best way to design a workplace wellness program,” Heavy Duty Trucking says, “launching various driver-health oriented initiatives can help fleets cut the cost of healthcare as well as life and disability insurance, reduce turnover and boost recruitment.”

One of the ways that Lily promotes driver wellness is via communication boards installed at the distribution centers our truck drivers pull into. These “boards” display weekly wellness tips and focus on topics like healthy eating, better hydration, quick-and-easy exercises, stress management, and more.

Implementing healthy habits into the already busy truck driver schedule can seem daunting. But there are plenty of ways that drivers can sneak a healthy meal or even some quick exercises for truck drivers into their daily routine.

Build a Positive Trucker Culture

Culture is crucial to any company’s success. Building a positive culture in an industry involving so much travel might sound like a stretch, but it doesn’t have to be! “‘We find that when companies adopt wellness programs it becomes part of their culture,’” a truck driver professional said to Heavy Duty Trucking. “‘In addition to promoting healthy living and a longer driving career, wellness programs can definitely add to a company’s family atmosphere.’”

Just because your drivers don’t spend much time in the office doesn’t mean you can’t support a positive, healthy trucker culture with them. At Lily, for example, as part of our employee wellness programs, we host regular Quarterly Wellness Challenges—supported by our healthcare provider, Blue Cross/Blue Shield. These challenges award drivers with “Safety Points” for driving safely and prioritizing wellness on the road.

Anything a carrier can do, no matter how small, to support and encourage its drivers to stay healthy and safe on the road will pay off in the long run. “By implementing driver-oriented wellness programs,” TruckingInfo.com says, “fleets are likely to see accident rates drop, which lowers operating costs and liability exposure. And driver satisfaction goes up, which cuts turnover and attracts new hires.”

Driver Wellness is a Journey, Not a Destination

Promoting driver wellness isn’t one of the passing trends in the trucking industry. Instead, it’s a journey that carriers and their drivers should embark on together, striving toward new developments and improvements.

Better driver health and wellness doesn’t happen overnight. When trucking wellness is built into the culture of a company—like it is at Lily—it’s only a matter of time before drivers and their carriers start to experience genuine progress and success.