Ferro Walks With Truckers to Promote Health at Annual MATS Event
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Anne Ferro walked the grounds of the Kentucky Exposition Center with truck drivers here Friday as part of an annual walking event designed to promote drivers’ health.
It was the fourth time the 1.5-mile walk has been organized as part of the Mid-America Trucking Show, and Ferro has participated in the past, said Rick Ash, chairman of the Trucking Solutions Group, which organizes the event.
“The importance of driver health and wellness cannot be overstated,” Ferro said. “To safely operate a large truck or bus demands unbroken concentration and expertise, conditions that depend upon being healthy and well-rested.
“I commend the groups that are helping truck and bus drivers see that healthy living, eating right and staying active are within our control,” she added.
Ash said “the whole idea is to get drivers up out of the seats of their trucks and realize that it doesn’t take a long time to get out there and get some exercise and live a healthier lifestyle.
“They’ve got long days every day and it’s hard to eat well and exercise well. This is a chance to get together as a group, show support for each other and get healthy,” he told Transport Topics.
Ash said about 52 people participated in the walk.
TravelCenters of America worked with TSG to organize the 2013 walk, said Joan O’Clair, a TA spokeswoman.
“We’re really trying to be out front with driver health and wellness, and partnering with them was just kind of a natural thing,” O’Clair said.
