The health stipulations for truckers are just as stringent. Any drop in health indices would mean she loses her license or at best, gets recertified every year. The looming threat of annual medical exams that can choke off their livelihood, puts pressure on truck drivers to manage the perils of their sedentary lifestyle that result from long hours of driving.
A typical meal includes rotis made from spelt flour, daal, saag, and dahi. He also packs several herbal remedies and healthy snacks such as ginger, turmeric, honey, dry nuts, prunes, dates, figs, homemade gluten-free cookies, Metamucil, and plenty of warm water.
Long haul truck drivers in the U. A pilot study on health and safety for truckers, published by the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that commercial truck drivers have a 50 percent higher risk of developing diabetes compared to the general population and that 87 percent of truck drivers have hypertension or prehypertension.
As a double whammy, South Asians have four to fivefold higher risk for Type 2 diabetes compared to other Asian migrant groups. This means South Asian truck drivers are particularly at high risk when it comes to illnesses that become more likely with sedentary jobs.
Irregular eating habits and dehydration further strain the system. As truckers are paid by the mile, every restroom stop costs precious time. Bedi is always worried about taking restroom breaks and therefore restricts the intake of much needed fluids to stay hydrated. This is a common practice and leads to more instances of voiding dysfunction, infertility, urolithiasis, bladder cancer, and urinary infections as compared to nonprofessional drivers as explained in a report from the Department of Urology, NYU Langone Medical Center.
Knowing the health risks stacked against them, the desi truckers are increasingly health conscious in their food choices while on the road. Randhwa's training in nutrition comes in handy as she plans for her time on the road. When driving her truck, she carries subzis or vegetable curries for her meals. She wraps the chapatis or flatbreads individually in airtight packs to keep them fresh longer.
It holds a mini refrigerator, a microwave, and a bed to lay on. When Raja Sekhon embarks on his five-day journey carrying a cargo of fresh produce across the U.
Randhwa is vegetarian when on the road and thinks that most Punjabi truck drivers too are largely vegetarian while driving. Sikhism, the religion of majority of Punjabi truck drivers, stipulates preference for a vegetarian diet.
We find long lines of truckers at Subway ordering a vegetarian sandwich. Unfortunately, being vegetarian further limits their food-stop choices on the road, so drivers pack nutritious meals before leaving home.
On a ten to fifteen-day road journey, there always comes a time when drivers exhaust their stash of food and have to buy meals. This is where the driver must make informed choices. Fortunately, the dhabas now offer healthier choices. Saini, 44, was once a truck driver himself, but health problems forced him to find another way to support his family. The oil we use is cold press, the vegetables are non-GMO and organic, the flatbreads are made with whole wheat flour, and the food is portable.
Sometimes this disappoints our clients, but we stay with a limited menu that is sourced locally. To counter the stiffness and lack of blood circulation on account of hours of nonstop seating while driving, the health-conscious Punjabi drivers are finding their own unique solutions to working out while on a long haul. Gurjeet prefers a walk at every stop, making sure to cover a few miles.
As a female driver, security is a concern for her. So, she does not wander too far from the truck, but instead circles her foot long truck, carving out her own track.
Sekhon too makes it a point to walk an hour each day that he drives. Besides, he also uses the stepping machine and dumbbells he carries in the truck. It is my responsibility to stay fit. As the ability to access and monitor healthcare on the road is crucial to the health of the Punjabi truckers, they increasingly use telemedicine to stay healthy on the road and meet their licensing requirements.
This had so far been a bottleneck to seamless healthcare access. NAPTA wants to ensure that the truckers have access to pharmacy anywhere, and medication can be prescribed to the pharmacy closest to the driver.
The new criteria allows the driver to video call his doctor from anywhere. From the uneducated Punjabi truckers referenced by Balvinder Singh Saini, and well-educated and qualified ones like Gurjeet Kaur Randhwa and Raja Sekhon, to enterprising owners who run flourishing trucking companies with dozens of trucks; trucking in America attracts a panorama of profiles of Punjabis.
Just like Gujarati Patels who started out in the hospitality industry as minions owning small mom and pop motels, and have now become influencers and leaders in the hospitality industry, Punjabis vested in trucking have come a long way in the industry. Following is a partial list of dhabas in the U. Enjoyed reading Khabar magazine?
Subscribe to Khabar and get a full digital copy of this Indian-American community magazine. Home Magazine Community News Events. Click here. By Ritu Marwah. Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Three Punjabis currently hold cabinet portfolios in Canada's central government and the premier of British Columbia, Ujjal Singh Dosanjh, is a first generation Punjabi who was born in a dusty village in East Punjab.
At the other end of the spectrum are Indian and Pakistani Punjabi taxicab drivers who largely own and operate the cab business in all major metropolitan areas of North America. Many of them will eventually move up the socio-economic ladder by purchasing a gas station or a motel with their savings from a few years of hard labour. Throughout Canada and in many parts of the United Sates, a large number of Punjabi radio and TV programmes keep the airwaves humming with Punjabi music.
Some, like Radio Geet Sangeet Watsonville, California , a hour satellite Punjabi radio, provide a variety of programmes from religious themes to the latest trends in Bhangra. Others, like the daily Punjabi show hosted by Bali Deol a. Lady B from Vancouver, are dedicated to the promotion of undiluted love of the Punjabi language and music.
Almost all major universities have academic programmes for Southeast Asian religions, cultures and languages. The main Punjabi literary organizations in North America surpass most of their counterparts in East and West Punjab in their zeal to promote the Punjabi language.
Through publishing Punjabi books and magazines, producing stage plays and entertainment shows, organizing kavi darbars, seminars, Punjabi conferences and a wide range of other literary activities, they are playing an important role in the development of Punjabi language.
While successfully adapting to an alien environment, Punjabis in North America have maintained their language, culture, religion and other aspects of their identity. Like the pioneers of a hundred years ago whose nationalism was far more intense then Indians living in the subcontinent, they have a uniquely strong attachment to their language and culture.
Many among them are perhaps more Punjabi then the Punjabis living back home, who compliantly disregard their language in West Punjab and are surrendering it to Hindi and English in East Punjab.
Boparai Transport was incorporated in Be it a large shipment or a small package, the company takes equal care of every kind and delivers every shipment as per the commitment.
Ever since its inception, Shergill Transport Ltd has been at the forefront of the trucking industry of the US. It has been consistently providing top-class trucking services to its customers, spread all across the country. Read next:. List of top Trucking Companies in Chattanooga: Transportation companies form the backbone of every economy. Your email address will not be published.
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