Obesity on the road

If you have ever stopped at a truckstop while on a long trip, I'm sure you have noticed the average run of truck drivers helping themselves to typical fare.  They look like poster children for the "super size" menu most of these places feature.  Now, it is worse than ever, with plenty of 350 lb. plus men and women hoisting themselves into their rigs.  The health problems facing these truckers and the insurance penalties being assessed on the trucking companies are finally forcing healthier habits.  Or at least attempts at fostering better eating and more excercise.  So says an upbeat article in today's NYT.  Unfortunately, human nature will probably sabotage most of the resolutions made by the drivers.  The reason they got obese in the first place will not go away.  Long distance driving is tiring work, albeit not physically challenging.  Even though you only burn a thousand calories while driving 5-700 miles per day, you still crave the large sit down dinner at the end of the day, not to mention the easily accessible snacks at fuel stops.  They can add up to 5000 calories  per day.  After driving nine or ten hours, it is hard to picture these knights of the road power walking around  a Flying J truck stop for an hour.  Especially when most of their peers are piling their plates with burritos, hotdogs and other fatty fare.  It will probably take a spectacular accident caused by an obese driver with a heart attack to really grab the attention of regulators and cause an industry wide revolution attitudes.