At Christmas 2012, Prime Driver James Peters weighed 340 lbs. He enrolled in Prime’s Driver Health and Fitness Program weighing 282.8 lbs. and finished at 257 lbs. Today, James drives at a slender 225 lbs. He is just one of the examples of hundreds of Prime drivers who have committed to improving their health.
“We just finished our April Walk Run Challenge and Steve Thorkveen was the winner with 195 miles. This month, we have our May Bicycle Challenge and in August we have our Fittest of the Fleet competition. Drivers like Jerry and Cathy Byrd are competing in 5k races, Crystal Logan just finished the Tough Mudder event in Chicago, and Jeff Schmid, Mario Almendarez and Matt Buchanan finished the half-distance triathlon relay at the Revolution 3 Knoxville race,” said Driver Health and Fitness Coach Siphiwe Baleka. “Our drivers have gone way beyond just losing 10 lbs. They are coming off medication and changing to a fitness lifestyle while on the road.”
In addition to the 13-week fitness coaching program, Prime offers its drivers the Montague Paratrooper fold-up mountain bike and other fitness products in the company store. According to Baleka, “Robert Low made a commitment to improving the quality and longevity of life for his drivers. We do everything we can to give them the best equipment, the best safety training, and the best opportunities to stay healthy on the road. Our drivers are changing the image of the American truck driver and proving that you can have an active lifestyle while delivering the nation’s freight.”
Baleka, a former Prime driver himself, leads by example. This past weekend, he competed in the United States Masters Swimming 2014 Spring National Championships in six events, earning three top ten finishes.
