Truckies get in-cabin gym set

Making drivers sweat is not something truckmakers set out to do. But Freightliner is bucking that trend with a new feature that promises to turn a truck’s sleeper cab into a mobile gym. It’s called the Freightliner in Cab Training (FIT) system and was launched this week at the Mid America Truck Show in Louisville Kentucky.

Truck drivers know all too well the challenge of staying fit and working long hours, sitting most of the time and putting up with an often-sporadic timetable. Then there is the lack of facilities. It’s not like drivers can go for a nice run around a park or pop into the gym.

The FIT system is, like most good ideas, simple. It uses rubber resistance bands that are tied down to hooks at the bottom of the rear of the seats and on the wall of a sleeper cab. The hooks just slip in under the nut like a washer. This means the driver can close the curtains, pump up some music and get a workout.

The FIT system was developed by Freightliner and American fitness company, Snap Fitness, which sent its development man, Sean Mohr, to demonstrate. Mohr says the fitness bands might be simple, but allow for a pretty serious workout.

“Some people say you can’t get a good cardio workout with bands,” he says, before crouching down and springing up into a star jump and then back down again. A few minutes of that would tire all but the fittest person. He says truck drivers don’t have to do a lot of exercise to benefit from the FIT system.

“If you hurt your shoulder, which is common for truck drivers because they haul themselves into the cab, they can do a very light and easy motion with one of the bands as an effective form of rehab.” Freightliner will sell the FIT kits for around $70 in the US and it plans to offer it in overseas markets in time. Customers will also have access to a range of instructional stories and videos from Freightliner.