Life as a truck driver is an adventure on the road, and having someone to share that adventure with is the best.

Long hours on the road can be pretty lonely and that’s why many drivers have considered taking their pets on the road with them.

They provide excellent companionship and can be perfect replacement for the feeling of human touch.

Here are the benefits of trucking with pets.

1. Health Benefits

• People with pets often experience greater health benefits than those without pets.
• Lower stress results in a happier and safer driver.
• People with pets have lower blood pressure in stressful situations than those without pets.
• Playing with a dog, cat, or other pet can elevate levels of serotonin and dopamine, which calm and relax.
• Pet owners have lower triglyceride and cholesterol levels.
• Heart attack patients with pets survive longer than those without.

2. Lifestyle Changes

• Increase exercise: Taking a dog for a walk, hike, or run are fun and rewarding ways to fit healthy daily exercise into your schedule.
• Add routine to the day: Having to feed, exercise and care for a pet can help you keep to a daily routine.
• Provide stress relief: Interacting with animals has been shown to decrease levels of cortisol – a stress-related hormone.
• Pets are great caregivers: Animals can serve as a source of comfort and support.

Further reading: Three Key Strategies For Drivers To Reduce Stress

3. Social Benefits

• Having a pet can help you meet new people. People love to talk about their pets. Travelling with pets is an instant conversation starter.
• Positive attention from others: Walking the dog at the truck stop can invite positive smiles from the people around. They would like to play with him and ask all sorts of questions.

4. Mental Health

• Increased empathy: Research shows that having a pet makes others more empathetic towards you.
• Less likely to suffer from depression: Having someone to love you so unconditionally is heartwarming.
• Reduce anxiety: The companionship of a pet can help to ease your anxiety.
• Reduce aggression: Caring for animal requires a lot of patience so it`s natural for pet owners to become calmer and more patient than before.

5. Driving Benefits

• Increased driver retention rate: Drivers that have pets with them will be happier meaning they will be less likely to leave. If a company allows the driver to take their pet with them, it shows that the company cares about driver’s health. Drivers that feel cared for will stay with the company.
• Improved driver performance: Drivers are happier with their pets on the road leading them to make smarter driving decisions. They drive more cautious knowing that they have another living being in the truck and are less likely to be in an accident.

How to Travel With Your Pet?

1. Keep pets from wandering freely: Dogs should be strapped with safety belt or in a crate.

Cats should be in crates.

2. Provide a car seat for your pet: The pet’s car seat offer a few benefits like: prevent the pet from prevent from slipping and sliding around; offers more room than a crate; prevents stains and keeps the seat clean; prevents damage on the interior of the truck.

3. Pets Should Stay Inside: Dogs enjoy hanging their head out of the window when driving.

But as much as that gives them satisfaction, it can also cause danger for them.

While driving with an increased speed, debris can fall into their eyes and do them harm.

That’s why the pets need to be inside the truck.

4. Make Sure Pets Are Easily Identified: Pets should have collars with their name, ID tags or chips so they can be easily found and returned to the owner.

5. Keep Pets Nearby: When truck drivers get out of the truck, they need to make sure their pet is on a leash so they can prevent them from running away.

6. Don’t Leave Them: The indoor cab temperature is one of the most important issues when you drive with your pet.

It can rise by up to 20 degrees Fahrenheit in 10 minutes and 40 degrees in an hour.

Pets shouldn’t be left alone in the truck without air flowing.

It can be deadly for them especially on hot weather.

7. Block access to the cab’s driver area, especially the pedals.

8. Find safe, tightly sealed storage for trash, food, medicine, and other items the pet is not allowed to eat.

9. Always have lots of fresh water available.

Keep it out at all times – in a spill proof bowl, so your pet can drink anytime.

Drivers who travel with their pets say they are happier and more focused with their furry friends along for the ride.

We know the benefits of having a pet and we are pet friendly company.

Is your pet ready to become a member of our trucking family?