CharlesD
Expert Expediter
I did something recently that has been saving me some money on showers, and hopefully getting me in better shape as well. I joined a gym. The reason was because my Sprinter should be the only thing in my business with a spare tire and I finally figured I need to do something about that. My first concern was finding one that is nationwide, since in our line of work we are rarely in one place all the time (unless you're waiting for a load in Laredo) and I wanted to be able to find a facility no matter where I happen to be.
I went to one close to my house that looked pretty nice and when I asked if they are nationwide I was told that they are regional, but that they are members of IHRSA, an alliance of health clubs that honor one another's memberships. Some members charge you a nominal fee and some let you in for nothing. You go on a web site and type in the city you're in and it comes up with all the clubs that are members in that area.
Here's the good part. Since I got the membership a month ago, I have been to 4 other gyms outside of my home town when I'm on the road. Each of those times I got in free for the day and each of those times I of course made good use of the shower when I was finished. That's 4 showers I would have otherwise paid around $10 for because I was in areas that didn't have Flying J. My membership is $40 a month. It doesn't take a genius to see where I'm going here. My membership has paid for itself in the last month just with the showers alone, and hopefully I'm getting myself in better shape as well. It's worth looking into, not just for van drivers. I'll speak for myself when I say that people in our line of work could always use more exercise, and this sure beats walking around the truck stop parking lot.
I went to one close to my house that looked pretty nice and when I asked if they are nationwide I was told that they are regional, but that they are members of IHRSA, an alliance of health clubs that honor one another's memberships. Some members charge you a nominal fee and some let you in for nothing. You go on a web site and type in the city you're in and it comes up with all the clubs that are members in that area.
Here's the good part. Since I got the membership a month ago, I have been to 4 other gyms outside of my home town when I'm on the road. Each of those times I got in free for the day and each of those times I of course made good use of the shower when I was finished. That's 4 showers I would have otherwise paid around $10 for because I was in areas that didn't have Flying J. My membership is $40 a month. It doesn't take a genius to see where I'm going here. My membership has paid for itself in the last month just with the showers alone, and hopefully I'm getting myself in better shape as well. It's worth looking into, not just for van drivers. I'll speak for myself when I say that people in our line of work could always use more exercise, and this sure beats walking around the truck stop parking lot.
