The Seven-Day DOT Crash Plan

This is the week you don't wing it. Follow every step, in order. No cheat meal, no "just one beer," no skipped walk. You get seven days to move the needle. Then you sit down and let the cuff say what the week said.

Day 1 — Reset

• Empty the cab. Every energy drink, every jerky bag, every soda. Gone.
• Buy a gallon jug of water and a 32 oz insulated bottle.
• Log your morning BP, weight, and (if diabetic) glucose in FreightFit.
• 20-minute walk at your first fuel stop.

Day 2 — Sodium cut

• Under 2,000 mg sodium all day. Read every label.
• Grilled chicken breast at the truck stop, no gravy, no salt add-on.
• Water: a gallon before you're back in the sleeper.

Day 3 — Sleep dial

• In the sleeper by 9 p.m. No phone in bed.
• 7 hours minimum. Set the alarm; don't rely on waking up naturally.
• If you use CPAP, run it. Every hour under counts.

Day 4 — Movement multiplier

• 20-minute walk at every fuel stop (usually 3-4 stops).
• 5-minute mobility flow before you climb up into the cab.
• Cut caffeine to two cups today. Zero after noon.

Day 5 — Zero garbage

• No fried, no packaged, no sweet. Every meal a plate you'd send a picture of.
• Eggs and fruit for breakfast. Grilled protein + vegetable + grain for lunch and dinner.
• Continue water and walks.

Day 6 — Lock it in

• Log the morning number. If it's the target, celebrate quietly and keep going.
• Zero alcohol from this point until after the exam.
• One cup of coffee, one bottle of water for every hour of drive.

Day 7 — Morning of

• Water. No coffee. No energy drink.
• Empty your bladder before you sit down.
• Sit five minutes with feet flat before they cuff you.
• If the first reading is high, ask for a second. Your right, every time.
• Bring the med card app open and the CPAP SD card (if applicable).

After the exam

Don't unclench. The habit is the point. The card is 24 months if you got the two-year. The plan you just ran is the reason. Keep the water, keep the walk, keep the sleep. Come back next time with the same reading, twice as easy.