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August 8, 2000 9:25 AM, EDT

Disaster struck John Miller the last week in June. The St. Louis-based owner-operator leased to PBX Inc. collapsed after pulling his trailer up to a loading dock in Raleigh, N.C. Fellow drivers helped him back into the cab of his truck and called 911.

Doctors in Raleigh discovered a malignant brain tumor and quickly concluded it was inoperable. Now Miller, husband and father of two young children, is back in St. Louis where he is preparing to undergo aggressive cancer treatment. He has no health insurance. His wife has applied for Medicaid and appealed for help from community and trucking organizations.

Robert Southerland, Miller’s uncle and a truck driver himself for 40 years, says his nephew was hard-pressed to cover his expenses and probably could not afford insurance.

Miller’s situation is hardly unique.

While most trucking companies provide some kind of health insurance to employee drivers, a large percentage of owner-operators and small fleet operators find it increasingly difficult to afford coverage.

For the full story, see the Aug. 7 print edition of Transport Topics. .