how do you stay positive..?

You're trying to work to hard is what it boils down to. This industry cares very little about wasted time on the driver's end. It's all part of the job. Sure you may get 70 hours a week to work, but that doesn't mean you're going to work them, even if you want to. It gets better somewhat when you control your schedule, but there are times that you unwillingly waste time as well. You need to relax a bit. When you're being dispatched, you have very little control, which means there is very little you can change. Stressing and getting mad about things you can't change will only leave you stressed out and angry. Your attitude can be seen in a large percentage of new drivers, and one of the reasons so many quit. It is what it is. Good luck.

 

I used to let things get me down and bum me out. Then I just remember what my grandfather always told me

"Worse #### happens to better people every day"

 

My Grandpa used to say "Quit whining. Go back outside and finish shoveling the dog crap."

 

Try a different part of the industry. Heavy haul, line haul day cab, dedicated, contract mail, private carrier. The last two are the best, imho. Change it up.

 

Being at the mercy of dispatchers and load planners whom couldn't care less about your well being is tough. Once you go independent you can largely eliminate that. I'm glad to be in a position where I can let the truck sit for a couple of days if I don't have freight, instead of being forced dispatched to the bowels of hell. Since you've been doing it awhile now, you know who is good to haul for, so when you go O/O you can aim to run the lanes which service your favorite shippers. Even as a company driver you can start planting that seed with those favorite shippers now, letting them know that you hope to run for them when you go O/O.

 

With that kind of schedule mndriver,it's not easy to stay positive.I could understand once in a great while the sitting,but on a continal basis,I think i'd be getting a tad bit frustrated.Brokers should be getting on the customers for you the driver sitting so much but they don't because they're not the ones that have to sit and wait.

 

It doesn't matter WHAT you do, you will have bad days. Some people PAY to play golf and have days that they want to wrap their clubs round a tree and throw the bag in the river. If you love what your doing on the good days, at least you are not PAYING to do it on the bad ones.

 

If you are working just to work, then it is easy to get disappointed. Set yourself a goal and work towards it. Even if your progress seems slow at times, it is still progress. The people around me think that they got me pegged. But, these people think too small. They look at today, wheras I'm thinking big....a story I think about every day:

There was a benefit put together for the owner of a company. After dinner, it was expected of the man to give a speech. So, this little old man walked up to the platform.
Little old man: "I knew you would do this, so I prepared a demonstration". The curtain was withdrawn, and there was a steel girder running the length of the stage. Suspended from that beam was a wrecking ball. The little old man told the audience that he needed three volunteers, at which, three strapping young men came to the stage. The first man pushed on the ball for awhile, gave up and went and sat down. The second and the third did likewise...

The little old man said: "Now, I'm going to show you the secret to my success". He took off his shirt and went up to the ball and started pushing against the ball. And he kept pushing..
And people from the audience were yelling things like" Somebody stop him, he's going to hurt himself". Another said " He can't do that". On an on the things people were saying..and the little man kept pushing...and pushing..
And then someone yelled "It moved" !! it didn't move but just a hair. Then it swung back and the man pushed again. Not too long after that, the little old man had the ball swinging from one side of the stage to the other. He walked up to the stage and said " Now stop it".
Temptinfates

 

NLP by Richard Bandler & John Grinder. No one can get you down, you do it to yourself, so stop it!