What is the hardest thing about trucking

I just want to thank you for your honesty . I was really starting to thinkThat all drivers were jerks. About a month ago my husband I've Been with for 15 years left me and my two boys without even a phone callI supported him through 17 differnt driving jobs in the last 5 years.

 

No, not all of them, but there are a lot out there. And I think putting up with them is one major difficulty of getting into the trucking industry. I know a lot of people are annoyed at how many drivers keep their CBs off, and I'm one of them, but at the same time, I find it difficult to blame them, considering how typical CB chatter sounds.

 

Absolutely, and don't be a female driver. Then the CB nonsense gets worse. I only turn mine on when I see traffic or when at shippers/receivers. And love your quote!

 

The toughest thing? Self discipline. See, this job is supposed to be one where you manage yourself...in fact, thats the appeal. Without self discipline, you wind up in trouble. You trash around the house too long, you're late for delivery. Too many adult beverages and you crash. Too much food and youre big as hell. Too much spending and youre broke. Too much hard living and youre dead soon. Too much time in a truck without getting out and youre psycho. Too much time alone and youre holding up the fuel line trying to conversate with the cashier. Too much mouth and you lose your job or someone knocks your teeth out.

 

And of course the companies are also spouting the "DRIVER SHORTAGE!" nonsense too.

 

The worst thing in my mind is being a second class citizen. Rules and regulations both public and private discriminate against truckers. And the industry itself is at fault. No other business would ever say 70% turnover is a good rate, and when those rates hit 100% or greater, blame it on the employee, not themselves. Truck drivers exist for the exploitation by the companies (not all of course), a cash cow for the unscrupulous locality, and society in general has benefitted from the savings of our wage stagnation over the past 3 decades since deregulation.

 

Triple Six nailed it with Self discipline. You have to have self discipline to succeed in this industry. You also have to have a good attitude and a good sense of humor. Know how to detect sarcasm, because 99% of the drivers out there are very sarcastic. If you're easily offended, this isn't a job for you. This is even more prudent if you're a local city driver.

 

For me it's the old miles are king mentality. With the technological advances available there is no reason why any driver should have to stay out for weeks at a time and run like a beat mule to scratch out a living.

"Run me, Run me, Run me" Is what I keep hearing drivers say and I find myself wondering am I the only one saying "Pay me, Pay me, Pay me".

 

Jseney12078, that was beautiful. Whenever I'm driving, I'll always remember what you said.

 

Triplesix and Ghostrider both said it, the hardest thing is discipline. Without it, you get the short end of the stick all the time. By learning how to get into good habits and how to break bad habits, you will go farther than you think you could ever go.

One of the other hard things about this business is learning to say "no" and actually following through. With that is knowing your limits and when to stop, maybe for a 10 hour break or dealing with an idiot dispatcher.