2013 was a Bad Year

I'm a complete n00b, and even *I* can see that you need to find another company to drive for.

 

If I flip my sleep to quickly to deliver on time, after I'm empty, I tell them I'm taking the rest of the day off. Sure I may lose miles that week. But at the end of the year I'm still alive.

if I'm broke down all day, even though legally I have hours after spending all day off duty. I call it a day.

I don't merge into a vehicle beside me. Heck, I'll stop and get over when it's clear.

i slow down if I get tailgated in a construction zone.

i drive slow thru towns.

i run legal, good equipment and legal weights.

sure I may not run the miles most do. But at the end of the year, I'm AOK with my W2 and I have no CSA points.

What was the question ?

 

Maybe a career change.. Seems like ya need to get your health in order, first and foremost.

 

You might be ###### since you were fired.
Maybe do a year with PTL.

 

OMG,

I don't want to sound like an ##### but I will no matter what.

YOU scale the truck no matter what ---> especially on a sealed load from UPS, FedEx or any other large company, it is your CDL at risk. YOU don't speed, they don't pay you to speed no matter what and if you have to stay awake to get your truck fixed, then you sleep right after that, not try to fight staying awake while driving.

 

First thing to do is relax. This to shall pass.

Sit yourself down and write a business plan for your life. Where do you want to me in a year, 3 years, 5 years, 10 years? How are you going to get there? Putting it on paper seems like a grade school thing to do but it helps.

Is trucking your first choice of jobs? If so, do you want to be a company driver or an owner operator?

Things happen but what you are describing as a "bad year" is simply minor problems to some of us. A scale ticket? Please.....did you learn something from that experience? If you did then it was an opportunity to increase your knowledge and therefore your value as a driver.
Your health should also be a wake up call to change something. Set a goal of losing one pound a month. You can do that by walking 30 minutes a day. Don't have time for that......I think the DOT provides a 30 minute time period each day. You do not have to lie down during your break. Walk around the rest area at a brisk pace.

Speeding tickets.....slow your butt down. No reason to rush. We are not carrying livers to be transplanted. Most of the time we get to the receiver or shipper and have to wait anyway. If they don't feel bad about making us wait, why should we.

Accidents. They happen. It is up to the traffic that is merging to figure out how to fit in with us. Washington State gives tickets out to trucks who pull over just to let folks merge.

Lots of your stress is self inflicted. Relax. Smell the Roses and all.

Now if you are going to ignore all this advice do me a favor and take out a life insurance policy and name me the beneficiary. You can look down on me from heaven and see how you should have lived.