Driving anxiety for a new driver

Not uncommon in the beginning. Gets better with time. I think in the very early days, if you drive around 4 to 5 hours and you aren't exhausted, you're probably not doing something right. It simply takes more effort, focus and attention to drive a rig than a 4 wheeler. Most, if not all, of us take a few weeks or so to build up the necessary stamina to drive 8 to 11 hours a day in a rig. Just my opinion.
I was pretty stressed in the beginning of being a solo driver. That first month was stressful. I cried several times and thought earnestly about quitting. But, I hung in there. 2nd month was still bad, but not as bad. 3rd month stress definitely started to let up. Around the 6 month mark is when it started becoming actually enjoyable.
Also, in the beginning downgrades were very stressful. Thatnfeelijg of getting pushed down a hill by all the weight of the rig and cargo was extremely uncomfortable. I'd go down grades super slow. However, having gotten used to them, they no longer stress me. I still tend to go down grades slower than many, but I'm also usually heavier than most anyway. Grades are all about weight. The more you weigh, the slower you need to go down a grade to he safe.
Also, different drivers may stress over different things. Wind, ice and snow are stressful to me. But, traffic has never stressed me. I don't like traffic, but it doesn't stress me. I just doe dee doe along with it. Also other drivers shenanigans don't stress me either. I got a friend who's been driving as long as I have (we met at our CDL school) and he still gets stressed out by the stunts commonly done by 4 wheelers.
So, if you find an aspect that stresses you more than others, don't worry about it. Just don't go faster than you are comfortable with. Don't worry about being a nuisance to others. But, if, because of current weather and road conditions, you have to drive so slow you make yourself a hazard to others, time to park it until conditions improve.
Give it time. It doesn't come overnight, but it comes. Uave a bit of patience with yourself and don't give up!

 

One thing to try and do is force your brain to rationalize the anxiety. We learned this by accident with one of my kids. Anxiety is usually an overflow of runaway emotions driven by a reaction (if its not chemical, hormonal or trauma driven) to something the person feels is out of their control. We started getting them to THINK about the situation. Once they learned to concentrate on rationalizing "why or what is causing it" the concentration pushes the emotional reaction further back to being either manageable or completely gone. Kind of a balancing act. Acknowledge the anxiety. Ask yourself why, though all the things your imagination and emotions can come up with is possible- is it probable? Then as others have said, focus on your training, logical thinking and problem solving to redirect from emotional to rational, soon the brain will take over, force the imagination to redirect energy into solutions instead of meandering into "what if's" and letting the emotional run away. Has to be consciously and intentionally performed.
Again. Doesn't work for everyone but helped them through a lot.

 

I have been driving for 20 years and I still get anxious at times. Mostly when I head into big cities, especially NYC. Or new receivers will sometimes get my anxiety up.

For many years I never even knew what it was, I just chalked it up to nervousness. Couple of years ago I finally realized that I get anxiety sometimes.

Lucky for me it doesn’t happen too often. My wife suffers from it and takes medicine to help her cope with it, I hope to never get to where I would require medication.

Unfortunately I have to deliver to Boston City Hall with a 48’ trailer 5:30 am Wednesday morning which I am sure will cause me some anxiety. I just focus on the job at hand, rely on my experience and try not to think about it too much.

Good Luck!

 

It's normal until you get more confidence in yourself.
Your training is either insufficient or low quality. Or both.
You should repeat to yourself:

Anything a man can do, another man can do it to.
If it's related to trucking, no brain surgery involved.
Practice makes perfect. I strive for excellence.
I'll respect myself as a professional and I'll proudly represent a carrier.
I have so much to learn, 10 years might not be enough to know everything.
The secret to my success is to drive defensively.
I'm the Master & Commander of my ship and I'll let nobody push me.
I'm the last line of defense in protecting my record and my Carrier reputation.
If I fail, I may be the only one going to jail or graveyard.
If I fail, I'll be the first to blame myself for my poor choices.

I hope that other experienced drivers might join in and give you some advice.
It's up to you to understand it and follow it.
Good luck, driver.

 

I realize times have changed dramatically, but I could just hear my 1st boss, AND what my macho co-workers would say 40 years ago if I whined like that, I'd be out on my axx,, however,,however, that boss ( who lived to be 94) and most of those macho drivers are gone, and folks like me that aren't gone yet, can only shake our heads, this is whats become of trucking today.
I'm going to try and tastefully chew this person out, what were you thinking? It's like a neighbor who took a job in coal mine, and freaks out as they go down the shaft,,, what did you expect?
Now, I'm not a total old grump, yes, it can be very intimidating, and this should be a stern lesson for future wannabe truck drivers, you simply must have an interest in trucks, and have at least a shred of knowledge of trucking. It's very different than your cubicle office job, that the recruiter sent you images of "sunny days and dry vacant roads, and all drop and hook",,,and so on.
I'm sorry, not to be too harsh, we all had some anxiety at some point, but if you've had anxiety issues your whole life, jumping into an unfamiliar field of work, that's LOADED with anxiety, please, do something else before you kill someone,,,

 

Pray about it. Ask the one that calmed the sea, to calm your nerves. He is able.

 

Totally normal, there are also plenty of natural anti anxiety supplements. Ashwaganda is one, reishi powder. Avoid the caffeine. For me if I drink too much my jaw and neck stay tight. Exposure to just driving in what you hate will also settle you quicker than avoiding

 

This is the truth. I started out reefer, but I wised up. Plus there are no reefer outfits that pay as much as the top dry vans. It should be the other way around considering the extra effort.

 

I did reefer for 18 years, but I know how to deal with idiots. I can play their game and always win.