How do you deal with stress...

Aren't they all?

 

You don't stress.

Appts gone bad? Call in make a new one. Do not move a inch (Especially if you are out of hours or almost so) don't ever arrive late without calling your dispatcher in advance, the moment you know you are late. Chances are, dispatch ALREADY knows.

Tired? Get some sleep.

Weather? Pace yourself. Gather as much knowledge about it as possible. Sometimes we fill these forums with weather. Then work around the worst of it.

Anything else that bothers you? Fix it and keep on trucking. But don't sit there and stress.

Early in my years I was seriously stressed with a BP to match. Later on I quit stressing and gone the other way. Laziness has nothing to do with it. It's a series of problems that will be fixed so the load comes off and go get the next one with no yelling.

Last time a dispatcher yelled at me in 2000, about a year before I stopped OTR, I asked him you get it off your chest now? Are we done with the drama? Let's get that new appointment time please.

He exploded. What came over the phone was essentially gibberish. Took me 200 miles to quit laughing. That dispatcher I did not see again. Maybe the company fixed him and gave me a better dispatcher.

Speaking of dispatchers... I remember three in particular. I will drive into the gates of hell for them if they ask. The rest of them? Poor things. So unhappy and stressed.

 

A good mary will always reduce your stress

 

Young tight female.

 

I use to have terrible stress until I discovered road rage, life is beautiful now

 

I always pray when i get tested or stressed out while driving. Its hard to remember to stay calm and pray at first, but after awhile it gets easier. Some days are still a struggle, but praying gives me a peace that nothing else can. It really helps, you aughta try it.

 

First of all, learning how things work out here will take some time. Don't be hard on yourself or expect too much from yourself so soon. Every truck driver started out right where you're at.
One of the most important things you need to remember is that if you get into an accident, you are the one that is responsible. Not your dispatcher not the owner of the truck but you. What that translates to is you have the final say so on when that truck moves as long as you are the driver of that truck.

Take a deep breath.
Take time out for some exercise even if it's just walking around the truck stop. There are great apps on the phone for helping you stay in shape
when your resources are limited.

Another important thing to remember is to try and use your head before you move the truck.
There are countless videos on YouTube of drivers that got into a pickle, were too proud to ask for help and they made a bad situation much worse. I've been out here for 37 years and just last week I made a turn on a road that I thought was going to take me to Interstate 78 and instead it dead-ended into a cemetery. Hahahaha
I didn't know anyone who was buried there so rather than back down the street on my own I called the police to assist me. I hope I didn't get too far off the topic.

Oh and by the way, after you're out here long enough backing a trailer up will be just like brushing teeth.
Give yourself a break. We can't control what happens out here but we can control how we react to the situation.

 

Work part-time (7days on/7 days 0ff) or casual. That'll give you time to enjoy life outside of trucking. OTR full time is not for everybody. And last but not least, don't try to be like everybody else. Drive your way. If you feel like you cannot drive on snow, stay put until roads are clear. You don't like driving on mountains? Try the southeast. I guess what I am trying to say is that you can avoid stress and have a healthy lifestyle while being a trucker.

Peace

 

There is no better way to release stress than a...

 

Pretty expensive...but worth every penny.