How to deal with anxiety about losing your CDL?

Ive had this same conversation with other drivers at work. This is a career that a couple of seconds of not paying attention, can take your whole career.

But being concerned isn't necessarily a bad thing. Use it to stay defensive while driving. If you see something or someone that concerns you just slow down. If you have to take a off ramp and let the drivers pass then get back on the highway.

And hopefully you have some sort of a camera. To help protect yourself.

 

Having a crash will not cause you to lose your CDL. A DUI or an expired medical card will.

 

Protect yourself. One or more dash cams, they are dirt cheap if you buy them online. I bought one for every vehicle I have, the cams were maybe $8 and the memory cards $11. Now, I bought the cheapest that looked like it would work... I don't recommend this. I have plugged them into my computer to verify they are recording and saving files.

 

Being anxious about potentially real possibilities is not something you want to have go away.

But by the same token, being overly worried all the time about it is just as bad or worse.

Take a cue from the stoics and bhuddism as a life philosophy amd that may help some. The cliffs notes below arent as helpful as reading siddartha or marcus aurelius and reflecting on them.
Stoics - do everything YOU can do to not be that statistic, and its no use worrying about the things you cant

Bhuddism - take time to try and still your mind and reflect on simply being (commonly called meditation, almost every religion has some version of this, it need not be in a mountain temple retreat)

 

Continue to drive defensively each day. Control what you can and practice situation awareness.

 

If you become so stressed from this anxiety that you overcompensate from the fear, it is time to find another line of work,

 

I was not planning to phrase my comment like you did! However, you did catch the essence of my thoughts on this subject!

 

Kind of funny you mention this, I had no remorse whatsoever when I did not renew my CDL, after 40 years upon moving to Co. I had the same fears you have, even though, I had a perfect driving record, my luck was sure to run out. Today, more than ever, it's absolutely a numbers game, and I got out because it's not a matter of if, but when. I read, car crash deaths are at an all time high, 42,000 in the US last year, highest in 20 years. Kind of odd that coincides with the introduction of the cell phone. They didn't say why, but it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to say it's because of distracted driving, and that won't go away anytime soon. Dash cam is a must, and a deer guard bumper might help too, but today defensive driving just isn't enough anymore, as distracted driving sends your defensive driving out the window. If it bothers you that much, and it should, get out now BEFORE something happens.

 

I took the easy way out. Started driving off road in the mountains during Winter. Hell you're more worried about rolling a truck over into a Canyon than some corndog in a car running into you. His problem not yours. CYA you can't fix stupid.