What are the biggest difficulties and hurdles with trucking?

Environment trumps will.

If you like to be warm, and dress warm as possible, if you are living outside in the Artic, eventually you’ll get cold.

Notice all the negative responses? For the most part, the trucking industry is negative. Bad environment. As soon as you enter the school, negative people will try to make you negative also. Their entire conversation is negative. Every subject imaginable is negative.

If you are entering the industry with strong work ethic and a positive mindset, beware. Avoid negative people with their negative conversations.

Luck in battle.

 

Agreed on the negativity, and its easy to get caught in. For the most part the job is easy as hell, yes there is always things you are going to need to learn to negotiate and handle. I run the same pace no matter what, I never get to flustered but the parking thing does get me going sometimes, since I run mostly nights I just wait until 4am to find a place to park.

 

You can’t smoke weed anymore and pop pills to keep you awake.

 

Well, he DID ask about the difficulties, which to me, ARE the negatives.

Personally, I tend towaŕd negative, and have to exert myself mentally to reach the positivity necessary to function in thìs industry.

 

I think the biggest barrier is the psychological part. Everyone more often than not come into trucking bug eyed and bushy tailed. They see what looks pretty, the open road, the money, etc. All of it looks good til you miss the first Christmas, anniversary, child's birthday, or whatever big moment. That's what makes drivers quit before the first year is over. The loneliness factor some drivers feel, most are not tough enough to plow through those feelings and understand the nature of trucking. It's a lot of sacrifice and you're going to give up everything for an entire country of people that really don't give a #### about your sacrifice.
@TripleSix has great advice in post 21. When i began in the industry, a veteran driver told me to stay out of the truck stops. Get fuel, food, showers, that's it. If you hang around the truck stops and talk to too many drivers, many of those jaded ones can potentially influence your views on trucking. Make sure you harden your heart and your mentality, and see the best parts of trucking. That way, you'll have longevity.

 

Everyone above has made some valid points and most have given some good advice. Just realize it's a job. Treat it as such. You aren't out there on vacation exploring new places. Although you will occasionally get that chance. The majority of your time will be mile after mile of blacktop, truckstops and shipping docks. ( depending on the wagon you pull) Trucking can be good to you , or it can ruin you. It all depends on what you make of it. For me the toughest part was being away from the family. Trucking ain't for everyone.

 

For me I have issues with sleeping that have existed throughout my life and also have a family history of cardiovascular issues, before I got into trucking I was diagnosed with hypertension. I regularly have chest pains around my heart from driving the truck and unless I take some very strong sleeping pills I very rarely get a full night's sleep. I'm constantly feeling exhausted and burnt out. Aside from that the trucks that my company provides for me to drive are very old with high miles and they have a myriad of different issues, not to mention that they ride very rough and constantly shake in the cab and steering column.

Sometimes I just want to quit but as of right now I'm just working to try to get a better job and thankfully there are plenty of places around me that are hiring but for the time being I'm pretty happy with where I'm at and the company is trying to get me a new truck as soon as possible. There is just so much uncertainty in the industry right now but if you actually have a stable position, like I do which is why might just stick with what I've got because I might not be able to get into something better quite frankly, it may be worse trying to do something else because you think the grass will be greener.

 

Finding parking , to me everything else is very easy.

As far as getting sleepy it's an easy fix for me. Turn up loud AC/DC music ... that particular band for some reason makes me instantly wide awake and feeling great.

 

Finding a decent starting company that doesn't screw you over. So many small mom and pops that have defective trucks, expect you to make deliveries after DOT hours, and dont care when you get hit with a violation and then fire you.. because they can find a new driver for low pay within a couple days.

 

Good list. But I'll address 2 of them.
I get other trucks doing the quick cut over after passing. As if their doing the folks behind them a favor at my expense.
Petro still has pretty good sit downs like iron skillet. Alot of interesting stuff in them compared to loves, where I have to go for fuel and free showers.