Will I ever break this mindset?

I did reefer & tanker. Tanker is less stress once you drive safely with the surge. Customers are nicer to tanker drivers.

 

You know, I was looking for a "smoking gun" as to the multi vehicle crash, and this person bolsters it to the max. Years ago, trucks were underpowered death traps, and you HAD to take it easy. Heck, some wouldn't even do the speed limit, and with bias-ply tires, iffy brakes and steering, it took real skill, not sitting in your cushy rolling apartment, foot on the dash, like it's a BMW. I hear some complain, "oh, a vibration",,please, older trucks shook like a leaf on a tree, it actually kept you focused.
We can't have that "get there when I get there" mentality anymore, the world doesn't work that way now, and like tscottme, after the industry lost that connection, I didn't want any part of it. Until there is some kind of control for everyone, this won't end anytime soon. At least not until May. We have a ways to go, people. I read, in a multi vehicle crash, insurance usually pays personal damage up to $25,000. After that, it's lawyer time, to recover the rest. There's a 3 year waiting list to get your case heard.

 

I drove for 14 years and have examined this feeling over and over .

What I came up with is basically as a driver there is always a line
of people to please . The dispatchers , the shippers ,the delivery customer
and sandwiched in-between that is the safety dept., the DOT , the general public
and last but not least yourself .

It's the paycheck the driver is after and all the hoops they have
to jump through to get it .

I've seen drivers , company owners and dispatchers come apart
at the seams over the years .

Bottom Line , the pressure is always present .
No one is immune to it that Im aware of.

 

Your mindset is kind of like an addiction, you know what your doing is harmful to yourself, and maybe to others....but you cannot or wont break the cycle. The only way to break this cycle will be the moment you hit your "rock bottom", meaning, the sudden sharp pain in your chest, or the sudden explosions in your brain from the stroke that is occurring, or worse case scenario, the sudden realization that traffic is stopped in front of you .05 seconds from that minivan. No one will come to your defense at your trial or remark what a good driver you were at your funeral. The only concern will be how soon can you be replaced..

 

I would Thank this post twice if I could
At the risk of pissing a bunch of members off this thread is a total oxymoron.
I mean really run hard ???.. at 650 legal logged miles per day please .. ..lol
Theres a couple good post .. but the rest ..well really ? Have no clue what the words running hard really mean .. But to each his own view

 

Really? I’ve read that post 3 times and can’t find a single thing to “thank”. I think it’s funny that he acts like the gotta go mentality is a new thing. Like the produce haulers from the early 80’s weren’t balls to the wall all day. Like Bennies and tooth picks were just an urban legend. Like trucker speed from the 90’s never was a thing. I guess I ran with a different crowd!? Idk…

 

Been that way my whole life, hasn't changed since I started trucking a year and a half ago.

It's just the way I work.

 

I'd run long to get within like 40 miles of a metro area so I could watch a bit of TV.
Clip on my external antenna and pick a show from the big three networks.
Get up early to beat traffic into Philly or Baltimore..good times.