Pounds of Flesh and Paying Dues

Understanding your level of health, ability, and mental capacity for stress, and the humility it takes to learn an entirely new level of patience, is crucial when beginning a career in semi-truck driving.

The importance of knowing your body cannot be overstated in an occupation that demands long hours on the road, often in challenging conditions.

Here’s how a deep understanding of your mental, physical, and emotional wellness can pave the way for success in the trucking industry.

Physical Well-being

Operating a semi-truck is physically demanding. Long hours of sitting, maintaining focus, and handling heavy machinery can take a toll on your body. Recognizing your physical limitations and taking steps to maintain your health, such as regular exercise and a balanced diet, can help you stay fit for the job. Moreover, knowing when to rest and practicing proper ergonomics in the truck’s cabin can prevent fatigue and reduce the risk of injury.

I will say this in the videos I will say this in other articles I will say this to anyone in person. You need to make sure that you were taking care of your physical well-being, and not letting yourself get weak and doughy, because you will be in a dangerous situation out here.

Between risking heart attack, physical illness from being around the general public, diabetes from a bad diet, or putting on too much weight and (all the other challenges that come along with that), there are a lot of drawbacks to trucking if you get complacent.

Take the time to listen to a few podcasts and have a plan to stay healthy.

Mental Resilience

Truck driving involves dealing with stressors like traffic, tight schedules, and unfamiliar routes. Understanding your mental capacity for stress is vital. Managing stress through relaxation techniques, meditation, or simply taking breaks when needed is essential for maintaining mental well-being on the road. Additionally, acknowledging the potential loneliness of the job and finding strategies to combat it, such as maintaining social connections or engaging in hobbies during downtime, can significantly impact your mental health.

When you go to commercial truck driving school, this is one of your best opportunities to net work and find people who are going to explore other areas of the industry. Make some friends. Make sure to exchange numbers and spend time talking to new truck drivers on the road, as well as taking the chance to reach out and ask other truck drivers questions when you are in the yard or at the fuel pumps.

Be smart about it, but you were going to get lonely out here. You are going to miss your family, and your family is going to miss you. They are going to get tired of having conversations about navigating, shippers, and receivers, your truck, breaking down, or the stress of traffic.

I highly recommend you don’t put all of your stress on your spouse or significant other, or on your kids, or on your non-truck driver friends. Instead, take the opportunity you have as a driver to listen to a lot of emotionally, spiritually, and mentally fulfilling Podcasts and Books and Music.

If you fill your drive and mind with positivity you can be ready to share the good vibes and encouragement with your friends and loved ones when you get a chance to talk to them. Sounds obvious, but it’s easy to forget that sometimes you just need to enjoy the drive!

It is not just your mental resilience that you need to be concerned about. If you are married, or dating someone, you need to be sure to be positive and encouraging when you speak with them so that they can have a clear view of what the big picture is for this difficult life change.

You will not be there for them as often as you wish you could be and you need to be on a team and an agreement on what your goal is for starting Trucking. Very important.

Emotional Wellness

Long periods of isolation and the demands of the job can impact your emotional state. Recognizing your emotional needs and addressing them proactively is crucial. Developing emotional resilience and seeking support when necessary, whether through counseling, peer groups, or family connections, can help you cope with the emotional challenges of the trucking profession.

I won’t dwell on this, but it can’t be stated enough that you are going to get lonely out here. You are going to have a lot of time to think. You are going to wonder why you started trucking and you are going to miss your loved ones.

You need to take care of yourself and be ready to talk to someone if you are struggling emotionally. trust me, there is not a driver who has not shed at least a tear or two in his truck because of some thing that happened during the day, some kind of stress, or just being a plane, lonely.

Nothing wrong with admitting it, but I highly encourage you to make some friends who are truck drivers and your CDL school and your new job orientation are likely the two best places you will have to meet other men and women in your same situation. These are friends who are not only able to help with the job itself, but with talking though the various stress and discovery, the joy and sorrow, the difficulty in general of the industry.

Also, be realistic about the transient nature of the industry. There are a lot of good people out here, but there are also a lot of nut jobs. I like to think I am not all the way in the nut job category, but there are people that I used to talk to that I met in rest areas or parking lots who I don’t talk to you as often anymore, and that is OK. There are people who don’t reach out to me as much as they used to, and I take it as a sign that our time together was valuable, but no longer useful in their journey.

When you meet someone for a time enjoy their company, but don’t hold onto them as a lifeline. All of our paths intersect more like a tapestry than a rope, and as you look back on your journey, you will be able to see how that thread contributed to the overall picture. Don’t be sad that they are no longer around, be glad for the time you had together, and the role they played in your life for the time you were able to spend together.

Patience and Humility

Trucking requires an entirely new level of patience, particularly when navigating traffic, handling delays, and adhering to regulations. Humility is essential when learning from experienced drivers and recognizing that there’s always more to learn in this profession. Accepting feedback and being open to continuous improvement is key to long-term success.

Anyone who has been in the trucking industry for a while and been able to keep enjoying life has developed both patience and humility. As long as they are being a little bit honest. There is of course a level of appropriate toughness that you want to have when dealing with everyone you meet, you don’t want to be picked on, or robbed for crying out loud… but I have yet to meet another truck driver who did not appreciate at least some polite conversation and camaraderie.

We all deal with traffic. We all deal with shippers and receivers. We all deal with breakdowns and missing our families.

Use the downtime you have during the week to connect with another person, use your time in the lobby at the mechanic shop to talk to the other driver there about his family or where his truck broke down or where are you are hoping to go in your careers.

You might find a friend, and the best way to find a friend is to be a friend first!

In conclusion, understanding your own physical, mental, and emotional well-being is fundamental to becoming a successful semi-truck driver. It enables you to stay healthy, resilient in the face of challenges, and adaptable to the demands of the job.

This self-awareness, coupled with patience and humility, will not only contribute to your success but also ensure that you can enjoy a fulfilling and sustainable career in the trucking industry.