Eat, Drive, Sleep, Repeat…It’s the Truck Driver Life For Me.
Hey truck drivers. While we’re not in the business of driving per se… we get it. Like any career, yours has its perks, but as we’re sure you’d attest to, it also has its times.
It’s by no means a glamorous job, at times it’s quite the opposite. But it’s your job, and hey, it pays the bills.
Luckily, you’re not alone. According to Alltrucking.com, there are approximately 3.5 million professional truck drivers in the USA. That’s 3.5 million people who are faced with the same challenges you face every day. 3.5 million people who can all relate to these ten aspects of being a truck driver.
1. Gourmet Food
Things that the typical nine to five employee takes for granted, aren’t as easy to keep up with while working “on the road”. A huge one is a healthy diet. Time is tight, hours are long, and access to restaurants is limited by parking constraints or highway exits. Most times you take what you can get and more times than not, it’s a well-balanced value meal consisting of a cheeseburger, fries, and soda.
2. Keeping Fit in the Seat
It’s no secret, sitting isn’t good for your health. In fact, scientists first noticed something was up in a study that compared two similar groups, transit drivers who sit most of their day, and conductors or guards, who don’t. According to the study, their diet and lifestyle were essentially the same but those that sat were almost twice as likely to develop heart disease and other conditions.
With the amount of time drivers spend on the road, it can be difficult to find time to exercise. But truck-stop gyms, in-cab work out plans, and a little creativity with your schedule – you can make it happen.
3. A Different Type of Family Dynamic
The hours required of a truck driver don’t always make it possible to get home for dinner every night or spend weekends together. Finding quality time is certainly an obstacle you and your family face, but there are so many unique stories of families making the most of the time they DO get together. Re-scheduling holidays and calling into story time is your norm.
4. Blind Spots are Real
You don’t know “bad blind spots” until you drive a truck. Car drivers especially, don’t understand just how bad a truck driver’s blind spots are. While there’s quite a few tricky spots, the right side of the truck is often referred to ask the driver’s “blind side” for obvious reasons. Drivers can see much better on the left side. So when you move your truck over into the left lane for some reason (likely a hazard) and an impatient car decides to pass on the right, you know they’re putting themselves in a really dangerous situation. You do your best to get back into the right lane and wish car drivers would be aware of that.
5. Entertainment can be Found in Anything
While a career as a truck driver offers excellent pay, job security, and the ability to travel, it also comes with a few setbacks… like the boredom and loneliness of driving solo. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, lack of stimulation often leads to drowsiness which is the cause for 20,000 accidents each year.
Finding safe and distraction-free methods to prevent fatigue and boredom and improve focus behind the wheel is necessary. Music, podcasts, phone calls, and self-reflection can keep your mind occupied while you’re in the seat. Apps, “portable hobbies”, and working out are options for when you’re stopped.
6. Intersections, Man
Navigating a truck through an intersection is like navigating an elephant through a china shop (or is it a bull?)… Either way, it’s near impossible. What many car drivers don’t realize is that those white lines you’re supposed to stop before when you come to an intersection are measured and placed there so that trucks can make turns. So as you can imagine, when you stop ahead of the line, it makes it even more difficult for trucks to take their turns.
7. Rarely See the Boss Man
It’s strange to think about, but often working as a truck driver means rarely or never seeing a “boss”. That is unless you’re your own boss. While you likely have superiors, you don’t see them as often as others in traditional positions report to theirs – just another way trucking can seem foreign to outsiders.
8. Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
As a truck driver, you could be hauling any number of things across the country. And often, what you’re hauling is valuable, especially considering the volume. That’s why truckers tend to keep what they’re carrying on the DL (down low). If something were to happen to your load, it would be your job on the line – that’s too much risk.
9. Always Knowing the Weather Forecast
There are a lot of areas that aren’t ideal for trucks and many of those areas get worse depending on the weather conditions. In order to plan all trips accordingly, truck drivers stay on top of the weather forecast (past, current, and future). This is something you desk job folk likely don’t have to factor into your day to day work.
10. Parking Your Truck
Now, this is one thing we really do understand. In fact, we’ve modeled our entire business after providing a solution to this problem.
What is SecurSpace All About?
Whether your company has left it up to you to park your car in between jobs or you’re at home with your family and zoning restrictions keep you from parking in your neighborhood or driveway, you shouldn’t have to stress about where to go, whether they’ll have the accommodations you need, or if it’s a safe place to park.
SecurSpace helps drivers like you search for available parking and storage space with the security, visibility, and access that meets your needs. We aim to make finding parking flexible and easy. Plus, you only pay for what you need!
Editor’s note: This blog was originally written for SecurSpace, Top 10 Things Only Truck Drivers Can Relate To.
