Well, it's stress, irregular work schedule, lack of sleep...to name a few!
Did i mention STRESS? :P

 

My point about rank is he was told to when he's not even a truck driver. He wasn't pointing out the negative aspects of his own job.

As far as health concerns go, you're absolutely right, obesity is a huge problem. But that's a byproduct, for the most part, of a person's own bad habits. Stress as well is an individual thing. Sure there might be more stressors in our line of work than others, although there are certainly other professions that are worse. It's all about how one deals with it. Personally, I think the biggest health risk to truckers is the air we breathe. Studies have shown people experience significantly elevated blood pressure and pulse rate when driving on the freeway. These studies discounted the role of stress and pointed to air quality as the primary culprit. The health consequences associated with auto emissions are well-documented, with diesel exhaust being the worst. Consider how many hours a day we spend completely immersed in auto exhaust. Have you ever looked across the truckstop parking lot at night and noticed the haze? Or even more poignant, approached a truckstop in a rural area and noticed the haze engulfing it. It's just like looking across Los Angeles before you drop in.

You can eat better, you can exercise, you can control your sleep schedule to an extent, and you can control how you deal with stress. But you cannot do anything about the environment that you spend the bulk of your time in.

 

Truckstop buffets. A fella' can get very sick from these.

Lot lizards. A fella' can get very sick from these. :lol:

 

I think I read somewhere the life expectancy for a truck driver is 15 years below average.

As far as you being forced to sleep, you are not forced to sleep. You are forced to show sleeper berth time or book off duty. This does nothing for a regular sleep schedule.....see below.

Wednesday:
set my alarm for 04:30
left the yard near Kingston, ON at 06:00
was unloaded near London, ON at 14:30
didn't want to drive back through Toronto rush hour, so I stayed ay my London home. Visited wife, played with 3 year old daughter, went to bed at 22:00

Thursday:
Set my alarm for 01:00
Left London, ON at 02:00
Arrived at yard near Kingston at 07:00
Swapped trailers and reloaded for outbound.
Booked off duty (but continued to work until dark)
Went to bed that night at 22:00.

Besides, the original post was not about "driving" at all. It was about all of the OTHER STUFF in your life that doesn't get done because you are driving.

Now if you are just a driver, maybe you do have a regular schedule and that's great, HOWEVER, the OP is not just a driver.....he has a truck to maintain, invoices to create and mail, IFTA to file, slow payers to call etc etc.

BTW, no-worries is correct...I do very little driving and I'm not complaining . Just saying.

 

Well, when I had my previous office job I had a life outside of work.

Tues = golf
Wed = hockey
Thurs = softball
Sat = golf

Trucking is more than a job...IT IS YOUR LIFE.

 

[quote="rank"]
Now if you are just a driver, maybe you do have a regular schedule and that's great, HOWEVER, the OP is not just a driver.....he has a truck to maintain, invoices to create and mail, IFTA to file, slow payers to call etc etc.

I'll do the driving and the paperwork and my wife will maintain the truck. :wink: lol.

 

Yes Steve. When you decide to retire.. It's in your blood and you love it!!! And when you retire, you'll probably wish you could get your hands on something truck related, and you'll probably find a way to do that!!!

 

Ya, I'm thinking Sports Illustrated will do a swimsuit edition and they will see my old red truck and how nice it is then the cover will read "From hauling steel to hauling ***". Of course, I'll be in the drivers seat with Paris on my lap.

 

[quote="SteveBooth
Ya, I'm thinking Sports Illustrated will do a swimsuit edition and they will see my old red truck and how nice it is then the cover will read "From hauling steel to hauling ***". Of course, I'll be in the drivers seat with Paris on my lap.[/quote]

Thaat's Hooottt!!! As Paris would say.

 

I got tired of my off time being about trucking too, so I got rid of the leased truck (had gotten rid of the rest of them long before), at least then I wasn't on the phone everyday loading other trucks when mine was parked.

Eventually I decided to put the authority on hold and go back under lease myself, a hard decision, but one I don't regret. That cut down on a lot of my work, we run more, but I don't have as much 'other' stuff to keep up with and I'm not on the phone all day every day.

When I'm home, work is scheduled on the truck. Day 1 I get out and take everything else that needs to be taken care of (laundry etc) out, finish up any paperwork and leave it alone that day.

Day 2 I clean up the inside and if it's going to the shop for any reason, I take it that day and leave for as long as they need it. If it's not going to the shop, but I have a project that needs to be done, I start it and work on it as many hours or days as necessary to complete it before my off time really starts. That way I know everything is in good working order should they call with something worth messing up my off time for.

I start the truck once a week, other than that, I ignore it until 2 days before we go back to work. 2 days out, it gets inspected and washed inside and out. The day before going back, I pack everything clean and go to the grocery store for fresh stores and pack them. Hook back to the trailer (also washed) and move them back to the driveway.

After all is ready to roll, we enjoy one more evening of adult beverages and brace ourselves.


I adore my truck and love my job, but I do have other interests and the truck can easily consume your life; it did mine for years.