You won't be the only newbie out there! I start orientation with Arrow in Tulsa on Monday. I only have 10 hours in the seat (in traffic) from Roadmaster Drivers School of West Memphis, AR but I sure missed the view when I drove home last weekend! I can't wait![/b]

 

WOW, stress
stress of the daily grind is easy to contend with, get a good tire thumper and thump the sorry SOB that cuts ya off... im kidding.

if your develope a good working relationship with your dispatcher and fleet manager you can pretty much get away with murder ( wrong word i guess but u get the hint)

find yourself a hobby, something that will get you outta the truck for even a few minutes so u can stop enjoy the view and the sent of the flowers. photography is a good choice, and ive even known some people who will buy various fishing licences just so when thier stressed out they can stop and relax for a bit. a bit is a hour or so.

dont go buying a playstation and hiding out in the truck, its easier to relax if u can get away from it for a little bit, and hiding out in a grease stop (resteraunt) woint help much either. my dispatcher and f manager know where im gonna stop and what im doing, and they still think im nuts and hate it but they also understand my point of view, ive even showed them a few movies ive made from my point of view thier reaaction is the same as what my bumber sticker says....

COMMON SENCE IS DEAD HERE... WARNING, adrenaline rush in progress

lol but i would suggest photography, or maybe learing a little bit about the history along your journies.

oh ya btw, Walmart sells a golf club practice swing thing, basically its a 2 ft long golf club with a 1 lb steel ball at the end.... not only is it good as a tire thumper, but will take care of those lil pesty, (oops sorry my lawyer told me not to menchion that)

 

Reading a dictionary or learning to use spell check would be good also. :roll:

 

LOL i have read a dictionary, actually wrote out 3/4 of it

Back in the day when i was in grade school, 1 of our punishments was we had to write out pages of the dictionary and depending on how bad we harassed other student that would determine how many pages we would have to write out... long story short, i never liked the teacher still dont, and it was vise versa.... and if u can ready what i wrote as my favorite saying goes

"GOOD ENOUGH"

 

what a jerk off, complaining about spelling and rolling your eyes. you act like my 4 year old

 

theres alot of that on here jedfxg
last time i checked we were drivers not english teachers

 

lol, hes not being a jerk...

just trying to lighten up the mood in here .

and he is just making fun of truck drivers... not wanna be chemists!


lol

j/k steve

 

Nightbright............the least amount of stress is simply.......don't even step up on the running board..............if you're driving you're going to be in stressful situations, ain't no ifs an buts about it. But there are ways to minimize the stress........some are in your control.....some, like traffic on the big ATL bypass, aren't in your control.

First off.....you need to become an expert in trip planning. There's far more to a good trip plan than just how far and how long between point A and point B. Be realistic in your planning......don't set yourself up for failure. Being behind schedule or trying to meet an unrealistic plan will only succeed in raising your blood pressure (i.e. stress).

Second off........be organized. A place for everything and everything in it's place.........you'll be surprised how living in a cluttered office (and that's where you're living while on the road) adds stress to your daily efforts.

Third off........take your time. Don't get inpatient with your progress. Driving skills come with time and repetition. Don't drive out of your comfort range. You're new at this, so don't stress yourself out by expecting to get every back-in the first time. Don't expect to be as skilled as some old pro who has been driving since Noah and the Ark floated by.

Fourth off......learn to enhance your calm........(listen to me, sounding like some Zen monk)..... get out and away from the truck when you can. I use to carry one of those folding camp chairs. You'd be amazed how relaxing it can be to just sit and watch a sun set or sit and read a book in the sun.......what ever floats your boat......but the thing is to get away from the routine of the truck. Allow your brain to turn off from being a driver ......even if just 30 minutes you'll find your blood pressure drops, the tension dissolves. Don't laugh, but I know a big old boy driver, who stitches quilts for relaxation when he's out on the road......his wife's sorority supports St. Jude's with quilts for terminally ill children and she rode with him one summer and got him started on it........that was 8 years ago.

Successful happy go lucky people in any profession don't just fall into lives of no stress...........they simply learn to manage it better than others.

But like one other poster here said........I'd stay away from the referrs.........who in the hell needs that pain..... and it's just my personal opinion, but flat bedders really should be committed for psychiatric observation........that's just plain masochistic.

 

Lifespalette, you have some wise advice for everyone.

I am in the planning process of joining the industry within the next 3yrs, but currently in a job where we deal with others who cannot cope with daily stress levels.

My training allows me to recognize stress and train my clients to recognize & deal with them before they reach crisis stage. How to overcome that crisis and bring stress back to a manageable level, in order to carry on in life. Many of them face serious daily challenges, making it more difficult for them.

So, to all the drivers out there, heed warning, NO industry is immune to stress, although the factors are different. Everything is a test in life, and LEARNING HOW TO DEAL WITH EACH OF THEM IS THE BEST THING YOU CAN DO FOR YOURSELF.

 

excellent advice!