In my trucking career, I have seen a lot of truck drivers. I have listened to their stories of sorrow at the truck stops, lunch tables, and driver lounges throughout our beautiful nation with pity and anguish.
Can I communicate with you? Most truckers are dissatisfied. They experience insults, mistreatment, and outright disdain. For most of them, the benefits are not worth the dangers and costs involved in the work. I have never joined the group, and I am certain there is a good reason for it. We will discuss it shortly.
Allow me to add that when I was a new driver, I listened to other drivers’ criticisms and often found myself getting drawn into their unfavorable perspectives on this profession. Everything they said seemed to have some kind of resonance for me. Who wants to spend weeks away from their family, after all? Is sleeping in a truck every night a true nomadic dream?
I was aware of the difficulties in just attempting to get parking at ten in the evening, and sure, I experienced such difficulties myself.
This One Guy I Remember…
I vividly recall that at about midnight, I was tarping a cargo of steel. The motorist beside me, who had already picked up his cargo, caught my attention. He was covering his burden with a tarp and seemed utterly defeated, his shoulders sagging and his feet dragging.
He used a louder voice to address me, which I still remember. He said, “This work drains the life out of you!” He spoke with authority as if I should understand and concur with what he was saying. I was shocked by his statement’s ridiculousness. I was quite pleased to be there at that hour.
I enjoyed the chill of the evening as I toiled away at my career choice. I was eagerly calculating how to utilize the split sleeper berth option to deliver my cargo early while tightly stretching my tarps. I might then be ready for a wonderful load early on Friday. I knew I would add $400 more to my weekly income when everything came together.
Your view changes everything
Your view has a significant impact on how things turn out. The driver who is persuaded that “This job takes the life out of you!” will consistently do subpar work. His compensation will always feel inadequate, his work will always be arduous, and he will never be happy with his employment.
It has always been vital to me that individuals feel fulfilled and content in their work, and I have always believed this is crucial. I do not care if you are a lowly construction worker trudging through a puddle-filled job site with a wheelbarrow. You will be pleased with the outcomes if you are determined to become the master of the wheelbarrow.
If your job makes you unpleasant, it will not be satisfying. Your sadness prevents you from seeing the opportunities just waiting for you to take advantage of them.
Goal-setting Will Motivate You
Setting goals might help you push yourself to improve your performance and level of satisfaction.
I have a strong sense of purpose. I was drawn to the truck driving profession because it mirrored a lesson I often taught my staff when I was a company owner. This approach is also known as “performance-based compensation.” With performance-based compensation, the worker controls his income by delivering successful outcomes.
A person starts to realize how much more potential they truly possess as they go toward the first objectives they had set for themselves. I recall when I first began making $1,000 a week as a truck driver. For what I was doing, it felt like rather respectable compensation. It also made me realize how much money I was squandering due to my inefficiencies.
Even though I had achieved my objectives, there was still more that almost begged to be done. Now I could see it. There was no justification for it to be out of my grasp. It took me a few years, but eventually, I practically quadrupled the salary with which I was previously happy.
By achieving my objectives, I became aware of the potential that remained. My self-proclaimed fantasies about how horrible this profession was no longer kept me back. I was free to seek greatness and demonstrate my ability to do so.
Nothing Is More Liberating Than Breaking Free From “Group Think.”
Truckers significantly reduce their happiness and earning potential by constantly sharing their frustrations. When was the last time a fellow driver said he wanted to earn $10,000 more this year?
You most certainly heard, “I am searching for another business. This one just lacks the mileage I need to support myself. They do not give a damn whether I can make ends meet and treat me like I am just a number.
Most truck drivers limit themselves because of their own modest goals. They are average actors who are unaware of their potential. I can tell you that their company will give them plenty of chances to succeed.
Rarely is a driver’s poor performance the responsibility of the firm.
Do you find it offensive when I say that?
That is a harsh lesson that we all need to learn, in my opinion. Mediocrity does not pay off. Nearly every truck driver I am aware of has changed firms several times, only to do so again when they discover that they are still dissatisfied.
I will not be caught telling anybody how awful my business is. They offered me a chance, and I took it and delivered. This is the recipe for truck driving success. The driver must deliver. The driver is in charge of the load, which is a fantastic chance for him to show his mettle. Drivers who accept less will get less.
Never be content with mediocrity. Encourage yourself to do well. I assure you that trucking success is attainable. Have the bravery to grasp that victory with both hands.