Tips for Truck Drivers on How to Prepare Yourself Mentally for a Long Drive

How to Prepare Yourself Mentally for a Long Drive

Strong Tie Insurance September 3, 2020 Commercial Truck Insurance

Being a trucker is a lonely job — being on the road for 24 hours makes truckers vulnerable to accidents which is why it’s important for them to have cheap commercial insurance for their security.

Driving along long highways, stopping every now and then for quick meals and bathroom breaks, is more or less the norm for this profession. With that being said, a trucker has to be physically and mentally prepared to endure the challenges of long driving on a regular basis. In addition, they also need to get insurance quotes from a reliable provider.

Not only do truckers have to deal with erratic sleeping schedules, but they also have to deal with loneliness and physical tiredness. This is why it’s important to know how truckers can prepare themselves not just physically but also mentally to endure long drives.

Mental Mistakes That Drivers Make

Driving long distances day after day, which turns into weeks, months, and years will definitely take its toll on even the most veteran of drivers.

There are many factors that can contribute to a trucker’s mental breakdown, but the most common ones include having a negativity filter and keeping unhealthy scores in life.

  • Having a negativity filter – A lot of people are pessimists by nature but there are those that have a chronic problem with it. These are the types of people who remember the negative stuff more vividly than the good ones.

Even if something good happens to them within the day, it can get easily forgotten when something goes wrong, even something as minor as bumping their knees as they climb back on the truck.

This can affect your performance as a trucker in an immense way. People who are on this negative mindset are always grouchy and hot-tempered, which is not good when you are constantly behind the wheel of a big cargo truck.

  • Always keeping score – For every veteran driver who is calm and pleasant despite the rigorous work, there’s one who is the opposite, always looking miserable and easily agitated.

These stem from the group of people who make it a habit to keep score of everything that comes and goes in their life — they eventually develop unhealthy biases towards the good and bad events that happen to them.

This is something that a trucker must try to avoid because having such an outlook can affect one’s judgment, which plays a big role in the challenges that every trucker faces in their jobs.

As one gets easily upset, he can get easily exhausted and distracted, which is a bad combination for a long-distance driver to have.

How Drivers Can Mentally Prepare For Long Drives

In order to be mentally strong, one must be physically in good shape as well. This is why mental and physical preparedness go hand-in-hand when it comes to your mental capacity as a driver to endure the challenges of driving long distances.

  • Bring Stuff That Reminds You of Home

Homesickness is a common problem among long-distance truckers which is why it’s important to bring and keep creature comforts in the truck. You can bring your kid’s teddy bear, your wife’s scarf, or a portable DVD player with your family’s favorite movies in it. You can also save a family music playlist that you can easily listen to while you’re on the highway.

  • Keep in Touch With Friends and Family

This has become very easy given the powers that the internet and mobile phone can do. Take time to text or have a video call with your family and friends during your much-needed breaks. Just make sure that you don’t do this while you’re driving. Safety first.

  • Get as Many Exercises as You Can

Hours spent behind the wheel of the truck can be brutal on your body. Make time for even short exercises whenever time permits. You can hit the gym in between trips or you can do simple push-ups and other simple but effective exercises during those brief times that you can get off the truck.

  • Break Your Long Drive Into Segments

The prospect of being on the road for 24 hours or more is understandably a tiring one and it will require immense mental fortitude from you to stay in good spirits. So instead of thinking about your trip as an exhausting 24-hour ordeal, you can break it into parts instead.

You can divide it into six-hour segments in which you get a much-deserved break and a good meal or snack afterward.

Even having a Snickers bar after you conquered six or eight hours of driving will help a lot to boost your spirits.

  • Get Enough Sleep and Stay Hydrated

Getting decent amounts of sleep should be a priority if you want to endure a career as a trucker. Plan your snooze times and your drive schedule accordingly.

Also, you should not wait to get completely exhausted before you get some sleep. Feel your body and if it’s asking you to get even a short nap during midday, listen to it and park safely where you can squeeze in a shut-eye.

  • Find Relaxing Things to Think About

This will help you keep a healthy perspective in life, which is essential to maintain good mental health as a long-distance driver.

Things will get rough a lot when you are constantly on the road, but when you can condition yourself to stay calm and relaxed, you can easily brush these off and do the job without being stressed or rattled.

Security Is Essential for a Trucker’s Mental Well-being

A long-distance driver can stay mentally healthy when he knows that he has a safety net in case accidents and other unfortunate events happen on the job. This is why it’s necessary for truckers to get cheap insurance quotes and packages.

Let Strong Tie Insurance help you get the best deal for your insurance needs.

We offer comprehensive commercial trucking and cheap insurance in California. Get cheap insurance rates without sacrificing quality coverage. Give us a call us now or fill out a callback form on our website to know your options.