5 Tips For Truck Drivers: Surviving Life On The Road

Trucking is a lifestyle that many can’t understand until they live it. There are benefits to the job and hardships, like any career. For example, there is a lot of freedom, but you won’t be able to see your family as much as a 9-5 job. Here are some tips for surviving life on the road as a trucker.

1. Planning is vital

Because you will be spending so much time driving, and won’t always have access to amenities, you will need to plan ahead. Even seasoned drivers need help with time management. Here are some ideas that can help you plan your trip and chores better.

1. Know where you are going. If you are familiar with a city or area, it will be much easier to take care of things like laundry and showering. Look for the best and most convenient places to stop.
2. Get plenty of sleep. You need rest to be healthy and drive safely, so be sure to get some before having too much fun. If you have time to watch a movie or go shopping, make sure to save an hour or two for some extra zzzs. But, if naps mess with your sleep schedule, try to regulate your sleep instead.
3. Create a schedule. If you have a ten-hour break, consider using a schedule. For example, you can start your laundry, take a shower, and then dry your laundry. While you wait for it to dry, you can eat or take care of shopping for essentials or cleaning your truck.

2. Dealing with showers

Speaking of staying clean, you need to be prepared to shower. Working at a normal job gives you the luxury of having access to a shower whenever you want. When you drive a truck for a living, you have to pay a truck stop. You may have a few options for this, such as free or low-cost showers through a company gas card or paying per shower. If you research a new area or are stopping somewhere you know, finding a shower will be easier than just winging it when you get there.

3. The call of nature

No one wants to talk about this issue, but it is a prevalent one in truck drivers’ lives. If you can’t park close enough to the bathrooms, or none are available close by, you need to be prepared. This is especially true if you are sick, on shift during freezing weather, or resting somewhere that doesn’t offer public restrooms. A quick tip is to have a sturdy bucket, sanitizer, absorbent cat litter, scented trash bags, and high-quality wet wipes.

4. Handling difficult sleep

Your sleep schedule will need to be healthy for you to work well. This is true for anyone, but especially for truck drivers. Some companies don’t allow for a regular sleep schedule while others do. If you can’t sleep as much as you need in one go, doing the following can help.

1. Be honest with yourself and the dispatch team. If you need more sleep, tell them. The safety of all those on the road is more important than getting your hours.
2. Make your bed as comfortable as possible. This will help you get better quality sleep, even if your stop and start times fluctuate often.
3. Don’t park in noisy areas. Finding somewhere quiet and blocking out light will help you fall asleep faster.
4. Listen to your body. If you can’t drink caffeine past a certain time, for example, don’t. This is common for people in all industries.

5. Keeping up with family and friends

Just because you may be on the road for days or more at a time doesn’t mean you can’t socialize. In fact, it will be even more important for you to keep up with loved ones so you don’t become isolated or lonely. Technology gives you so many options for staying in touch, including video calls, phone calls, texts, hands-free-calling, and more. Just be sure to plan for socializing and always practice safe driving. Here are some more tips to help.

1. Send daily messages or emails to your family. If you have kids, include activities for them like coloring pages they can show you the next day.
2. Maintain regular conversations. Whether you are doing this through social media or emails, your family will appreciate it.
3. Send gifts! If you have a spouse or kids, they will love getting presents from different places you travel to. You can also shop online.
4. Find local attractions to take your family to see. As a truck driver, you will have more opportunities to find museums, nature parks, and amusement parks, just to name a few examples.
5. Surprise your loved ones. It feels great to randomly hear from someone you miss, even if it is just a simple text.

Working with Kimrad Transport, LP

At Kimrad Transport, we value our employees more than their hours. That’s why we offer a variety of benefits to our truck drivers, including insurance (health, dental, vision, and HSA), PTO, retirement plans, updated equipment, and so much more. We have multiple locations as well to help keep drivers closer to home.

If you are interested in learning more About Us or Applying for a position, give us a call at 1 (866) 359-3882. You can also Contact Us by email for more information.