Thanks ever so much for looking that thread up for me ROG.
I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy but it is nice to know I am not the only person in the world who suffer from them.
I am hoping not being stuck in an office and doing three peoples job an once and every time I put the phone down I have to pick it up again etc will help me with my leval of anxiety.
I know every job has its pressures and its down sides.
But in hindsight I was least stressed in my job when I did the parts deliveies so hoping being out on the road will help and I may enjoy my work again.
RUBY:
Hi all
I have looked at becoming a truck driver numerous times over the last couple of years and not managed to get myself in gear(so to speak).
The thing I am wondering is, I am very stressed at the moment in my job Senior parts advisor.
I have suffered with panic attacks for a few years. I was on tablets for a year or so but am now not on any medication.
I do not have panic atacks whilst driving as I enjoy it and managed to pass my motorcycle test while I had panic attacks too.
If you think a Parts Advisor is stressfull well i reckon driving any commercial vehicle for reward is going to be three times more stressfull. How stressfull can it be for some one to say ‘have you got a pair of brake pads for a 08 plate Mondeo’ ? Driving a van or a lorry you’re going to be up against…“well how come you only got to Glasgow at 10am, you should of been there at 8am, now you’re late for your other two drops”
RUBY:
My question is. I understand the medical has a section on depression and mental health but does this include panic attacks?
If so is this a big deal?
Do any of the drivers on this site have panic attacks?
Any help greatly apreciated, before I book my medical.
Well you figure out if you will have a panic attack when you have someone on the other end of the fone demanding to know where you are and why you are not somewhere else? As for if its a big deal, well i don;t know i’ve never had a panic attack. Do you feel you could drive safely whilst having one?
Mike-C:
Well you figure out if you will have a panic attack when you have someone on the other end of the fone demanding to know where you are and why you are not somewhere else?
The simple answer to calls like that is, “There’s a whole lot of difference between your promises and mine.”,
Mike-C:
‘…How stressfull can it be for some one to say ‘have you got a pair of brake pads for a 08 plate Mondeo’ ?..’
Dunno about panic (is it similar to manfluenza?) but I’d have a moment of mild concern with the driving standard of a dude with a 08 plated motor needing replacement pads…
Surely, one bloke’s panic is another bloke’s bread-and-butter?
go and see the doc and see what he says about it. he can have a word with the gods at DVLA and see if they will get thier thumb out of thier arse and give him an answer.
as for the Mike-C post.
im not too sure you should get stressed about being late, yes its puts you behind and can bugger up the rest of the week but getting stressed over it? why get stressed, if its not there its not there. if they keep phoning you turn the phone off, easy! if your boss is ok then ring him and tell them your not going to make the delivery, nine times out of ten they will appreciate this phonecall!
I dont get stressed doing this job. it is the least stressful job i have ever had. why get wound up about things like that?
RUBY:
If you think a Parts Advisor is stressfull well i reckon driving any commercial vehicle for reward is going to be three times more stressfull.
Other muppets on the road aside, this job is only as stressful as you let it be. I have no stress at all any more. How? I finally woke up to the fact that delivery times are a “I’d like it there by then if possible” and if I can’t make it, the world won’t end, the sky won’t fall down and hell on earth won’t appear. The very worst is I end up taking the delivery back which in fact, means an earlier finish so even that’s got a bonus side to it.
Even the muppets on the road are easy to overcome. I just let them get on with what they’re doing and deal with what I’m left with.
Simple, don’t tell them. Just get a nice easy trunking job, maybe nights might be your cup of tea with no traffic, going to the same place everyday, bit boring but boring is better than panic.
Thanks to everyone who put the effort into giving me some practical advise.
As to 3x more stressfull being a van driver you only say how much a set of pads are. Thats like me saying driving a truck is just putting your foot on the accelerator?
i would steer clear my son it can and will be stressful and at the end of the day you may not even be in your own home . if you worry and i say worry instead of panic then dont bother as you may get to within 30 mins off your tip and have to have a daily rest period of 9 or 11 hours but you should be there in 7 hours if this is going to worry you instead of thinking oh well i will be there when i get there you will put yourself into a early grave . if you go on distance it could even be your wife that puts you under pressure ie you said you would be home at such a time but through no fault of your own you dont get there if you are not of strong character and broad shoulders give it a miss . as for anyone that needs uppers because of there job i would look at a career change
RUBY:
As to 3x more stressfull being a van driver you only say how much a set of pads are. Thats like me saying driving a truck is just putting your foot on the accelerator?
Personally i think i’m laid back, and i don’t have anyone jumping on me, if i ring and say i’m going to be an hour late then its accepted and i do not get asked why. However if i am late for whatever reason beyond my control i do feel a need to ‘get on’. A visit to any drivers waiting room will reveal just how stressed drivers generally are, even if some of it is of their own doing. Why do you think lorry drivers sit up each others arse on the motorway and take ages to overtake to save seconds? Alook aroung this very forum will see rants from guys who want 40 mile per hourers to move over and let them past, you will also see how many want to be able to up speed limits. But don’t take any notice of my anecdotal eveidence , just console yourself with the FACT that lorry driving is up in the top five for stress and stress related illnesses. I’ve yet to see aparts advisor mentioned in any list. Ok, panic over !!! As you all where !!!
If i havn’t made myself clear already then if you are suffering from panic attacks due to stress of being parts advisor then a move to a HGV driver is a bad move, of course i’m not a qualified Doctor or Phsycotherapist, yet !!
dont beat yourself up about panic attacks i used to have them all the time, been driving heavies over 15 years then i found my dad dead at the bottom of the stairs then my mom died of cancer after a short period, then after all that i found i was scared of driving over any bridge ie, qe2,humber bridge,severn bridge,etc.,did my nut in as i would go round any bridge because i was having panic attacks going over any of them.tm used to grill me about it but i always said my detour was due to high winds or an accident…have got off the road now doing flt and shunting work so am happy. i used to turn white and sweat me nads off going over the humber bridge when windy so maybe im better off in the yard lol,the shrink told me that family deaths etc can cause you to start panicking. chin up and go fof it .
That was very brave of you to let me know that I am not alone with panic and that I CAN do the job I want to.
I agree about how panic comes about too as I would never have classed myself as a worrier.
I thought I was quite outgoing in the past. My first job was as a Gym instructor at 16yrs old! I used to train Bradford city football club players etc.
I think mine started when my dad died from a brain haemorage. He was in hospital with no chance of him surviving for over a month.
Funnily enough I tried a job as a health care assistant in st James hospital for a year or so after mainly due to the great staff that looked after my dad. I thought I should give something back. I did st John Ambulance work too.
I could do the job technically standing on my head and all the nurses were very sad when I handed my notice in. The job was very hard work however and that was stressfull looking after people who were dying etc.
So I think it is very ignorant of people to think somebody can’t do something without knowing anything about them.
Many many thanks again for the support and for understanding.
Every single morning i say to myself “right im not gonna get stressed out or lose my rag today…”
And every single day some [zb]ing arsewipe goes and does something to ■■■■ me off and wind me up into a complete frenzy and then i get ■■■■■■ off with myself for breaking my promise to myself yet again…
But i am getting better and i let a lot more annoyances slide than i used to, im down to about 1 freakout a day now
when i was a van driver way back when, i used to get home at night with a sore throat from shouting at other drivers so much
There really is no need at all to get stressed as a truck driver, realistically.
I’ll happily sit there with the window down, some music on and just me in my little tin box above most over road users (height wise)
I don’t mind sitting for hours at an RDC.
As a driver EVERYTHING is out of my control apart from driving the vehicle. If I’m late somewhere its not my fault, I just take the route I see best and drive the truck along it.
If someone wants to take issue with that, its their problem.
However having just got in from being out this morning, it seems where I was driving is pension day, did the whole route at about 20mph, got a bit annoyed at first but I couldn’t overtake so I just backed off, put a CD in and enjoyed the view.
Just kidding you can only try and see what happens.
