More often than not , I find it’s people that cause the most stress, like the office bods, gossiping instead of giving you your paperwork, & knowing your on a time limit 
& people where your delivering to, although I found most of these where certious, but then you always come across the odd one or two who aren’t, & they are just downright rude ‘Like water off a ducks back’ I’m thinking to myself as I walk away from them 
Never mind it’s nice to have a job 
SmashedCrabFace:
billybigrig:
If your job is stressing you, change employer.If that doesn’t work, your in the wrong job.
…or if that doesn’t work maybe they’re just not cut out for work full stop. If they find sitting in a chair and not doing a lot stressful then how are they going to cope with a proper job that requires some effort?
Fighter pilots are sat down when working…so is that not stressful either■■? Just because you are sat down all day doesn’t necessarily equate to zero stress all the time…Air Traffic Controllers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world…but they are sat down most of the time… 
There is more to it than just whether you are sat on your arse or not!!
Stress is just a state of mind. Most of the things that can stress you out are things you have no control over, so why let them get to you 
If you hit traffic there’s SFA you can do about it, it is what it is, so why stress, just sit back and chill. The same goes for waiting to load/unload, stressing out will not make it happen any faster, in fact if your blood pressure starts to rise it will seem that it takes longer than it actually does 
When dealing with awkward people there are two options that I use, the first is to be really nice to them, every silly request is done with a big smile on my boat race and I’m extra polite, I also ask lots of really dumb questions and try to be as annoying as I can, all the while giving them no cause to complain about me. This really gets up their nose and is the option I take when it’s a regular job.
On one off jobs the other option is to tell them that you couldn’t give a flying ■■■■ what they do because you’ll never be coming back/it’s your last day on the job/you’re on an agency/you’re just a nutjob, when they start threatening to ban you or whatever I usually mention that I’ve seen their type before, they’re bullied by their wife at home, so when they get to work they come over all Charlie Big Potatoes, yet we all know the truth, calling them silly little men also gets them going, I usually manage to get them to swear at me, then turn it all around acting insulted and asking to speak to their boss, one thing to remember is that when taking this approach you have to whisper any threats to give them a good kicking so that there are no witnesses 
The driving isn’t stressful at all I was late thismorning and had my delivery rejected but so what I got there in One peice there other two trailers lost there roofs in the dock.
Yeah it hacked me off they rejected me and 10 other lorrys as we were late and the bays were free but not worth getting upset over.
Whenthings don’t go smooth I struggle with the curtain in the wind when I done landfill I got stuck but 90% of the time I get paid to sit in a warm cab listening to the radio. It’s hardly breaking rocks.
Truckulent:
SmashedCrabFace:
billybigrig:
If your job is stressing you, change employer.If that doesn’t work, your in the wrong job.
…or if that doesn’t work maybe they’re just not cut out for work full stop. If they find sitting in a chair and not doing a lot stressful then how are they going to cope with a proper job that requires some effort?
Fighter pilots are sat down when working…so is that not stressful either■■? Just because you are sat down all day doesn’t necessarily equate to zero stress all the time…Air Traffic Controllers have one of the most stressful jobs in the world…but they are sat down most of the time…
There is more to it than just whether you are sat on your arse or not!!
Yeah but I’ve never tried to lose a heat seeking missile in a lorry. I’d imagine if I was in a tornado that might get the old ticker racing 
newmercman:
Stress is just a state of mind. Most of the things that can stress you out are things you have no control over, so why let them get to youIf you hit traffic there’s SFA you can do about it, it is what it is, so why stress, just sit back and chill. The same goes for waiting to load/unload, stressing out will not make it happen any faster, in fact if your blood pressure starts to rise it will seem that it takes longer than it actually does
When dealing with awkward people there are two options that I use, the first is to be really nice to them, every silly request is done with a big smile on my boat race and I’m extra polite, I also ask lots of really dumb questions and try to be as annoying as I can, all the while giving them no cause to complain about me. This really gets up their nose and is the option I take when it’s a regular job.
On one off jobs the other option is to tell them that you couldn’t give a flying [zb] what they do because you’ll never be coming back/it’s your last day on the job/you’re on an agency/you’re just a nutjob, when they start threatening to ban you or whatever I usually mention that I’ve seen their type
before, they’re bullied by their wife at home, so when they get to work they come over all Charlie Big Potatoes, yet we all know the truth, calling them silly little men also gets them going, I usually manage to get them to swear at me, then turn it all around acting insulted and asking to speak to their boss, one thing to remember is that when taking this approach you have to whisper any threats
to give them a good kicking so that there are no witnesses
I must admit since I’ve been doing general work I go in with the hello mate how you doing sorry I’m late it’s ■■■■■■■ freezing out there or whatever because that’s my natural manner and generally it gets you off on the right foot.
Even this morning when I had problems I just went whatever mate as I was fed up and Tierd the bloke was shocked I didn’t have a moan and my planner was ok as he didn’t moan as he had major problems so what’s the point of getting angry.
I had reguler loading point the guy was a real misery but i always went there was polite and cheery after a while he came round now hes ok so it pays to perservere
altitude:
Muckaway:
No certainly not today: Not much work so I was on stock work, 2 loads of stone from Wickwar to Ducklington. Each trip I took a different route taking in Cotswold scenery 40 mph on scways and 50 on the M5. 50 minute break at Duntisbourne and then 20 minute break near Stroud…just to make sure I finished at normal time. I got to hear of one driver complain I was “hanging job out”…Nice to know someone was stressed about my day because I sure wasn’t…Must of been the DAF driver, he would have done 6 and said he was taking it easy
It was a Daf driver; the one whos other half has come off the road to be a transport planner…
Don’t get stressed if I can help it, I just say “I’ll give it my best” when asked how long it’ll take to get there, it also depends a lot on who you work for…
newmercman:
When dealing with awkward people there are two options that I use, the first is to be really nice to them, every silly request is done with a big smile on my boat race and I’m extra polite, I also ask lots of really dumb questions and try to be as annoying as I can, all the while giving them no cause to complain about me. This really gets up their nose and is the option I take when it’s a regular job.On one off jobs the other option is to tell them that you couldn’t give a flying [zb] what they do because you’ll never be coming back/it’s your last day on the job/you’re on an agency/you’re just a nutjob, when they start threatening to ban you or whatever I usually mention that I’ve seen their type before, they’re bullied by their wife at home, so when they get to work they come over all Charlie Big Potatoes, yet we all know the truth, calling them silly little men also gets them going, I usually manage to get them to swear at me, then turn it all around acting insulted and asking to speak to their boss,
These are my favourite approaches too, it really works and it doesn’t matter how seething you may feel inside, the game is to stand your ground and smile at them. It worries them that they are not getting to you.
RDC: “You should have been here 2hrs ago”
ME: “Why, what happened?”
Works every time…
15 hours duty, 10 seconds not concentrating, someone dies… you go to prison for 10 years. How could that be stressful?
Coffeeholic:
Even that doesn’t stress me, he hasn’t crashed or killed us yet and I admit I might get a little stressed should that day arrive but until then, meh.
‘I was dead for millions of years before I was born and it never inconvenienced me a bit.’ (Mark Twain)
argh crick to Lutterworth back to Crick again argh
Que Sera, Sera…
The right amount of stress makes me work much better.
A bit of pressure, adrenaline rushing makes my brain work in top gear.
Self inflicted?..Yes defiantly, but the point is to control your stress levels.
I am much sharper, more alert when I am under the right amount of pressure / stress.
I found always when I was driving and there was no rush that I go bored, slow tired and annoyed, sometimes had to work in the end hard to be on time.
While on the other site if you are on one of these jobs which are “impossible” I always took great pride in to try to make it, push it to the limit, my body would tinkle all over, but it gave a great feeling at the end when you made it.
I always liked the urgent jobs, last minute emergency loads, just for that reason.
If you can control your stress level, it doesn’t make you ill; you don’t get a heart attack or a stomach ulcer from a HEALTHY amount of stress.
But after 32 year in Transport and 9 year in the office, I found most driver stress comes from home, constantly that pressure “Am I home in Time”, “can I eat a 5 O’clock”, “Am I early on Friday” the wife needs to go shopping and has phoned you already a dozen times if you are making it in time, etc.
That gives you bad stress, causing you to feel bad, gives you a headache.
The guys who are doing long distance (I use to be away 5 weeks in a row, 40 weekends away a year) seem to be less stressed and for that reason perform so much better.
And most of them feel much better, because it makes no difference if you make your night on one parking or another.
caledoniandream:
my body would tinkle all over, but it gave a great feeling at the end when you made it.
Them Swedish bints rock 
not sure about the ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ tho’ 
SmashedCrabFace:
‘…So, who thinks it is a stressful job and why…?’
Is the answer to ‘know what you can do; know what you can’t do - and then learn the difference’?
Happy Keith:
SmashedCrabFace:
‘…So, who thinks it is a stressful job and why…?’Is the answer to ‘know what you can do; know what you can’t do - and then learn the difference’?
No, that’s just another question Keith.
Happy Keith:
Is the answer to ‘know what you can do; know what you can’t do - and then learn the difference’?
That’s not a question.