Antisocial Drivers?

I’ve always been a bit of a loner myself, preferring to work on my own rather than around too many other people. However, we all have to deal with other people to some degree in our jobs so there’s no way of avoiding it. I suffer from a Social anxiety myself so dealing with people at work is a challenge in itself. This can come across to others as being arrogant or aloof but is not meant in this way - it’s just anxiety.

What I want to know is are there any other drivers who find the dealing with co-workers/customers difficult due to Social anxiety and if so how do you deal with it?
I don’t need any advice on the dynamics of anxiety itself just any experiences of any other people who have to deal with this day in day out at work?

Cheers :wink:

I have said this before. I cannot work with other people. That’s why I drive for a living, I ■■■■ myself off and that’s that.

i’m quite happy working with others, but nothing beats being out on the road, on your own.
i like my own space and being able to listen to my own music, aswell as ■■■■, pick my nose, scratch my balls etc, whenever i like.

I don’t like people, especially other people I work with. I choose my friends carefully :stuck_out_tongue:

Proud to be Antisocial

Lorry driving is a classical loner’s job… actually one of the main reasons why I chose it :frowning: I suspect that there will be many other drivers who agree with me.

…Although I am starting to wish for many other reasons that I hadn’t chosen it now. :neutral_face:

I find with driving I come in to more contact with people than when I was working in a factory or office.

Work mates in the morning, customers, gate staff, goods in staff, forkies and the rdc waiting rooms when you are not allowed to sit in your cab. I always make sure I have a newspaper to bury my head in at those places.

As for tips for dealing with social anxiety which the op asked for … can’t really help there. It’s easy to say relax and you will come over as more approachable and friendly, but actually doing it is much harder if you are suffering from social anxiety. Aren’t there pills that can help? I heard some pills used for depression are often used to treat social anxiety.

Squiddy:
I find with driving I come in to more contact with people than when I was working in a factory or office.

Work mates in the morning, customers, gate staff, goods in staff, forkies and the rdc waiting rooms when you are not allowed to sit in your cab. I always make sure I have a newspaper to bury my head in at those places.

As for tips for dealing with social anxiety which the op asked for … can’t really help there. It’s easy to say relax and you will come over as more approachable and friendly, but actually doing it is much harder if you are suffering from social anxiety. Aren’t there pills that can help? I heard some pills used for depression are often used to treat social anxiety.

I chose euro work as it means more solitary driving can go days without muttering something in english.
The old hand keys in and wait, do what I do give them ‘any’ keys and make ya self a brew, listen to R4— never been asked to vacate lorry yet.

metrorider:
I’ve always been a bit of a loner myself, preferring to work on my own rather than around too many other people. However, we all have to deal with other people to some degree in our jobs so there’s no way of avoiding it. I suffer from a Social anxiety myself so dealing with people at work is a challenge in itself. This can come across to others as being arrogant or aloof but is not meant in this way - it’s just anxiety.

What I want to know is are there any other drivers who find the dealing with co-workers/customers difficult due to Social anxiety and if so how do you deal with it?
I don’t need any advice on the dynamics of anxiety itself just any experiences of any other people who have to deal with this day in day out at work?

Cheers :wink:

The only workers i have trouble working with are Tesco storemen , :wink:
I don’t have trouble mixing with other people at all when i have to but do like to be on my own sometimes so driving suits me ,don’t think that makes me antisocial though

Wheel Nut:
I don’t like people, especially other people I work with. I choose my friends carefully :stuck_out_tongue:

Proud to be Antisocial

you’ve just described me down to a tee wn :slight_smile:

m.a.n rules:

Wheel Nut:
I don’t like people, especially other people I work with. I choose my friends carefully :stuck_out_tongue:

Proud to be Antisocial

you’ve just described me down to a tee wn :slight_smile:

Is that new for being an ■■■■■■■■ ?

I hate working as a team. One of the reasons I can’t wait to go back to tipper driving and come off quarry plant. I’ve recently started having separate breaks to everyone else so I don’t have to listen to discussions about motorbike racing, shooting, getting ■■■■■■ at the weekend and why certain staff members are canutes (behind their backs) etc.
Even having a 2-way radio gets on my nerves now. Hearing fascinating discussions about the quarrys’ water levels and the shooting fans drivel about Canada geese does my head in. I’ve removed my cb now, too much negative talk and ■■■■■■■■ was just depressing me at an alarming rate (some of my posts in recent weeks reflect this). Since making these changes, my job’s become a lot better in less than a week, but I’ll still be glad to see the back of it.
I just look on the bright side it’s office hours", 15 minute max cycle ride away and £450summat for a 5 day week.
:smiley:

I too was once quite a happy person, although generally keeping myself to myself, I could put up with most people… until 2005. That was the year I stopped being a long distance driver. When I actually started working with other people I very soon realised that I wanted, nay…needed to be on my own most of the time, and NOT having to put up with other peoples foibles and annoying ways!.

When someone leaves I dont go to the pub for drinks after work, nor do I attend organised works night outs or christmas do’s either. I am the archetypal miserable old git, but I am happy being that way. I’m afraid that when the boss asked why I would not attend a christmas do, he was a bit miffed when I told him that no one was a ‘friend’ just muppets I happened to work with, and why the hell would I go for drinks with people I had been with all day anyway!

Yes I am a miserable moany old curmudgeon, except when I am with true friends and family, then the real me is overtly apparent, When I was on distance work, I used to keep myself to myself. Many an occasion have I told another driver to pi55 off especially when trying to eat a meal and someone insists on sitting next or opposite you and begins to tell you all about their rotten day. A polite ■■■■ off would soon be administered!

curmudgeon’s of the world unite!

I get bored very quickly and very easily…People bore me, period.
I have no friends, I do not go out…However, I do go to a couple of bikers parties every year, this is where I can be myself and not be judged.
I am barred from all family gatherings(except funerals) because of previous behaviour :sunglasses: :laughing:

I do enjoy meeting people and chatting though, for a few minutes, so driving a lorry is ideal for me.

In my own business, if I have to explain things twice…I usually end up telling the customer that they are too stupid to buy, what it is I sell :laughing: :laughing:

I am a complete and utter ■■■■■ but I like it that way :sunglasses:

Wheel Nut:
I don’t like people, especially other people I work with. I choose my friends carefully :stuck_out_tongue:

Proud to be Antisocial

+1^^^^. I don’t go out of my way to talk to people either…

I know what u mean I had social anxiety when I was younger and my job fitted in with this so it was perfect. I used to do 6 weeks away 1 week off, but I found as I got older I still can’t be arsed with most people but no man is an island.its all about finding the happy medium

I don’t do works xmas parties; the Transport dept ones are done mid January, and to quote my Uncle “I don’t like working with them, never mind socialising with 'em!”

deleted

Reading some of the posts in this thread has left me feeling disappointed :frowning: I thought it was just me but it seems I am quite normal for a driver :slight_smile:

The only thing I can add is that the other night trunk driver and I get on like a house on fire - we can moan to each other and compare notes all night! But if we had to spend more than a few minutes face to face we’d proabably end up thumping each other :laughing:

If you’re “right” about stuff, but no one ever agrees with you, that tends to lead to alienation, rage, or guilt.
Since I’m not suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, I’ve narrowed it down to most OTHERS being anti social towards me instead, via mere alienation.
I don’t get offered the plum jobs, never get given that promotion first, or given anything else good first. On the downside, I’m always first to be “made an example of” when screwing up, or deliberately stepping out of line. “There’s less discouragement in being nasty to a troublemaker like Winseer” you might say. You’ve got to know and get on with the right people to rise above such things, or at least find some level of inner peace as I have. You can be good at everything you do, but if the people with the money and power to hand out don’t know you exist, it’s like a tree falling in the forest that makes no sound.

Another way of looking at people in life - if you can do everything they can do, but they can’t do much that YOU can do then it’s them rather than you being antisocial - right?

I’m not racist, homophobic or even classist BUT it has to be said the last type of establishment to mop up and cater for disenfranchised people like me were the Nazis - even though I don’t share their ideology either. The only other connection with near-on a century back is that the time is coming again where more and more people feel abused by their peers in life - the BIG antisocial event of our time IMO.
Natural law suggests that the less strong, clever, or adventurous should not be in a permenent position of power over those better suited to run everything. I want my superiors in life to be doctors, engineers, and other people who had a real long hard time learning their trades, rather than those same superiors that “went to Eton” or “went to the same synagogue” or “lives in the right part of town” etc etc.
Even in the kent neighbourhood, people from Maidstone see themselves as superior to those in Medway, and most of the meagre employment opportunities tend to be maidstone way. Posh folk exepect you to believe them when they say things like “I can assure you” before lying through their teeth to you, and running off with your cash. As for attending the same faith establishment… Well, most of us are likely working for one or other of that particular attendee of said place of worship already. :frowning:
It’s even worse when it comes down to actual religious faith, as anyone can take a public plaform being anti-God - but not anti Jewish establishment alas. :frowning:

Employers, Media, Banking, Legal, or even PC policies. I don’t see the UK so much as having “turned into a foreign land”, but actually discriminating against those already here. Multiculturlism for example, masks such discrimination with PC practices designed to “fog out” just how much our society is controlled by so few people. People of an alien mindset that still sees themselves hard-done-by for the events of the 20th century, and constantly using that excuse to be left to run-ragged over natural values that we should all hold dear above a massive financial, political, and ultimately national manipulation that’ll turn us into a mere vassel of those that annex a country once master of the world. This process is of course even more advanced on the other side of the pond…
How much longer before our voting system gets changed so the millionaires get to decide everything, because they get millions of votes to the general pulic’s few - as is the case with FINANCIAL voting already?

Ultimately, ask yourself this question to judge if you think like me with regards to life and wider society;

“If there was a cataclysm that destroyed society, and left less than 10% alive around the world, YOU among them, - would you see yourself as being better off?”

If you can answer “Yes”, then I rest my case! :smiley:

I’m quite happy to complete a shift with no contact with anyone else, but I also don’t mind spending time talking to others, if I start to smell some bÂ¥#%+Â¥t then I’ll make my excuses and get away :grimacing: