SmashedCrabFace:
I do my best to avoid contact with other drivers wherever possible.
+1
Harry Kyng:
I have 3 degrees, one in engineering, another two in medicine
…and you still chose to drive a lorry ■■? 
Bloody hell I think I’ve heard it all now.
Back to OP, is “social anxiety” a fancy name for extreme shyness?
I used to be very shy about meeting strangers and would avoid situations where I was at the centre of a group and in the limelight,so to speak.
One way I dealt with this was to myself into the situations I didn’t like and was fairly surprised that either people quite liked me or simply ignored me, just like everyone else in fact!
I still don’t put myself at the centre of things on an everday basis but am comfortable getting on a stage and using a microphone etc (not for singing, karaoke etc).
You just need to convince yourself that
metrorider:
‘… 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…?’
Am currently having problems when listening to the radio and - it seems, forever hearing the word ‘iconic’ being mentioned. It has the effect of boiling my place on the autistic spectrum out of the water 
It’s a 2012 fashion buzzword that has seriously gotten both overused and thus well onto my over abused pip
It crops up at least once per day & I get sort of anxious even anticipating it!
So, when it’s heard the radio gets immediately thrown either off or onto mute and I get over it with a self-gratifying chunter about the lack of imagination the perpetrator must surely have 
Why do toss-pot journalists, commentators or radio-mincers in general have to describe old, characteristic, culturally relevant, valued or otherwise cherished places, objects or style matters, etc, as flippin’ iconic instead of using the English language a bit more betterer [sic]
Perhaps my circumstance (misery 
) is an iconic symptom of pleasing myself to excess and growing cantankerous old with neither grace nor hope
PS. In 2011 and up to summer this year it was any mention of the Olympics and especially how I ought to be excited about it that had the same effect upon my health.
Harry Kyng:
The reason I like driving, especially nights, is that I am antisocial. Trouble is I don’t have much choice as I have aspergers which limits my ability to respond in social situations. Outside of that it doesn’t affect me in a negative way although my responses to people tend to be logical and lacking in social courtesy. The positive side is that the condition makes me perfect for my job, and yes, it has to be declared on your medicalI know some folk think autistic spectrum disorders mean you’re ‘retarded’, but the opposite is 90% the case. Most are high IQ, I have 3 degrees, one in engineering, another two in medicine, but no social grace or awareness of political correctness makes it hard for me to function around people if I think they are idiots.
I tip my hat to you sir! 
We can’t be that antisocial…we’re on here replying to each others posts!!!
Harry Kyng:
I have 3 degrees, one in engineering, another two in medicine…and you still chose to drive a lorry ■■?
Bloody hell I think I’ve heard it all now.
Some things in life are not about choice, you get dealt your hand and you do the best you can. I tried to work within the potential I had, but it didn’t work out, so I chose another love - driving. As for being miserable (different poster), I am rarely miserable as I enjoy what I choose to do.
There are exactly the same conversations as this thread in every level of life, and I’ve heard a few, GPs who are literally sick of their job, pilots who get vertigo and have to fly at night etc. Truck drivers are no different, and definitely no worse, than any other profession and those who think being a truck driver is lowly have more issues with self esteem than with the job
I’m proud of what I do because I can do it.
Being antisocial is proving beneficial right now; I’ve got my sarnies in the grille and a choice of newspapers the others have bought for me to read. An early lunch will mean I miss the daily “managers on here are canutes” discussion and what Chinese meal one of the dumptruck drivers ate over the weekend.
“I’d rather be first in this village, than second in Rome”.
J.Caesar
This is an illustration of why high-IQ people choose driving over being second-fiddle in some high-up firm that might have used a larger proportion of one’s talents, but you’ll always feel lower overall among the staff there.
I’ve never got on with the monied my entire life, and have few friends in the academic circle. Being a driver for me therefore is at the very top end of being an under-achiever you might say.
Muckaway:
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.
That sounds like my place except I had to endure listening to a couple of guys talk about ■■■■■■■ golf, golf clubs, golf players and the games they had the day before and what shots they played etc. When they wernt talking about ■■■■■■■ golf, it was Leeds ■■■■■■■ utd. Can you imagine what that felt like 5 days a week for the last 10 years? 
There’s another guy that all he can talk about is cars and how quick he can do a clutch on a cleo or some such crap. Plus he’s one of those “low self esteme muppets” who has to try and big his self up by BS’ing every single word and story that comes out of his mouth, if you gota black cat he’l know one thats blacker! If you earnt 50 quid, he’d have earnt 55, you know the type We also have another guy thats always going on about how hard he is and that he’d “knock you out” etc etc, Ive crapped harder stuff than this bloke I tell ya!
I was glad to take my current job driving and get out of that ■■■■ every day.
Winseer:
“I’d rather be first in this village, than second in Rome”.
J.CaesarThis is an illustration of why high-IQ people choose driving over being second-fiddle in some high-up firm that might have used a larger proportion of one’s talents, but you’ll always feel lower overall among the staff there.
I’ve never got on with the monied my entire life, and have few friends in the academic circle. Being a driver for me therefore is at the very top end of being an under-achiever you might say.
An excellent observation; at primary school I was top dog, and then I was sent to a high achievers school. My first thought was ‘Oh crap’ and I soon realised that being top in that place just meant watching your back whilst re-inventing some wheel or other. Now, I get my notes, do the job and go home without being asked to invent anything new whilst I’m working, or worrying that the driver next to me wants my job.
It is funny though that my ‘learned’ friends think it’s awesome that I drive a ‘huge effin truck through the night’
Winseer:
Harry Kyng:
The reason I like driving, especially nights, is that I am antisocial. Trouble is I don’t have much choice as I have aspergers which limits my ability to respond in social situations. Outside of that it doesn’t affect me in a negative way although my responses to people tend to be logical and lacking in social courtesy. The positive side is that the condition makes me perfect for my job, and yes, it has to be declared on your medicalI know some folk think autistic spectrum disorders mean you’re ‘retarded’, but the opposite is 90% the case. Most are high IQ, I have 3 degrees, one in engineering, another two in medicine, but no social grace or awareness of political correctness makes it hard for me to function around people if I think they are idiots.
I tip my hat to you sir!
It’s Harry Hill 
IIRC, Reminds me of a Likely Lads sketch where Terry starts off saying he doesn’t like Germans, then goes on to slate off the rest of the World, before saying he doesn’t like Southerners, the Scots, or the Irish or the Welsh, actually anyone outside Newcastle, in fact anyone who doesn’t live in his street, doesn’t really like any of them either. Truth is he doesn’t like anyone outside his house, and doesn’t like his mum either…
Should have been a driver!!!
My mate has a trick if anyone is trying to talk to him in a pub or cafe, he tries to convert them to Jehovas Witnesses or to follow Jah Rastafari.
Hear me! Dere is no truth but de one truth, an’ that is the truth of Jah Rastafari.
With me I have a low tolerance of idiots and find it difficult to delegate simple jobs.
Remember what BT said…Its good to talk…being alone for hours on end does get boring, so i do love it when i get the chance to have a chat with old friends or aquaintances, but then i cant stand talking about work and trucks 24/7 which seems to be the norm at most meeting places. I find also that when going for a meal, i tend to sit on my own, like most other drivers, and i sometimes wish i could join in a conversation, when theres a group of other drivers chatting, but i dont like to be told to F off, so i dont bother. There were days when the opposite was the norm, where when you went into a transport cafe, automatically joined someone elses table, even the french routiers used to encourage it, and although i was nt keen at first, cos of the language, i did get quirte used to it, people will make you welcome in other countries, but the uk is certainly full of loners…sad but true.
obsessivecompulsive2:
We can’t be that antisocial…we’re on here replying to each others posts!!!
i like working on my own but im certainly not shy to chat to other people. it makes life easier at work although i have had to request that no drivers are knocked off when i am due to start work cos i have a habit of stopping for a blether as our paths cross and even though i arrive in the car park 10 minutes before i am due to start, i sometimes dont reach the office until 10 minutes after i start
The OP’s desciption describes me accurately too. I have aspergers which also led to social anxiety, meaning I’m in the best possible job. I’m really not a people person.
Winseer:
“I’d rather be first in this village, than second in Rome”.
J.CaesarThis is an illustration of why high-IQ people choose driving over being second-fiddle in some high-up firm that might have used a larger proportion of one’s talents, but you’ll always feel lower overall among the staff there.
I’ve never got on with the monied my entire life, and have few friends in the academic circle. Being a driver for me therefore is at the very top end of being an under-achiever you might say.
Amen. very eloquently and accurately put.
■■■■ me some people need to lighten up i will talk to anyone about anything as long as it gets a laugh and a smile i have met some great people whilst out on the rd and
yea you are gonna get the bullshitters but you can also learn a thing or too aswell
enjoy life its too short
Working with people ■■■■■■ me off too. Did some double Manning work through agency last year, was nearly suicidal lol.
