The global economy couldn't exist without the trucking industry. Cargo planes and ships play their part, but truckers around the world make sure a product makes its way across the country. Truck drivers, sadly, must deal with a job that doesn't always come with thanks. Because of that, the field is becoming less and less populated. The job does come with its dangers, so it is no surprise truckers face tremendous stress. Here are three main reasons why a trucking career can be stressful.
Long Hours Behind the Wheel Driving to a destination and arriving on time may require spending 10-hour days on the road. Fatigue sets in after a while. Struggling to deal with a lack of sleep brings on worry and anxiety. Sitting in the driver's seat for many hours doesn't always work wonders for how the body feels. Exercising and burning off calories isn't easy, and a trucker's lifestyle becomes sedentary. That's not healthy. According to Pass My Physical, “warning signs of being too tired to drive are: trouble keeping your eyes open, trouble keeping your head up, daydreaming or wandering thoughts, drifting across lanes, drifting of the road or hitting rumble strips, missing signs or exits, frequently yawning or rubbing your eyes, irritability or restlessness.” Even a 5-day, 40-hour per week driving schedule can become tiresome. The pay might make the long hours worth it, but those hours can seem like an eternity at times. Accidents Are Less Forgiving Trucks are colossal moving machines. They weigh tons. In an accident, even a small one, a rig can do a lot of damage. The chances of a fatality during a collision increase immensely. The government imposes regulations to decrease the chances of a fatigue-related accident. According to Heiting & Irwin, “whether a big rig collides with another big rig, a bus, or a recreational vehicle, the results are almost always catastrophic. Driver fatigue is the leading cause of trucking accidents, which is why so many regulations are in place to prevent it.” Federal laws limit the number of hours a driver can work per day and week. Still, other factors besides fatigue contribute to crashes. Citations Can Ruin a Career Depending on the terms of his/her employment, a trucker may need a spotless driving record to stay employed. Since he/she is on the road for hours upon hours a day, the chances of making a mistake increases. Assuming the speed limit is higher than it is or not coming to a complete stop when required might mean a hefty ticket. Getting more than one ticket within a specific time period could even lead to a license suspension. According to GetLoaded, “if a truck driver ever gets a ticket, as quickly as possible afterwards, they need to write down every detail, starting from five minutes before the alleged violation to when the officer drove off.” Even the most careful truck driver, one who never receives a ticket, can stress over the thought of receiving one. If you are a trucker, do what you can to drive safely, adhere to traffic laws, and keep stress levels down. Many people rely on you to continue doing a great job.
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Although there are many reasons to feel stressed in the workplace, productivity is often at the root. After all, productive employees are often perceived as the most valuable employees and when productivity fails, it tends to put everyone on edge. Take a proactive role in improving your own productivity with these ideas.Get Focused![]() Plan to make productivity a priority (Family Features) Although there are many reasons to feel stressed in the workplace, productivity is often at the root. After all, productive employees are often perceived as the most valuable employees and when productivity fails, it tends to put everyone on edge. Concerns about productivity are broadly founded. They may be related to your self-assessment of your own performance, or it could be that a manager is demanding more. Or maybe you’re collaborating with a team of peers and are struggling to find your footing, and collectively productivity is down. Productivity is not only good for business; it’s good for worker morale, too. A productive work day can produce a sense of accomplishment and pride, and may result in a less stressful work environment. You can take a proactive role in improving your own productivity with these ideas. 1. Face a challenge head on. Procrastination can be the ultimate roadblock to productivity. For many, that means saving the least desired task on your to-do lists for the end of the day. However, by the end of the day, it’s too easy to delay the task until tomorrow. Instead, start the day with your least desired task. This is when you’ll have the most energy and you’ll kick off your day feeling accomplished, ready to tackle whatever comes next. 2. Be intentional with your time. It may seem counterintuitive, but taking breaks can help you have a more productive day. When you feel your energy start to wane, give yourself a timeout. Take a 15-minute walk, run the stairs or spend some time drawing in your notebook. Over the course of a week, pay attention to your schedule and start to plan your meetings and tasks around breaks so you’re working during periods of the day when you’re the most energized. 3. Capture ideas when they come. Let’s face it: not every great idea arrives at the ideal moment. While it’s possible to key your ideas immediately into your smartphone, that can come with multiple obnoxious distractions. However, trying to recreate that flash of inspiration at a more opportune time more often than not falls short with missing details. An option like the Bamboo Slate smartpad allows you to write naturally with pen on any paper without the social media notifications and email alerts. With the push of a button, you can then convert your handwritten notes into “living” digital files. With Wacom Inkspace, you can organize, edit and share your notes and sketches on your enabled smartphone, tablet or other devices. In case you’re not near your mobile device when inspiration strikes, you can store up to 100 pages on your smartpad and sync later. Learn more at bamboo.wacom.com. 4. Identify areas for collaboration. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. The key is knowing yourself well enough to know when you need to ask for help to be more productive. Wasting time on tasks you don’t excel in can slow everyone down. Rather, find others whom you can collaborate with and learn from to help you improve your productivity over time. 5. Stay organized. When you’re working under continuous deadlines, things can really start to pile up – literally. Digging through a mess to find the report containing the data you need or the invoice to cross reference is a waste of precious time. Allow the clutter to build during the work day if you must, but make it a goal to never leave the office without bringing some order to the day’s chaos. Coming in each morning to a desk that is de-cluttered and ready for the day ahead can be a big productivity booster. Learn to Make Lists with Purpose List-making has long been revered as the classic time management tool, and technology makes it easier than ever to blend this analog task with your digital world by using smart notebooks like the Bamboo Slate to create an online to-do list. Consider these three list styles to determine the approach that best fits your work style to put you on your way to more productive days: Categorized lists. Most people start with a daily to-do list, focusing just on the most urgent tasks for the day. Once you’ve mastered that approach, try looking ahead to the future to help you meet your goals. For this technique, you might consider an annual list or even a life list to help put the big picture in perspective and make it more manageable to accomplish your desires. Others go so far as to categorize their time to focus their attention on different types of tasks on different days. To-do vs. done lists. Another option is to use lists to catalog both the items you need to do and those you’ve already completed. A “done list” can be a motivating factor in pushing forward with your to-do list by letting you see your accomplishments in writing. Bullet journaling. The bullet journal approach is a four-step process designed to make the to-do list less of a chore and more efficient. A step-by-step guide shows you how to create more productive lists you can easily reference in the future.SOURCE: Wacom KEYWORDS
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