The Mental Load of No Control

One of the biggest mental health stressors in trucking is not always the thing people think it is. It is
not always the weather.
It is not always the traffic.
It is not always the long miles.
You get to the shipper or receiver on time.
You did your part.
You planned your route.
You watched your clock.
You fought the traffic.
You made the appointment.
Sometimes it is sitting still.
Then you check in and hear the words every driver knows too well.
Your load is not ready.
It is going to be another five hours.
Maybe ten.
We are not sure.
At that moment, the stress is not really about the load anymore.
It is about losing control.
Because as a driver, your whole day is built around time.
Your clock is running.
Your delivery appointment is scheduled.
Your next pickup may already be planned.
You know where you are supposed to be tonight.
You know where you need to park.
You know how many legal hours you have left.
You know what time you need to roll to make the next move work.
Then one sentence throws all of it out the window.
Now you are sitting there in the cab, waiting on somebody else’s timeline, while everything you are
responsible for starts falling apart in your head.
Am I going to make my next pickup?
Am I going to find parking tonight?
How much money is this delay costing me?
What am I supposed to tell dispatch?

How many hours can I still legally run?
Will I have time to eat?
Will I have time to shower?
Can I even leave to use the bathroom?
How long am I supposed to sit here with no answer?
The shipper sees a delay.
The driver sees an avalanche.
That is where mental health starts taking a hit.
Because the human mind handles stress better when it knows what is happening. A driver can deal with bad
news if it is clear. A driver can adjust when there is a real answer. A driver can make a new plan if somebody
gives them enough information to work with.
But uncertainty is different.
Being told, ‘It will be five hours,’ is frustrating.
Being told, ‘We do not know,’ is worse.
Now you are trapped in your own thoughts.
You check the clock.
You check the dock.
You check your phone.
You look at your ELD.
You think about parking.
You think about the next load.
You think about the money.
You think about whether this delay is going to wreck the rest of your week.
Every hour feels longer than the last.
And the hardest part is that you cannot just leave.
That is what people outside the truck do not always understand.
A driver sitting at a dock is not free.
They may be parked, but they are not resting.
They may be off the road, but they are not off duty in their mind.
They are waiting, listening, calculating, worrying, and trying not to get angry.
They may need the restroom, but they do not want to miss the call.
They may be hungry, but they do not know if they have time to walk away.
They may need sleep, but they cannot fully sleep because they are waiting to be called.