Lifestyle

Seven Common Problems Truckers Experience on the Road, and How to Solve Them

Published

6 years ago

February 15, 2020

Driving a truck doesn’t sound that difficult on the surface, but it can be very dangerous. Spending so much time behind the wheel automatically increases your chances of getting into an accident, it increases your chances of having to hire a truck accident lawyer, and it means you’ll be at home recovering instead of making money on the road.

Getting the right training is the first step to making sure you’re safe when driving your truck, but there are many other dangers you should be on the lookout for.

Fatigued Driving

One of the most common problems truck drivers face is fatigue. Long hours on the road away from your comfortable bed at home combined with tight deadlines creates a perfect storm of sleep deprivation. Unfortunately, most truckers push through the fatigue and keep driving.

If you’re feeling tired, you’re putting yourself and others on the road in danger. It’s important to get a full 8 hours of sleep in every 24-hour period, whether you choose to sleep at night or during the day.

A 20-minute nap can be very helpful too. A quick snooze can increase your energy levels and make it easier for you to concentrate on the road.

If pulling over isn’t an option, try cracking the window or turning up the music until you make it to the next truck stop.

Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is a real problem for everyone who drives a vehicle. Texting is the biggest culprit. Everyone seems to do it, and yet, it increases your chance of getting into an accident by nearly 25 percent.

No matter how tempting, you shouldn’t use your phone while you’re driving. Put it on silent and out of reach so you aren’t tempted to text someone back while you’re driving. Save any texts or phone calls for when you pull over.

Texting isn’t the only thing that can distract you behind the wheel! A few other distractions include:

Reaching for an object on the floor or in the other seat.
Eating while driving.
Adjusting the controls in the cabin.

The key is to focus on the road. If you’re tempted to do something that will take your attention away, you shouldn’t do it.

Speeding

Speeding is the norm among cars on the interstate. Truckers shouldn’t speed, even if you’re trying to meet a tight deadline. Not only is it dangerous, but it can also affect your CDL license.

Speeding means going over the posted speed limit, but it can mean other things beyond the number on the roadside sign. Truckers should go slower during inclement weather, which includes rain, snow, and fog.

Road conditions should affect a trucker’s speed too. Hilly roads, curving roads, and narrow roads require a trucker to go slower. Don’t be tempted to plow through at your current speed, even if it means you have to drive below the speed limit.

Aggressive Driving

Speeding isn’t the only form of aggressive driving. There are other ways you can drive aggressively, and it’s easy to do when tempers run high hour after hour on the road.

Aggressive habits to break include:

Tailgating
Cutting in front of other drivers
Running red lights
Weaving in and out of traffic
Changing lanes without signaling

Anything that is done in anger on the road is not a good idea. If you regularly experience road rage, you should learn a few relaxation techniques, like taking deep breaths or use calming essential oils in the cabin.

Boredom

There are a lot of great things about being a truck driver. There’s nothing like driving across the country, and it can be peaceful to do it by yourself, but not all roads are the same. Some roads in the United States drag on for mile after mile with nothing to capture your interest. Boredom is a common problem experienced by truckers.

Fortunately, there are a few things you can try when dealing with boredom on the road. Music is a good place to start, but if you notice yourself not paying attention to the tunes on the radio, try listening to an audiobook instead. CB chatter can pass the time, as can playing road games, like the alphabet game.

Loneliness

Driving a truck can be peaceful, but it can also be lonely. Loneliness can actually be dangerous to your health and wellbeing, so it’s important to find a way to feel connected when you’re on the road.

A few ideas for staying connected include:

Plan time into your trip to call or text friends and family members back home.
Consider bringing a pet on the road.
Consider bringing a spouse or a friend on a haul.
Participate in the trucking community through forums, Facebook groups, and chat rooms.

When you do stop the truck, a little chit chat can go a long way towards making you feel more connected. A short conversation with the person behind the gas station counter or another trucker can give you a boost of energy and make you feel a little less lonely.

Overconfidence

It’s important to have confidence behind the wheel, but make sure it isn’t false confidence. No matter how many hours you’ve spent behind the wheel, no one is immune to fatigue, boredom, and the other things on this list, but many drivers think they are, and they make mistakes on the road because of it.

You always have to remember the inherent danger in driving a huge truck at fast speeds. It deserves your complete attention. You may have never been in an accident, but it takes just one mistake, and you could find yourself in a deadly crash.

You may not have to deal with office politics or managing multiple projects at the same time like your office counterparts, but that doesn’t mean trucking doesn’t come with plenty of challenges of its own! Follow the tips on this list and you can conquer any roadside challenge that comes your way.

Lifestyle

When Seasons Shift: Dr. Leeshe Grimes on Grief, Loneliness, and Finding Light Again

Published

3 days ago

February 22, 2026

Michelle Langton

Some emotional storms arrive without warning. A sudden change in weather, a holiday approaching, or even a bright sunny day can stir feelings that don’t match the world outside. For many people, the hardest seasons are not defined by temperature; they are defined by what’s happening inside, where grief and loneliness often move quietly.

This is the emotional terrain where Dr. Leeshe Grimes has spent her career doing some of her most meaningful work. As a psychotherapist, registered play therapist, retired U.S. Army combat veteran, and founder of Elevated Minds in the DMV area, she understands how deeply seasonal shifts and unresolved grief can affect people. Her upcoming books explore this very space, guiding readers through the emotional weight that can appear during different times of the year.

What sets Dr. Grimes apart is her ability to see clearly what many people overlook. Seasonal depression, for example, is usually tied to winter months. But she often sees it appear during warm, bright seasons, the times when the world seems happiest. For someone already grieving or feeling disconnected, watching others travel, celebrate, or gather can create its own kind of heaviness. Sunshine doesn’t always lift the mood; sometimes it highlights what feels missing.

The same misunderstanding surrounds grief. Society often treats it as a short-term experience with predictable phases and a clean ending. But in her practice, Dr. Grimes sees how grief keeps evolving. It doesn’t disappear on a timeline. It weaves itself into routines, memories, and milestones. People learn to carry it differently, but they rarely leave it behind completely. And that’s not failure, it’s human.

Her approach to mental health centers on truth rather than pressure. She encourages clients to acknowledge the emotions they try to hide: sadness that lingers longer than expected, moments of joy that feel out of place, and the waves of loneliness that return even when life seems stable. Instead of pushing for quick recovery, she focuses on helping people understand how emotions shift and how to care for themselves through those changes.

Much of her insight comes from her military years, where she witnessed the emotional toll of loss, transition, and constant survival. She saw how people continued functioning while carrying pain that had nowhere to go. That experience shaped her belief that healing requires space, space to feel, to speak, and to move through emotions without judgment.

In her clinical work today at Elevated Minds, she encourages people to build small, steady habits that anchor them during difficult seasons. Journaling helps them recognize patterns and name what feels heavy. Community support breaks the cycle of isolation. Therapy creates a place where emotions don’t have to be minimized or explained away. And intentional routines, daily sunlight, mindful breaks, and calm evenings help rebuild emotional balance.

Her upcoming books expand on these ideas, offering practical guidance for navigating both grief and seasonal depression. She focuses on helping readers understand that healing is not about escaping pain. It’s about learning how to live with it in a healthier way, honoring memories, acknowledging loneliness, and still allowing room for moments of light.

What makes Dr. Leeshe Grimes a compelling voice in mental health is her ability to bring language to experiences that many struggle to explain. She reminds people that emotional seasons don’t always match the weather and that there is no single path through grief. But within those shifts, she believes there is always a way forward.

The seasons will continue to change. And with the right tools, compassion, and support, people can change with them, finding steadiness, softness, and light again, one step at a time.