31/05/2024
Some tips for Truck drivers.
10 Truck Driving Rules That Can Change the Life of Any Truck Driver
I am a passionate truck driver. I literally drive any size vehicle. My license is class CE. Here are some simple guidelines for some of the most hardworking people you will ever meet.
Salute to truck drivers. You are simply hardworking and your contribution to commerce and trade is valued.
Rule #1: Get Enough Rest
A truck driver pulls huge weight of cargo and that responsibility can weigh him or her down. Rest before any major trip so that you are fully awake. Also learn to rest when tired. This saves lives and assets.
Rule #2: Stay Away from Changanya Diesel
I always use fuelling stations and I always put full tanks. This helps me calculate my distance and also manage my time. It reduces stress as I know I always have sufficient fuel.
It keeps my truck in good health as I am using genuine fuel instead of fuel from the roadside which is usually compromised.
Rule #3: Communicate with Your Wife
As truck drivers we get consumed in work that we forget that someone at home is praying for us. Call her, video call her, update her and sometimes do a trip or half a trip with her. This will change how we perceive our support system.
Let your family feel your presence even in your absence.
Rule #4: Save Money
Those backloads are capital. That extra space is capital. Use that money to build houses and to invest. A truck driver with wisdom and discipline is almost always never broke.
Rule #5: Stay Away from Illegal Activities
I was crossing from one country to another when I was approached by these beautiful women. They proposed that I carry some “special”items for them. I said No. An emphatic NO!
The truck behind me said yes. A few kilometres away that truck was impounded and the driver spent months in jail in a foreign country. He never saw that truck again.
Rule #6: Do Not Stop Stop
I have an ability to drive from 6am to 9pm straight. I will just stop here and there to wash my feet and to check on my belts and loads. A great truck driver has enormous respect for the owners of the goods and the owners of the truck. Above all he avoids too many stops.
I once had a driver I employed. I would go to Botswana and to Congo border and back to Botswana in one week. I would do three loads. He would do one and half weeks one load.
He had a person to see at Pandamatenga, at Kazungula, in Dambwa North, at Chikoswe and at Shimabala right after seeing the one at Chawama lay-by. Then a few more at Mpongwe, and at Chisokone.
In the end he started selling drums, tents etc because supply and demand where not balancing.
Rule #7: Learn to Say No
On one trip we were at Nata parked looking for food. Knocks came on the door 🚪. ‘Come on iwe’. As I opened the door I found these outstretched kilimanjaro like creations, “Dumela Papa 👴…”
I did not even let them finish their sentences. I slammed the door hard and chased them away k**e Joseph running away from Potiphar’s wife. “Get thee behind me satanic spirit 😂”.
That was the end of my stay there. I drove off and opted to spend the night in the game park where elephants would not bother me with such lascivious temptations.
The more “no’s” you say the more “yes’s” you say to health and safety. Shall I go deeper?
Rule #8: Avoid Junk Food
I enjoy cooking my own meals. Lucky enough these days there are places you can buy healthy food. So do your best to avoid food that endangers your health.
Rule #9: Carry Enough Clothes
I always wear a fresh pair of clothes and underwear each morning. I also carry water so I bath even if its under my trailer. When you are clean as a driver it means your truck will be clean and your business will do likewise. Wash your truck often. Make sure you bathe every single day or every other day. Its a rule. Yiur truck too. It goes through a lot 😂.
Rule #10: Be Business Minded
Every decision you make as a truck driver must be business oriented. One day you will run your own trucks and so plant good seeds. What you do to others may just be done to you.
Conclusion
Truck drivers are amazing people and I salute them. Their job is one of the hardest and most risky.
May this article bring joy to every truck driver.
MCNLIVE
