With today’s high truck driver turnover rate, quitting a trucking job is something many drivers do at least once a year. As issues with miscommunication, mistrust, and frustration grow between you and your company, it can be tempting to throw in the towel and head off in search of a new trucking job, but make sure you’re making the right choice by asking yourself these questions before you quit.
Here’s What You Need To Think About Before You Quit Your Trucking Job
- How will the change affect your family? If you have an ill loved one depending on you for insurance, even a small gap in coverage could become financially devastating. Take into consideration how your job change could affect those who depend on you.
- Are you upset over a minor issue or are you really being unfairly treated? Sometimes long days on the road with no one to talk to can leave you going over and over a situation in your head, turning what might be a simple misunderstanding into a bigger issue. Take some time to talk the issue over with an objective third party to make sure you’re seeing the situation clearly.
- What will you give up other than your paycheck? For example, if you’re in a lease purchase program, what do you stand to lose if you quit? Will you miss the interaction with the other drivers you’ve made friends with at the terminal? What would happen if your next job did not allow pets? Could you stand to go out on the road without your dog?
- Is it this particular job or is it trucking in general that you want to quit? Before you decide to quit a job, take some time to figure out whether you’re frustrated by specific things your company is doing or whether you are feeling frustrated by the difficulties of the trucking lifestyle in general. If it turns out that you want to get out of trucking all together, don’t waste any more of your time by switching companies and hoping that things get better.
- Have you taken steps to make your current trucking job more livable? Many drivers quit without ever speaking to anyone in the company about the problems that they are facing. Sometimes you’d be amazed by how much you can accomplish with a simple and honest conversation with the right person.
- Do you have a realistic plan for getting a new job that you can expect to be significantly better than your current one? There’s nothing worse than quitting a job and starting another only to realize you are now in a worse situation than you were before. Before you quit, do careful research on other companies and job options so that you can reduce the time you spend unemployed while making sure that you’re moving up to a better company.
- Can I afford to quit? Even if you get a job right away, changing jobs can be a nightmare on your budget if you’re living paycheck to paycheck. Make sure that you have enough money saved up before you give your notice.
And one more question that all drivers — even those who aren’t thinking of quitting — should ask themselves:
- Are you being abused or taken advantage of? While some truckers will quit their jobs at the drop of a hat, others will endure months or even years of abuse and unfair treatment from their employers. Even the most loyal driver needs to take a step back every once in a while to make sure that he has his own best interest — and not the best interest of his company — in mind.