This question might sound like an out-of-the-blues question — but since people have asked this, we had to also make a content [response] around it. Why Are Truck Drivers So Angry? In this article, we’ll provide you with an answer to one of the queries by visitors.

Let’s proceed.

Why Are Truck Drivers So Angry?

For someone saddled with such a responsibility and having to take orders and responding to calls while driving, it’s only natural for them to get angry. So, if you ever come across a truck driver, try to be super nice to them because driving a truck can get hard sometimes. 

How To Deal With Aggressive Drivers

Some drivers out there depict aggressive driving behavior by tailgating, using verbal assault, doing unnecessary horn honking, or making hostile hand gestures. Looking at fact, in the year 2018, a study – study from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety – showed that almost 80% of drivers portrayed significant aggression, anger, or road rage behind the wheel, in the previous year, at least once.

Experts have offered the advice listed below — advice on how to avoid harm whenever you encounter an aggressive driver.

1. Check And Correct Your Own Behavior

While there’s not a single excuse why any driver should show road rage, sometimes drivers who are frustrated get worse due to what they get from other motorists. If you discover that someone — one of the drivers — is tailgating you, check whether or not you’re driving at a very slow pace, straddling lanes, or doing something that’s aggravating that driver. If that’s the case, ensure you correct your own error.

2. Let Them Pass

Drivers moving right behind you steadily honking their horn or tailgating are seen by everyone else as a hazard, on the road. All you have to do is, just allow them to pass, and hopefully, they’ll move on and then, calm down.

3. Ignore The Behaviour

If you find any driver that’s making frustrated hand gestures or attacking you verbally (or verbally attacking other drivers), what you can do is: simply disengage. Avoid making eye contact. Avoid speeding up and trying to teach her or him a lesson. Just go ahead and ignore the behavior. That’s like the safest strategy.

4. Practice Acceptance

Sometimes, those drivers you tag as aggressive out there are people trying to reach a hospital because of a medical emergency. For example, a lane-swerving, speeding driver may be driving at an increased speed in order to rush someone to the hospital. So, have it at the bank of your mind that it’s not all the drivers you see on the road portraying bad driving behavior that’s acting out of anger. Finally, when you come across a truly hostile motorist, just a very deep breath and be in acceptance of the fact that the problem is hers or his, not yours. This will go a long way in helping you maintain your composure, instead of getting involved in the aggression — which can really be contagious.

5. Pull Over

The best thing you, as a driver, can do whenever a hostile driver won’t leave your tail is simply to pull over into a parking lot close by — or a rest stop. Allow the aggressive driver to have his/her way while you take some moments to yourself in order to regain your composure before returning to the road.

6. Call 911

If a driver that has road rage doesn’t stop following you, even after you pull off the road, be cautious. Ensure you keep all your windows shut and your doors locked. Once that’s done, pick up your phone and dial 911. It’d be a trusted thing to do.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Being A Truck Driver Depressing?

Depression is often associated with stress and anxiety, so a stressful work environment can put employees at a greater risk. Long-haul truck drivers are vulnerable to depression due to the high demands of their job, including: Extended periods of time away from family and friends.

Why Are Truck Drivers So Aggressive?

Truck drivers are often perceived to be rude for one simple reason: inertia. Trucks have a lot of inertia and therefore take a lot longer than cars to safely slow down, speed up, or change lanes. Such slow responsiveness can seem like rudeness to other drivers. … Large trucks are very massive compared to normals cars.

What Is Aggressive Driving Behavior?

What is aggressive driving? Any unsafe driving behavior, performed deliberately and with ill intention or disregard for safety, can constitute aggressive driving. Examples of aggressive driving behaviors include: Speeding in heavy traffic. Tailgating.

Words from Ken Mitchell [Professional Driver] on Quora:

“How would you feel if you were trying to do your job, & stupid people kept getting in your way all day long?

We need lots of room to turn. But Mr, “I,m in a hurry” will zip into the area next to us & prevent the turn.

We need extra room to stop. But Mr, I’m in a hurry” will squeeze his 20′ long car into our 25′ long safety cushion.

Then, we are all in line for lane closure in work zone. Mr. My hurry is MUCH MORE URGENT THAN YOURS” comes flying up the shoulder past 18 cars & 5 trucks to swoop in at the barricade. & gets extremely pissed if not let in.

& then, ther’s “Miss Oblivious” , the soccer mom, who pulls out right in front of us & can’t seem to maintain anything resembling a constant speed or anything near the speed limit. They always do this right before a long uphill …

Let me come to your workplace & interrupt your work, getting in your way, spilling coffee into the copy machine, sitting on your desk & chatting relentlessly about how you’re always getting in their way & you need to go somewhere else to do your job.

Everything you touch or use came by truck. But nobody wants the trucks to be there.

Ever seen a Walmart with rail tracks leading up to the back door ???

Like ice cream? 100% of ice cream goes by truck.

Like fresh meat & produce? Trucks cross the country quicker than trains & cheaper than planes.

Everything in your house, including the materials it is built with, rode on a truck. Only exception is the air inside it. The carpet rode a truck. The drywall rode a truck. The wires for electricity & pipes for plumbing rode a truck. All your electronics & appliances. Your bed. Your clothing. Your car. The gas in your car. The plastic card that became your drivers license.

We are out here, doing our job. We are not here just to be “in your way”. Some of us are away from home weeks at a time, so YOU can have a nice, normal life. We miss birthdays, anniversaries, ball games, sleeping with our spouse every night, etc. Just so you can be comfortable. Yet, we are constantly bitched at, flipped off, called low-life scum, & discriminated against. Just because of our job & the vehicle we drive. There are “NO TRUCK PARKING” signs everywhere. We don’t get to go to the Mall. We don’t get to go to the movies. We don’t get to go to Applebee’s for dinner, or Cracker Barrel for breakfast.

We are just out here doing our job, & people can’t stand having us around. How are we supposed to react??????”

Words From Donald Payseur on Quora:

“That is a great question!

Trucking is hard very hard there is so much going against a truck driver some drivers simply can’t handle the pressure. The pressure comes from just a naturally long day Trucking in the United States it’s generally a 14-hour day. 11 of those hours are driving, and three of those hours are for doing things such as unloading, loading. on duty.

Fatigue affects everybody in a different way but after a while oh, I can see how an angry attitude will set in. There’s so much to piss a driver off. It could be anything from problems at home, road conditions, congestion on the highways. Being treated like crap. Buy shippers and Buy receivers.

Trucking also is a lonely job. We are never in the same city for long and the only people that make your day better are your friends that you might talk to over the phone. That is about your only support system.

Not only what I stated above, but trucks are Target for law enforcement because the citations that a highway patrol officer in any given jurisdiction can write on a federal level is big income for that municipality.

I personally have found I personally have found the secret to happiness when on the road. And I tried to pass that happiness along to my fellow drivers. A smile, a handshake a thumbs-up or anything that validates there existence makes a difference.”

Why Are Truck Drivers So Angry – Conclusion

As a recap of the response we gave to the question — Why Are Truck Drivers So Angry? — we stated that:

Driving a truck doesn’t require high intelligence, and so many truck drivers are not very bright. Those who are not bright are controlled by their emotions, and people who are controlled by their emotions are quick-tempered. This is exacerbated by the frustrations of being not very intelligent.

Thanks for reading.