Excalibur
This week, we can explore a few related topics. Think back to the collision and the weeks and months right after it. Think about the help you did – or DID NOT – get… and where you got it or wanted to get it from.
What was good – and what wasn’t? In a perfect world, what support should be there truckers who may go through this in the future?
I feel the best help I got was from other drivers who were “in the same boat” as me, so to speak …… hence my picture. I went to professional counselling but felt stupid when I would tell them I think about my truck a lot and felt guilty leaving it to get towed and eventually wrote off by the insurance company. They didn’t understand that to me it was like losing a best friend….. an old buddy that protected me when I needed it to the most. I remember my councillor brushing off anything I had to say about my truck…. where as other drivers I talked to knew exactly how I felt and felt the same way.
My head on accident happened at night…. for along time headlights really bothered me…. and sometimes still do. My councillor suggested that when lights start to bother me lay down and hug a pillow…. I tried to explain to him that I can’t pull over and hug a pillow …. we don’t have the kind of job that allows us to do that…. he really didn’t have an answer for that. Professional help did nothing for me.
Openly sharing stories with other drivers, the love and financial support I got from my Mom and Dad and the emotional support I got from my boss were the number one reasons I was able to stay afloat and get back to work after my accident. I had the perfect trifecta in my favour and my heart breaks for my fellow drivers who are not as lucky as me. I believe there should be some sort of financial support that begins instantly after an accident. I took some time off after the accident but I know I rushed back to driving before I probably should have….. but financially I had no other choice.
Worrying about how you are going to feed your children and keep a roof over your head shouldn’t take precedence over worrying about how you are going to heal your mind. A driver needs time to step back and process everything that has happened….. and they deserve to be able to take the time they need without adding extra stress.
“Its just a truck”. While it may be true its one of the comments that’s come my way multiple times and it drives me bonkers. That truck was my family’s blood sweat and tears. We fought so hard to get it road worthy and get our business up and rolling. Missed family events. Late nights in the shop after a full day/weeks work at my job. Nights spent cleaning it together just to get some family time with my wife before I had to hit the road again. Dad staying late to help me swap in his spare transmission so I wouldn’t miss my load and trucking all night so we both got where we needed to be. The pride of recognition by customers and other drivers. Yeah, it was just a truck. The ones I’ve owned since I do feel that way about, honestly, but our first truck had a piece of all of us in it.
That is one thing a non trucker will never understand is the relationship with our trucks.