You should be cautious of truckers experiencing burnout

Each day, countless truckers wake up and don't feel like getting on the road. It's not that they're sleepy or have a fear of driving, but instead that they're just experiencing burnout.

The editor of the academic journal Burnout Research notes that there are three different stages truckers go through before they begin to experience disillusionment with their jobs.

Mental or physical exhaustion

One of the first signs of burnout, the editor contends, is when a trucker experiences either mental or physical exhaustion. He notes that while it's appropriate for a truck driver or any type of worker to feel tired at the conclusion of his or her shift, any trucker that complains of the same feeling on a daily basis may be experiencing early signs of burnout.

He notes that a worker's isolated complaint of feeling tired is not enough to warrant an employer being concerned that he or she is on the verge of burnout. However, if the driver gets enough rest and yet still complains of a tired feeling, then this may be a sign of chronic trucker burnout.

Change in job outlook

The editor describes any worker who has shifted from having a positive outlook about his or her job to a negative one is potentially experiencing symptoms of burnout as well. He notes that an employer that notices that a worker has gone from thinking that the job was interesting to now being always being angered by management or expressing lack of concern over his or her work could on the verge of a breakdown.

Self-doubt

Finally, the third indicator that truckers may be suffering from burnout is if they start to question their ability to perform at the same level that they used to.

Why burnout matters

Truckers who experience burnout are more likely to pay less attention to their work and thus provide an inferior level of service. When they do this, they put other motorists that ride alongside them at risk for being hit. A Los Lunas truck accidents attorney may advise you of your right to recover medical costs for injuries after being struck by fatigued trucker.