Working as a haulier can be similar to a juggler, as you have to take care of many things all at once, and it takes hard-earned experience and skills to master the art of balancing these various demands. Succeeding in this profession requires you to adopt particular personal strategies, not only to keep your sanity intact, but also to succeed.

Take Time to Reward Yourself

Any hardworking haulier deserves a little reward at the end of the day. If no one else is giving you that reward, then you should be the one to give it to yourself. By ‘reward’, we don’t necessarily mean some big blowout in which you paint the town red. Rewards conventionally come in the form of a bonus, but it’s not always about money. Taking time off, for instance, is a satisfying reward, especially if you’ve done a good job. Maybe relax at a café or have dinner with friends. What matters is that you should always be the first one to recognise what you have achieved, and learn to match that recognition with a sound reward system that self-reinforces its own positive energy. No matter how small those achievements may be, you need to give yourself credit.

Focus on your Business’ Issues, not on your Personal Flaws

Too many bad managers are ‘bad’ because they fail to distinguish between the personal and professional. Often these bad managers take things too personally instead of gaining some realistic perspective on the issues at hand. Any haulier will typically be dealing with different people or clients from all walks of life, and these people may have their various issues and concerns, so when they raise issues with you, learn to recognise that the issue lies in the job, not in yourself. Do not take things personally; instead, learn to look at things from your customers’ perspective, so that you understand where they are coming from. Most importantly, every issue raised regarding your business serves as an opportunity to further improve your system, so seize that opportunity.

Keep your Enthusiasm Alive

The day-to-day challenges of working as a haulier can leave anyone jaded and weary, and that’s why you must ensure that you’re always on the path to success. You must constantly feed your enthusiasm. The bets way to do this is to learn when to stop, as you can’t be working all the time. You must learn when to call it a day, then take some time off to do the things you enjoy doing (that is, aside from hauling cargo). You must not succumb to the mind-set that afflicts many a hard worker, that a vacation leave should make you feel guilty for not being productive. The point is that well-enjoyed vacations serve to reinvigorate you, so use them wisely.