How To Cope With Time Away From Family

Any carrier who has been at the job long enough knows that time away from home can be one of the biggest challenges that one faces on the road, a problem that is not always discussed.

The American Trucking Association found out that truck drivers handle about three-fourths of all the country’s freight tonnage. That makes truck drivers an indispensable part of the economy.

Being on the road for weeks at a stretch, though, can come with a personal cost like time away from friends, family, and your hometown. The following are ways in which one can cope:

• Make Quality Time a Priority

When you're on the road for weeks at a stretch, you might not be able to spend one-on-one time with your partner or family. This means that you need to make the time that you do spend together really count.

Prioritize going out with your partner or spending time with your family when you are in town so that if you're on the road for, say, three weeks then you'll both have had that time together.

Realize that time away from home might be longer than you first thought, based on demand. Prioritize going out for dinner with your family or playing that game of catch in the front yard when you get the chance.

Spending time together when you can definitely makes the long stretches on the road feel fewer and further between. When you really can't be there, though, you can always do the next best thing.

• FaceTime and Skype

FaceTime is a free video calling service provided by Google. Skype is a similar app provided by Microsoft. You should have these two apps on your mobile device, as they are easy to download. You can access them for free as long as there is a Wi-Fi connection.

Other free video chat apps that you can rely on include Google Hangouts, Google Duo, and Facebook Messenger. They can make your time on the road and away from your family much less of a challenge.

Long-haul trucking doesn’t always provide truck drivers with a reliable schedule, which is why video chats are a really great solution to time away from home. You can set up a FaceTime chat with your family or spouse in literally a few minutes or with any downtime you have right before bed.

• Keep a Journal

Just before sleeping, is the best time to update your journal. Keeping a journal and taking pictures along your route is one way to connect with your family. You'll have a lot to document and talk about after a cross-country trip, and a journal will help you to keep everything in perspective.

• Develop Outside Hobbies

During your downtime away from home, at the end of the day, you could always go out to eat at a new restaurant, catch a minor league game, or listen to a podcast on a topic that's always intrigued you but that you never set out time for before.

Quality time with your family when you're in town and video chats when you're away can help you strike a better work-life balance. You can still develop yourself and broaden your horizons while on the road, though.

Early in the morning before their routes and before bed are the two best times to schedule family time on the road.

Checking in with the family on Skype or FaceTime from a new restaurant or a museum you've decided to check out on your lunch break can definitely be a welcome surprise and bring you much closer to your family while on the road.